"Irish American Awards"

Friday, March 14th at The Plaza Hotel, New York

Michael Flatley received the prestigious Irish American of the Year award in New York last Friday. At a gala ceremony in the Plaza Hotel in New York, the internationally acclaimed dancer was presented with the award by Irish America magazine for his outstanding commitment and dedication to Irish dance and Irish culture worldwide.

Michael with the organizers.

Michael Flatley now joins a distinguished list of previous recipients of this award who have included President Bill Clinton, Senator Ted Kennedy, Maureen O'Hara, Gabriel Byrne, Frank McCourt, Mike Roarty, Dr. Tony O'Reilly, Donald Keogh, Bill Flynn, Mo Mowlam and George Mitchell as well as other leading figures from the fields of business, medicine and the arts.

"It is a great honour being an Irish American to gain such recognition from my peers. This is a very special moment for me. As I receive this award at this time I am touched by people's belief in me and I get to thinking that life isn't about the number of times you're knocked down. It's about the number of times you get back up. This award and its significance reminds me that the most important thing is that you believe in yourself and keep on going. Life is always about following your dreams," Michael Flatley said.

Michael Flatley was honoured for his outstanding dedication, talent and achievements in bringing Irish dance to the world stage. First through Riverdance and then through his signature show Lord of the Dance, he has turned Irish dance into an art form that has taken the world by storm. His ingenuity and drive has brought Irish dance centre stage with record breaking worldwide audiences for Lord of the Dance. This in turn has meant that Irish dance has now become part of main stream entertainment around the world.

Lord of the Dance currently has three troupes performing around the world and Michael FlatleyÕs London based Unicorn Entertainment Company owns all the merchandising and video rights and other lucrative spin-offs. The show has grossed hundreds of millions since its launch in 1996 and is one of the most recognized entertainment brands in the world.

The awards were initiated by Irish America magazine in 1985 to honour the best and brightest of Irish America. Every year Irish America magazine honours the top 100 Irish Americans in their roll-call of distinguished recipients culminating in the prestigious Irish American of the Year Award. The annual 100 list is a Who's Who in Irish America. This year's list embraces people from all walks of life and includes stories of philanthropy, human courage, devotion to children's causes and finding peace in Northern Ireland. It encompasses the world of arts and entertainment, medicine and politics with one common denominator Ð pride in Irish heritage and a nod to ancestors whose struggles were overcome by the human spirit.

Other recipients in the Top 100 Irish America Awards this year include Martin Sheen, Bob Newhart and Fionnula Flanagan as well as other distinguished personalities from all aspects of Irish American life. The awards were presented by Niall O'Dowd, the publisher of Irish America magazine and Patricia Harty, Editor-In-Chief.