Flatley To Quit Dancing

Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance troupe will dance on top of the Cliffs of Moher next month as part of a campaign to make the Co. Clare attraction one of the new seven wonders of the world.

But the Chicago-born dancer is hanging up his dancing shoes himself to concentrate on business ventures.

The Co. Clare cliffs have made the final 28 in a global contest to find the new seven natural wonders of the world, alongside the Amazon, the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.

Over one billion votes are expected to be cast online between now and November 11th, when the top seven will be revealed.

Flatley is determined to help the Cliffs of Moher to success, and has agreed to bring his 'Lord of the Dance' show there at the start of September.

The show will be part of a festival called "The Edge of the World" concert atop the cliffs, which will also feature the Kilfenora Ceili Band and Finbar Furey.

It's hoped the show staged on the cliffs, which will be attended by 10,000 people, can help generate publicity and votes around the world.

"We were delighted to be asked to effectively represent Ireland and help makes the Cliffs of Moher one of the Seven Wonders of Nature," said Flatley.

"I think it's an extraordinary idea and a wonderful chance for Ireland to be seen in the light that it should be."

But Flatley himself has indicated that his dancing days are over.

"I don't see dancing in my future," he told the Sunday Independent newspaper, who reported that he has just turned down a multi-million dollar tour of America to concentrate on business ventures.

"I don't miss it as I have other things going on now. I have a lot of other passions too. I'm not just a dancer. I'm an entertainer and I have some very interesting things on the horizon.

"I spend most of my day on the phone doing business. I am involved in a lot of other businesses as well, which all take a little nurturing and a lot of flying and a lot of time. I employ some 200 people at Unicorn entertainment alone.

"And on top of that I have a wife and a beautiful young son, I'm in heaven. I have great friends, I play a lot of golf, I love to spend time with Michael Jnr. Things are going really great for me now and I'm really happy.

"So never say never, but I can't see it in my future right now."

It's now 17 years since Riverdance, as an interval act in the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, shot Flatley to worldwide stardom.

Since then he has amassed a personal fortune worth an estimated $350 million.

The last time he danced was in February last at a private function for Prince Charles and his wife Camilla at Buckingham Palace.