Michael Flatley, the Irish American dancer and impresario best known for Riverdance, is planning to run for president of Ireland, a Dublin court heard on Friday. The 67-year-old intends to return from Monaco to Ireland and seek nomination for the upcoming election.
The revelation came during a high court case over a legal dispute concerning renovations at Castlehyde, Flatley’s 18th-century estate in County Cork. His barrister, Ronnie Hudson, informed the court of a “material change in circumstances”, stating that Flatley would move back to Ireland within 14 days to seek nomination.
An election for the largely ceremonial post must take place before 11 November, when incumbent Michael D Higgins steps down after two terms. To be eligible, candidates must be Irish citizens aged 35 or older, and must be nominated either by at least 20 members of parliament or at least four local authorities. It remains unclear whether Flatley can secure such support.
Flatley signalled his potential run in a recent RTÉ interview, saying Irish people were not “happy right now” and lacked “a true proper deep voice that speaks their language”. Two candidates have already secured sufficient support: Mairead McGuiness, a former journalist and EU commissioner, and Catherine Connolly, a political independent and former mayor of Galway.
The Independent Ireland grouping, which has four parliamentary seats, said it was open to talking to Flatley and other possible candidates as long as they had a “realistic chance” of mustering 16 other votes. Flatley has remained in the public eye since retiring as a dancer, with a 2022 spy thriller film and plans for a biopic series titled Dancelord.
