Patrick O'Mahony and Anna Mai Fitzpatrick Have Never Performed in New York City, Until Riverdance

Patrick O'Mahony has been Irish step-dancing since he was four years old. But when he was a teenager in love, he would get bullied “because of being a dancer and stuff,” he told Caitlin Moynihan during a recent #LiveAtFive interview. But everything changed when Riverdance entered pop culture. 

“Riverdance made Irish dancing cool and kinda stopped the bullying,” he said. O’Mahony has been with Riverdance since 2012 and now he’s touring around the world with the famed Irish company for its 25th anniversary. Riverdance is performing at Radio City Music Hall until March 15. For O’Mahony and his fellow lead Riverdancer Anna Mai Fitzpatrick, it’s their first time performing in New York City. 

“When we all stepped on stage [at Radio City] for the first time, it was very overwhelming,” said Fitzpatrick, who's been with Riverdance since 2012. “I think there was a couple of tears, but last night was just like I'm speechless about it. It was absolutely a dream come true.”

Adds O’Mahony, “I always think down the line in say 20 years, 30 years from now, and we all have kids and hopefully grandkids and be able to tell them, ‘Oh your grandad performed in Radio City, or your grandma.’”

Watch the rest of O'Mahony and Fitzpatrick's #LiveAtFive interview below.