Riverdance helps Late Show star James Corden get Irish award

When Late Late show star James Corden won an Irish American entertainment award he may have had his dainty footwork when performing with Riverdance to thank for it.

The famous dance troupe appeared on Corden’s American show in 2015 and, of course, he couldn’t resist the chance to try a little Irish dancing.

He was both good and respectful and now he’s to be honoured at the Oscar Wilde Awards organised by the US-Ireland Alliance.

The award is in recognition of his contribution to film and television. It usually goes to a performer with an Irish background but this year the organisers have decided to make an exception for Corden, who’s from London.

It seems his performance with Riverdance may have swung the award his way. The president of the US-Ireland Alliance, Trina Vargo, said: “He deserves to be our ‘honorary Irishman’ this year just on the basis of the courage it takes to perform with some of the finest Irish dancers in the world.”

Previous winners include Irish stars Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Brendan Gleeson and Van Morrison – so Corden is in good company.

The Oscar Wilde awards will be held on February 25, the night before the Academy Awards, and will be hosted by J.J. Abrams.

You can see Corden performing with the Riverdance stars in this video… which begins with a brief comedy routine.

The award shows that Corden is going from strength to strength at the moment. He began his career as a child actor on British television and has since appeared in numerous shows including Hollyoaks, the History Boys and Fat Friends.

His career took a further leap forward when he co-wrote and starred in the award-winning TV comedy series Gavin and Stacey. He has since appeared in several films and stage plays, and won numerous awards. He took over hosting the Late Late Show on CBS in 2014.

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