[COMPETITION] Win tickets for 4 for Riverdance

Dav

Hello all,

Really happy to be posting this comp as I'm a big Riverdance fan myself (no, really!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQXueI01b9c

We have an opportunity for you to win tickets for a 4 person box & 4 programmes for the 6:30 pm show in Dublin's Gaeity Theatre on Sunday 10th of July, as well as a copy of the latest Riverdance DVD and CD.

To be in with a chance to win, just tell us what you can remember and where you were and what you were doing when Riverdance burst onto the scene during the interval of Eurovision 1994?

Riverdance is in the Gaeity from now until August 28th, so if Sunday doesn't suit you, you can get tickets at www.ticketmaster.ie.

Ts & Cs
1) This competition is open to everyone except employees of Distilled Media Group, The Gaiety Theatre, Ticketmaster or Gerry Lundberg PR
2) One entry per person
3) You must be available to travel to the show on Sunday 10th July - no alternative date will be offered
4) A winner will be chosen at random on Thursday 7th of July and notified by PM

RedXIV

In 1994 I was 7 years old and I still remember watching the eurovision for years. And All I remember thinking about was how many girlfriends the guy dancing in the middle had

Kaz88

Ever since that day Iv been a HUGE riverdance fan! That night I was in my grannys with a load of my cousins and we were all watching the eurovision because granny is a BIG eurovision buff and we all got up in a row and pretended we were michael flatley and all his lovely ladies :D:D
I would love to go to see it live :)

hollee

1994 I was babysitting my little baby bro who burst into spontaneous dancing wiggling his nappy clad bum, its something that i always associate with riverdance and smile when i hear the music, he has gotten alot of ribbing over it down through the years, it would be nice to win the tickets and bring him.....seeing how he is out of the nappies now!

xtradel

I didnt watch it live on the night (prob in the pub) but the next morn i remember my mother nearly creaming herself with excitment ....seriously....she wouldnt shut up about it!

Dunno when but i finally got to see it whenever they released a vhs version of it and i felt myself welling up with pride....and i still do whenever i see it!

Raytown Rocks

I was living in Melbourne
Got a phone call from a friend who went to the show who told us she had seen the greatest show on earth, and it wasnt the eurovision but the Interval act.

She raved about it, and we went looking for more stories about the famous night.

kmart6

Sitting at home watching it as a keen 6 year old in the good old days of the Eurovision when we entered decent acts that weren't completely embarrassing!

Dizzyblonde

I was at home, watching the Eurovision with my husband and daughter. The poor hubby was in the kitchen making tea and missed most of it (which is why I'd love to win - I'd bring him along ). My daughter and I watched in amazement, it was one of the best tv moments ever.

meemeep

I remember the relief! It had been built up all week - don't miss it etc etc. But the embarrassment of watching G Ryan was almost unbearable, I wasn't sure whether to watch it or not. Glad I did. Loved it. Hated the show when I saw it (one of the very early ones in the Point), but loved the music and the dancing - just didn't think it worked. I know it's been modified a lot over the years and would love to see it now.

eamor

was in my parents.... home from dublin for the weekend. Half watching the tv, half reading a book...when it started I was intrigued...had no idea what was going to happen...By the end I was up on my feet clapping and whooping like a mad thing (there was no-one else in the house *hangs head in embarresment* ... Funny thing is saw a rerun of that 'Moment' recently (must have been reeling in the years) Jeez the hair stood on the back on my neck when it came on..spinetingling ...and guess what I did??? OH yeah..I sat on the edge of my seat and waited and waited and then CLAPPED and WHOOPED all over again...
Absolutely stands out in my mind , as one of those lighter 'where were you when...... moments'

flame123

I was watching the Eurovision contest at home alone, as I had just lost my job and feeling very down. When the music started and the dancers came out, I must admit I was stunned. I was in a trance watching it and at the very end when the music stopped so suddenly... I genuinely could feel the hairs standing on the back of my neck, I knew I had just watched something amazing.

My biggest dissapointment was that, being alone, I had no one to share my excitement with

Like so many important dates in History .. I will always remember where I was when I watched it

stargazer 68

I was living in the Middle East and the local club was showing the Eurovision in the bar. I was so proud when Riverdance was finished - everyone in the bar was clapping and cheering with the audience too! They kept telling me how fabulous it was and congratulating me - you would think I was in it!

Fittle

As a 24yr old, I had recently met a new boyfriend...we were both still living at home with the folks so had little (ahem) alone time. We decided to hop on the dart and go to bray and book into a B&B...
We stood outside a pub in Bray, looking in the window at Riverdance (neither of us interested in the Eurovision that night as you can imagine) before we ran to our B&B next door..... Fond memories...thanks Ken, if you're reading:D

dak

I missed it . I was flying back to Nottingham where I worked in an accountancy firm. FIrst I knew of it was when my English colleagues were raving about the great show on the Eurovision !

I'd love to see it !

spoonface

I was out in the kitchen putting the kettle on!

KathleenMcCabe

I was sitting at the dinner table in the kitchen, at the very beginning of when the riverdance show/music was being shown on the eurovision my mother was giving out about how terrible it was going to be and what a disgrace the irish were going to be. It sent shivers up and down my spine and made the hair on the back of my neck stand. I had never seen the like before. By the end of the display, my mother was speechless! Well done riverdance!

BO-JANGLES

I was living abroad in jersey at the time. I watched it with my now wife. I never felt so proud to be Irish. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up whenever I hear it....Good times.

Bo-Jangles

kevin warren

I was in bed tryng to breast feed my down syndrome son...my husband came to the bedroom raving about this fantastic "riverdance" that was on the Eurovision. He did'nt think to come upstairs to tell me to turn on the telly!!

Whitehawk

Whole family was in front of tv enjoying that 7min interval of the Eurovision!

adamski8

i have no idea

tommy21

I was too young to remember the event itself, but anytime I need cheering up after hearing all about the ailing economy, I go to YouTube to look at one of two videos.

Either

1) Ireland's epic penalty shootout at Italia 1990
2) Riverdance at the Eurovision

Shivers down the spine on both accounts.

star-pants

Jeepers long time ago, I was only 10 or 11.
That was back when it'd be a family thing to watch the Eurovision, so probably most of us in front of the t.v.
Not a very exciting recollection I'm afraid

toby08

was making the tea at the interval and was dragged in from the kitchen and my wife turned out to be a prophet cause she said there and then that it had the potential to be the biggest ever..

LizT

I was only 4 but I was probably pretending to dance along with it, as I now often do on drunken nights out!

iMax

in 1994 I was living on the west coast of the USA, In April of that year, I'd had a difficult split from my long term girlfriend, I was stuck in a job I hated & I has about £1,600 in the bank.

I decided to go as far away as I could & moved to Los Angeles. I got off the plane to find they'd left my luggage on the tarmac in Dublin. Great start.

I only knew two people in L.A. & even at that, I only barely knew them. They were two Irish guys who were in a band over there. I knew where they lived but not where they were playing that night & after leaving my details for the airline to deliver my luggage, I walked out of LAX with only what I was wearing, and a duty free bag containing a twelve pack of guinness & a bottle of Jameson, got into a taxi & took a $60 trip to Santa Monica. A couple of minutes of buzzing random doorbells got me a neighbour who told me they were playing in a local Irish bar.

I walked down to it, marveling at the warmth of the evening & the "smell" of America.

When I found the bar, I paid my cover charge, & got a beer & stood at the back watching the guys perform. When they finally came off stage I made my way to the band room & surprised them.

I ended up staying the entire time sleeping on their sofa - my back hasn't been the same since.

I got myself a job & tended bar almost every night I could to make as much money as possible to both help the guys out & get to see some of the place.

The night of the Eurovision I don't remember at all, I think I was off, not that it would have been televised, but a couple of nights after when I came in to work, the bar owner, Greg was raving about this "Irish Jig" thing that people were going crazy for "back home" - truthfully I don't think he'd stood foot in Ireland once in his life, he had the broadest New York accent & resembled the Lucky Charms leprechaun with his red beard & shock of red hair, but that guy was as plastic paddy as they come.

He poured us a shot each (me, him & an Irish girl that worked there also) & pressed play on the VCR, the tracking was all over the place & some choice swearing & fiddling with the machine brought it back to life. We watched a youthful Gerry Ryan introduce the intermission show & seven minutes later, we raised our glasses to "the aul sod".

It was a couple of months before I felt that emotional about Ireland again as we watched the Ireland team compete in the World cup (at 8am Local time).

That damn tape finally gave up the ghost a couple of months later, haveing been on an eternal loop in the bar. I hadn't seen it in years until I found a second hand copy of the entire production in a record store.

I've never seen it live.

Alicat

I was 9, and I remember everyone had wandered out of the living room for the interval, which was normally crap. Mum was cooking pancakes, of all things, in the kitchen. I was left sitting by myself on the sofa. As the tap dancing kicked off and I started getting goose-pimples and shivers up my back I starting yelling, "Dad! DAD! C'mere! Look at this! You're missing it!" and he came running into the room to see what was going on. It was amazing.

Still get the shivers watching it

fionny

I remember I was at home as I was only a small fella and at the time I wondered what all the fuss was about!

ianiemac

Dav wrote: »

To be in with a chance to win, just tell us what you can remember and where you were and what you were doing when Riverdance burst onto the scene during the interval of Eurovision 1994?

Ah yes, I was flicking between every other tv channel we had at the time so BBC1, BBC2, S4C, ITV, SKY1, Eurosport, SKY News, Sat 1, TVE, The Childrens Channel, MTV... basically doing anything I could do not to see the annual boring interval. Oh I hate regrets!!! 17 years later and I still havent seen the show. Fingers crossed.

strandroad

OK so!

I'm Polish and 1994 was the first year we had a singer in the competition. Of course we were all glued to the telly, VCRs at the ready. Polish contestant, Edyta Gorniak, is actually a very good singer so hopes were high - see her 1994 entry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL5rmmpiHp8

After she was finished there was a French girl and then boooom Riverdance!

That's how one night the whole of Poland was introduced to Irish dancing. Well and to Gerry Ryan. The best thing was that thanks to Edyta's appearance I had the whole thing recorded and I kept viewing and rewinding until the tape wore out! Oh and Edyta came second so good year all in all. I was 15 or so!

lukegriffen

I was living in Cabra and we were having a EuroVision party, and as with all EV parties, no-one was watching TV. When Riverdance came on, the room grew silent as we sat down to watch, transfixed. It was the first time anything to do with Irish culture had raised the hairs on the back of my neck, and we all stopped drinking for several minutes !

ChainWhip

Tub of salty popcorn in hand, 2litre Cream Soda beside the couch, then the drums hit.

It was magic!

ellabellax

We had relations over from America who were blown over by the Riverdance performance but unfortunately after a couple of glasses of wine I thought maby I could do better and took to the floor to give my own performance....still haven't lived it down!

rameire

I was 13, We were in our living room watching the whole of the Euro Vision, this is the time before the eastern euro block voting came in so it was interesting to see if we would get douze point from The UK.

The thing I remember the most is the opening music and the roar of the crowd at the end.
it give me shivers everytime i hear the music, the hair stands up on the back of my neck.
its one of the best happy thoughts i have,
thinking that Europe was looking in on us and we show this great spectacle.
and how it created a world wide phenomenon.

Alidee

I was at home alone with a new baby and an 20 month old toddler. I had looked forward to watching the Eurovision, but neither of the children settled well that day, so here I was with the two of them, glancing across their shoulders to see the TV.
Jean Butler and Michael Flatley really amazed me, and I never imagined that the Irish dancing I had done as a child could turn into this show stopping performance.
The following morning I could not remember the name of the musical interlude so I told my Mum that I really enjoyed Water Music last night in the Eurovision???

Pretty Polly

I had just turned 5 so i was either on my mammys lap or i was tucked in tightly in my bed...probably the latter unfortunately!
I love watching it back on Youtube now and its about the only thing i didn't get sick of watching, when they played it on Reeling in the Years:D

medici

I was 8 and sitting on the couch in my pyjamas when it came on the screen - broke out in a sweat at the raw energy of the whole thing and wished...seriously WISHED that I could be one of the guys on stage who got to play the big massive drums...

TOMP

Missed it due to faulty telly. Screen was rolling up. Very disappointed, it was number one conversation topic for long time afterwards

curlywurly26

I could make up a story so funny and obscure in the hope that it would make everyone laugh and think "there's a winning story"........but the truth is I don't remember - I was only 7years old!

D-FENS

'94 was my leaving cert year, love to say i was studying for it but any excuse not to was used at the time, watching Riverdance was one of the better ones

mirwillbeback

I was pretty drunk in Baker's Corner pub and I recall a few of the locals trying to replicate the moment at the end of the Eurovision.

EoghanConway

That was 17 years ago?? I remember being a bit shorter but that's all

Intouch9

I was 7 and for some reason, the dancers terrified me, so I was crying, not looking at the TV. Would love to see them now though!

mcgrailg

I was watching at home and waiting to see what all the hype was about and all I can remember was being completely blown away by it and being proud to be Irish !

Boscoirl

was at a communion party the telly was on in the corner when the music and singing started, we all started listening and thought it was great then the dancing started we were blown away it was great and i will always remember the time the place and how proud we were to Irish

Praetorian

I was 13 years old, I was watching it with my parents and we heard there was "something cool" during the interval. It certainly was. I've only ever seen it on tv, so this would be a nice opportunity to see it in real life!

bazza1

1994...watching Eurovision at home with the family...bored out of my tree! I volunteered to make the half time tea!....Saw poncy dancers enter the stage and then the whole thing exploded! Standing ovation...proud to be Irish...tea went cold! My late Ma rang to say "Did you see that!!" Always remember that night and my Ma everytime I hear the music or see a poster of Riverdance!

needsanswers

I was 14 and my 13 year old sister would make a run (like Michael Flatley did) from the hall into the kitchen and tromp around noisily in the kitchen to the sound of Riverdance.
Funny Memories... although the behaviour was not befitting my age lol

I remember watching it at home as I did every year up until televoting was introduced, and glaring in awe at the telly. Also, Rock and roll kids is one of my favourite eurovision songs. Can't believe it was 17 years ago though :eek: Jeeze I feel old

DebDynamite

I was 13 and honestly, it never really hit me how amazing it was until I saw it repeated over that weekend (might have been on The Beat Box on the Sunday).

In fact I remember thinking what I saw the Celtic singers at the start and then Jen Butler come out, "Oh great. Boring". Remember Irish dancing was not cool back then. Riverdance what yet to change all that.

I also remember my sister's boyfried at the time saying about the Michael Flatley and his silk shirt "he's going to take flight any minute now". Weird, but that's what I remember!

littleoulme

I was at home with family, with all our flags out waving them at tv, behaving like lunatics.

cruizer101

I made my communion that day, remember sitting in my uncles in my little shirt and tie.