… “a lone a last a loved a long the riverrun”… A Brief Nonacademic Reflection on Riverdance a Seemingly Never-Ending Success Story of Diasporic Cultural Cross-Fertilisation

Abstract

A long chorus of native, diasporic and elective “Irish” danced along the embankment of the River Liffey in Dublin in July 2013 as a very modern bid to enter the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s longest ever Riverdance line; a form of contemporary “religiosity” celebrating a blend of fame and fortune, entertainment and fun. Later, as I watched these myriad click-clacking feet on YouTube, I asked myself two questions. First, what the James Joyce of Finnegans Wake might have written about this interesting example of commercially successful Irish diasporic circulation and recirculation, given his tormented relationship with the river, the city’s famous brewery, music and money. And secondly, who and how many the diasporic Irish are, where they live and how they helped to forge Riverdance.