John McColgan’s career as a multi award-winning producer and director began in the mid-seventies at RTÉ Television where he went on to become Head of Entertainment and he was also Head of Weekend Entertainment at TVAM – ITV’s breakfast television service.

He played a key role in the evolution of Riverdance from the original seven-minute dance number and went on to direct the full stage-show spectacular. Among John’s many other directorial credits are a critically-acclaimed production of Dion Boucicault’s19th century melodrama The Shaughraun for The Abbey Theatre and he produced a major theatrical event marking the State visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland in May 2011. John has received many awards during his career, including an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the National University of Ireland in recognition of his services to the arts and entertainment industry.

John is also an accomplished photographer with a keen interest in human rights issues around the world. He is the first Ambassador for Trócaire, the Irish overseas development agency and he has produced the acclaimed photography exhibition and TV documentary “This is Palestine”. The recently launched “Looking at the same moon “ is a book of photographs taken on his recent trips to Palestine and Guatemala with Trócaire.

Moya Doherty’s career encompasses the creative industries, theatre, radio and television production and presentation, both in Ireland and internationally.
She fronted a number of Arts, Features and documentary programmes for RTÉ.   As Executive Producer,  Moya produced a number of charity Telethons, the Eurovision Song Contest and the televising of the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics held in Ireland in 2003.   Moya developed the original concept for Riverdance and was the Commissioning Producer for the Eurovision Song Contest of 1994.
Moya has sat on a number of arts-related Boards including seven years as Chair of the Dublin International Theatre Festival, The Abbey Theatre, The Ark Children’s Theatre in Dublin, Business to Arts and Walnut Hill Arts School in Massachusetts.
Moya has received numerous awards and accolades over the years, including the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and Honorary Doctorates from the University of Ulster, University College Dublin & from the National University of Ireland in recognition of her ongoing commitment to the world of the arts in Ireland.
Since 2014 she has been Chair of the RTE Public Service Media Board.

Golden Globe-nominated composer Brian Byrne is also a conductor, songwriter, arranger and pianist. Irish born and now living in LA he has worked extensively in the US and in Europe with such stars as Katy Perry, Pink, Van Morrison, Bono, The Corrs, and Sinead O’Connor, among many others. Barbra Streisand recorded one of Brian’s compositions for her latest album Release Me. His many awards include two Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) for his film scores and two awards for his score and song on the film Albert Nobbs at the World Soundtrack Awards and as a conductor he made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 2004. His television work includes Musical Director on the BBC’s Beautiful Night concert broadcasting to an audience of ten million across Ireland, the UK, and Europe.

Joseph O’Connor is an award-winning writer. His novel Star of the Sea became an international bestseller, selling more than a million copies. The CD of his radio pieces, The Drivetime Diaries, reached number one in the Irish charts. His novel Ghost Light was selected as Dublin’s One City, One Book. He has performed spoken-word pieces with many musicians, including The Chieftains, Glen Hansard, Paul Brady, Camille O’Sullivan, Eimear Quinn, Martin Hayes, Doveman, Sam Amidon, and the Orchestra of the Royal Irish Academy. His stage show with Philip King, Whole World Round, has been performed all over Ireland and in New York and London. Among his many awards are the Neilsen Golden Book Award and Prix Littéraire Européen Zepter for European Novel of the Year. His work has been published in 42 languages and in 2012 he received an Honorary Doctorate from UCD and the Irish PEN Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature.

David Bolger is the Artistic Director and co-founder of CoisCéim Dance Theatre. His work has been seen by millions of people worldwide and has received prestigious awards for its innovation, performance and choreography. Over the last two decades, David has directed and choreographed over 20 original productions for CoisCéim, including the acclaimed Swimming with my Mother; Agnes; The Wolf and Peter and Body Language. He recently co-directed two major co-productions: Invitation to a Journey and the Irish Times Theatre Award winning These Rooms for both the Arts Council of Ireland’s ART: 2016 programme and for 14-18 NOW: WW1 Centenary Art Commissions, LIFT and Shoreditch Town Hall in 2018. His work for film includes the multi award-winning Hit and Run (CoisCéim/Saffron Pictures); Deep End Dance (Wildfire Films); and How to Sink a Paper Boat that will premiere in 2019. David has received numerous choreographic commissions for theatre and opera worldwide, co-directing Midsummer with Joe Dowling for the Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, Centenary for RTÉ and on the multi-award winning Druidshakespeare. He has worked on many productions at The National Theatre in London including The Relapse, The Coast of Utopia by Tom Stoppard, The Man of Mode and Love’s Labour’s Lost directed by Trevor Nunn. Musical Theatre credits include HMS Pinafore, Pirates of Penzanze (Guthrie Theatre), Follies, The King and I, Guys and Dolls, Martin Guerre (Cameron Mackintosh), and most recently Assassins for The Gate Theatre, Dublin. In 2010, David was elected to Aosdána, which honours artists whose work has made an outstanding contribution to creative arts in Ireland.

John’s passion for Irish dance started at the age of seven in Birmingham, UK, at the Doherty Academy. He won his first major championship aged nine and went on to win eight World Championships. While still studying for his A-Levels, John was selected as the first English dancer to be a part of Riverdance. John turned down a place at Oxford University to study chemistry as he was chosen to be Michael Flatley’s understudy in Lord of the Dance and went on to perform the lead role for two years also creating some of the choreography for Feet of Flames. He then went on to also choreograph and star in Magic of the Dance and Skydance. In 2007, John opened the Carey Academy of Irish Dancing. To date the school has won nineteen World Titles and John was featured along with his pupils in the Irish dance documentary Jig.

Alan Farquharson studied at NCAD in Dublin and subsequently joined RTÉ, Ireland’s national television service . His work there ranged from drama to features and many of the station’s prime entertainment shows, notably the Eurovision Song Contest in both 1993 and 1995. During this time he also regularly worked in theatre and since leaving RTÉ his theatre work has continued with a host of acclaimed productions on the Irish stage and abroad, in particular for the Abbey Theatre and Rough Magic. He has been production designer on several Irish feature films and numerous television productions including the Nobel Peace Prize Concert and the Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony. He lectures part-time on the BA (Hons) Design for Stage and Screen course at Institute of Arts and Design (IADT) in Dublin.

David is the co-founder and Creative Director of Image Now Consultants and Image Now Films. He has previously lectured in design at the Dublin Institute of Technology’s College of Marketing and Design and through his work in TV and film has been awarded his Director’s Ticket for commercials. His extensive experience working with clients including Sony Music, MTV, TV3, Adobe, eircom, Bank of Ireland, Vodafone, DAA and Riverdance has led to numerous awards over the last twenty years. As a specialist in design, 3D and motion graphics, David’s work can be seen in station idents, titles sequences and sets for MTV and TV3. Recently he created animated graphics for the Sundance Film Festival 2013 award winning documentary The Summit.

Peter is a graduate of Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, London, where he majored in television lighting. He works extensively as a lighting designer, lighting programmer and technical creative director in Ireland and internationally. As a lighting designer and creative director Peter has designed and delivered spectacle events involving lighting, projection and fireworks, including the GAA 125 Celebrations in Croke Park and Skyfest for Dublin’s St Patrick’s Festival. Television shows include The Voice of Ireland, Text Santa, Guinness 250 and Notre Dame A Homecoming. He worked on the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow and has been part of the technical team for Ireland’s Eurovision entries for the last four years. Peter was Wembley Arena SPP Lighting Director for the Olympic Games London 2012 and. he is Associate Lighting Designer to Al Gurdon for the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

Ciaran is a Grammy award-winning sound engineer and music producer whose credits include three Irish Film and Television Award-winning scores (Score Mixer/Recording), the music of U2, Steve Martin, Dario Marianelli, Elvis Costello, The Chieftains, Metallica and The Blue Nile. Film work includes Albert Nobbs (music composed by Brian Byrne and starring Glenn Close) and Amos Wake. He has been involved in numerous PBS TV events including Tommy Fleming (The Voice), Hallelujah Broadway, and The Irish Tenors Live in Belfast. As co-owner of Cauldron Studios in Dublin he continues to combine recording and mixing alongside television and live stage projects such as the BBC-produced Loving Miss Hatto, Celtic Thunder and a new US/Canadian production Irish: The Musical for PBS.

Monica Ennis has worked extensively in costume in Ireland over the past number of years. Her costume design work has included Macbeth, Lyric Theatre, Belfast; Philadelphia, Here I Come and Poor Beast in the Rain, Druid Theatre; My Love, My Umbrella, Opera Theatre Company; Hamlet and Shadow of the Glen, Yew Theatre Company; The Wiremen, River Productions; I, Keano, Lane Productions and Monica Loughman Ballet. She was Costume Supervisor with many companies, most notably Druid Theatre Company, Opera Theatre Company, Rough Magic, Second Age, Lyric Theatre Belfast, B*Spoke Theatre, Lane Productions, Long Road Productions, the Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony 2006, the Abbey Theatre and the Gate Theatre. She is the Costume Supervisor for Riverdance – producing and supplying all of the costumes for the show’s worldwide touring productions.

Dublin-born Niamh began dancing at four years of age with the world-famous Irish dance school Inis Ealga under the guidance of Marie Duffy. Her stage career began with Jury’s Cabaret in Dublin before going on to join Riverdance in 1995 for the show’s World Premiere. She has toured extensively with Riverdance and has performed for Royalty and Heads of State throughout the world and was particularly honoured to be part of the cultural delegation to Norway with President Mary McAleese in 2008. Special highlights include dancing for Queen Elizabeth II in 2011 and most recently Michelle Obama in Dublin. She has also performed on television shows around the world including Ellen De Generes and Dancing with the Stars. Niamh holds the record for the most shows performed with Riverdance and is currently the show’s Dance Director. She has a passion for fashion and design and while touring with Riverdance studied Interior Design with the Regent Academy, London.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Padraic emigrated to New York when he was nine years old. At the age of twelve he starred as the principal actor in the Off Broadway production of Grandchild of Kings, directed by Harold Prince. Dancing under the tutelage of Donny Golden, he joined Riverdance in 1997, going on to become Dance Captain and Principal Dancer and also being nominated for an Ovation Award for his leading role in the show. In 2006 he joined the Broadway production of The Pirate Queen as Dance Captain before returning to Riverdance in 2008. Later that year, Padraic was a member of the cultural delegation to Norway with President Mary McAleese. He has also had the privilege to perform for a number of heads of state and notable individuals from around the world, most recently for Michelle Obama and for Queen Elizabeth II. He would like to give special thanks to his father, brothers, sister, and wife, Niamh, for their continued support. He dedicates all his work to his late mother Christine Moyles.