Michael Flatley is a household name not just in Ireland but globally. His shows have broken box office records all over the world. Riverdance became a cultural phenomenon after it stole the show at Eurovision in 1994, forever changing the way people viewed Irish dancing.
In 1998, Lord of the Dance set a record-breaking run of 21 consecutive shows at London’s Wembley Arena. It is a record that still stands to this day. By some estimates, Flatley's shows have played to more than 60 million people in 60 countries and have grossed more than $1 billion.
The multi-millionaire has rubbed shoulders with presidents, politicians, Hollywood film stars and members of the royal family. His latest venture is the launch of a project that is close to his heart, Flatley Whiskey 'The Dreamer'.
From his home in Monte Carlo, Michael Flatley spoke to Robert McHugh about how his father inspired him to launch his own whiskey, his approach to life and business, and his love for Irish hospitality.
Tell us about Flatley Whiskey 'The Dreamer'.
I'm delighted with it. I really am. It has been a dream all my life to do this. I myself am a dreamer and I believe all the great things in life started with a dream. Whether it was Arthur Guinness dreaming of his first pint or Henry Ford dreaming of his first automobile, it all started with a dream. That is where great things start.
I have always wanted to do my own Irish whiskey. When I bought Castlehyde in 1999, one of the first things that I did was put in whiskey barrels, but I was always really adamant that I wanted to have my own whiskey. One of the reasons for that was because my father, God rest his soul, loved Irish whiskey.
When he came home to Cork to visit me, I wanted to have an Irish whiskey room in the house so that he and I could share a moment together with a couple of glasses of Irish whiskey. That is how the whole thing started.
I set about putting together the greatest team I could, such as Jim Clerkin, ex Moet Hennessy of North America, and of course, Noel Sweeney, who was my go-to, because I just admire his work. I am a whiskey collector as well and half the bottles in my room have his name on it! I knew he would be the best man for the job and I am so delighted to have him, and of course, John Dillon, what an absolute legend he is to have with me on this journey.
My brief for this whiskey was that I wanted it to be delicious and smooth so that people could drink it neat or in a blend. I like to think we have achieved that. It seems the most frequent comment when people taste my whiskey is, "Oh my God, that's so smooth." I love that. That is what we were hoping to achieve and that is where we ended up.
Why was now a good time to launch Flatley Whiskey 'The Dreamer'.
We were celebrating our 25th anniversary tour with Lord Of The Dance going around the world, I had just turned 65 years old, and I was in the middle of filming a life documentary.
Last year, I had quite a battle with cancer and it made me think, have I done everything that I set out to do in this life and what kind of a legacy am I leaving for my son?
One of the things on my hitlist was to release my own Irish whiskey. As I have said, I have barrels in Castlehyde for some 25 years now, so I decided to pull the trigger, get up and get it done, and I did it, and I'm delighted. Hopefully, we will be in America early in the New Year and we will be taking it global.
I have spent the last 30 years promoting Ireland and Irish culture worldwide in what I hope would be perceived in a very positive light, for other nationalities to see what Irish culture is. The whiskey is just an extension of that but I'm terribly demanding, that's my biggest fault. I'm such a perfectionist. I can't even tell you the amount of iterations we went through, I have Noel driven nuts! But we got there in the end.
I think people who taste this whiskey will be very proud of it and particularly Irish people. I took a lot of slack from the top-end people in the business because it's very under-priced. I was told it should be priced at twice that.
I grew up on construction sites with my father and he loved Irish whiskey. I wanted the average hard-working man or woman to be able to afford to drink this whiskey. That's hugely important. It is the first in a series of whiskies that we are putting out, and this one for me is the important one that the average person can afford to drink.
What has been your best professional decision so far?
That's a hard one to answer in some ways, in other ways not. After Riverdance, I felt I was unfairly treated. Instead of going home, I decided to stay and create my own show.
Lord Of The Dance is celebrating 28 years, it will soon be 30 years. I am still employing hundreds of young Irish musicians, dancers, cast and crew that are travelling the world doing what they love, making a living and becoming stars and spreading Irish culture around the world.
That was my best decision, creating my own show and working hard every day to ensure it's a success. I am so proud to say, I am in the joy business. People come from all over the world to see our shows and they leave with their feet tapping, smiling, and happy. Whatever day they had before they arrived, by the time they leave, their hearts are singing. Isn't that a wonderful business to be in?
Do you have business motto?
Yes, nothing is impossible. Follow your dreams.
What are your pet hates?
I suppose I have a few. I have no patience for someone who does not return phone calls promptly or answer messages. I hate it when I'm out driving and someone is in the passing lane and won't pull over!!
From a business point of view, from my own show, if I have 40 dancers on stage all tapping and dancing hard to the Acapella sequences, I know when somebody's cheating. I know if they are not exactly on time.
I always encourage my dancers, please, do it for yourselves, do it for the other dancers, do it for me, but do it for yourself because if you do things properly now, if you do things properly every night in the show, the rest of your life will follow that. Everything you have to do for the rest of your life, you will do properly.
Don't just do it because it looks good. Do it because it's right. Do every tap properly and at the right time. Dance clean, be articulate and you should be the same in private as you are in public. I try to inoculate all my dancers with that self-belief, if you work hard you can have everything.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
When I was a Golden Gloves boxer in Chicago, my cornerman was one of the McGarry brothers and he said, "Michael, it's not how many times you go down, it's how many times you get back up."
I won and I am delighted I got that advice, but I needed it more later in life, especially after Riverdance and many other things that have happened later on. It was the best advice ever. I know the saying has probably been around for a 100 years, but it was just the way he said it. I needed to hear it so bad when I got back to that corner!!
What was your worst ever job?
I don't know if there is a bad job. For me, swinging a sledgehammer on construction sites in those freezing cold Chicago winters, digging foundations in the snow. That might have been what I would describe as the worst job I ever had. Having said that, I respect any man who gets up and goes to work every morning, and works for a living.
My parents came to America in 1947 with nothing as Irish immigrants. They got into the country perfectly legally and they never took a day off or a penny from the US government. I am more proud of my parents than they could ever be of me.
What is your favourite pub?
Matt Molloy's in Westport.
What is your favourite restaurant?
La Tour d'Argent in Paris.
What is your favourite holiday destination?
The Maldives or sometimes I love driving down to Kerry.
You have travelled widely with global tours. Is there any destination you have not been to that you would like to visit?
I am sure there are a few that I would like to see. My wife and I are fans of archaeology and archaeological finds. I would love to see Iraq and Iran, and some parts of Türkiye.
When it's safe enough, we might like to go and see those things. I have not had the honour of doing that just yet.
What does Irish hospitality do best?
It illustrates the beauty, the charm, the friendliness and the intelligence of the Irish race of people. It's the heart of the Irish people with the twinkle in their eye and the warmth of their greeting for anybody, anywhere, anytime.
