Dancer beats bullies to become Riverdance star

A young Cork man who was bullied as a child because of his passion for Irish dancing has had the last laugh – by becoming a Marquee star.

John Lonergan was taunted by many of the other kids at school – some would even go as far as to throw stones at him.

He didn’t let it stop him from doing what he loved and he continued with his Irish dancing. Now he is older, all those hours of practise have paid off as he is a ten time world champion.

He is also able to make a living from his talent. In 2015, he performed as the lead dancer at the Marquee in Cork. It was the first time that the Riverdance has ever come to his home city.

It is amazing to think that the show has never visited one of the major cities of Ireland.

After all, it has been seen by 25m people across the world and been performed over 11,000 times in places as far reaching as Europe, North America and China.

Lonergan said: “It is a dream come true to be performing in Cork. Because Riverdance performs in Dublin every summer, it was one of those things I assumed would never happen.”

The current show runs for four nights and has received glowing reviews in the media. The Irish Examiner described the show as wild and wonderful.

Take a look at the video below.

Cork man beats the bullies to become Riverdance star

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