Jean Butler & Michael Flatley Interview, Ireland 1994

RTÉ The Late Late Show November 1994

[@duncangreen2483]

Jean Butler is very talented and very pretty. That performance at the Eurovision so long ago was amazing. Totally overshadowed the Eurovision itself

[@travelwithcathy5228]

Welcome

[@BEDLAMITE-5280ft.]

So easy. What a joke.

[@viewerabundzu6887]

These two lifted Ireland to a cultural zenith

[@felixreali7101]

two amazingly talented dancers and entertainers. these two people are some of the reasons why I moved to Ireland and why I still love this country to this day. just WOW

[@aleccrombie7923]

Fell in love with Jean Butler the minute I saw her. Absolute perfection. Still think she is a babe years later!

[@SheepofTheShepherd-nu3lz]

She has become a master teacher Fabulous dancer

[@DavidJohnson-yq4nz]

Agree an icon and a beauty

[@martm216]

Me too.

[@shane7103]

90s was a golden age. Great time to be living in Ireland

[@boywonder6659]

No it wasn’t.

[@shane7103]

@@boywonder6659 Sorry you feel that way. I thought it was great

[@boywonder6659]

@@shane7103 Don’t be sorry on my behalf. Thank you.

[@shane7103]

@@boywonder6659 You're welcome

[@brenda9990]

Those two are beyond fabulous! Loved this.

[@mavericklane6206]

1994 an historic year for Irish step dancing with lead American Irish dancers Jean Butler and Michael Flately. Irish step dancing is beautiful and so were the Irish step dancers troupe who performed wonderfully in front of huge audiences worldwide. Splendid! Magnificent! Bravo!

[@Alexandra_Hill]

So the dancers are just "Irish dancers" they're not doing step dancing, there are differences just so you know.

[@mavericklane6206]

@@Alexandra_Hill Nonsense

[@Alexandra_Hill]

@@mavericklane6206 no, not nonsense. There are differences.

[@mavericklane6206]

@@Alexandra_Hill Nonsense x 2

[@Alexandra_Hill]

@@mavericklane6206 grow up

[@goldengirl3812]

I watched him life in San Francisco many years ago - His shows are always fantastic

[@bethbartlett5692]

Thank you for sharing this! Jean is such a beautiful young woman, inside and out. They are My age, Michaels a year older, born on South Side of Chicago, and I was born on North Side, (County Kerry and Cork lineage). I haven't been to Ireland yet, but I plan to go to County Kerry and stay for an extended visit, walk barefoot on the land of my Ancestory, Paint, Write, and have a drink of "Red Breast" daily. 😘

[@TheLastAngryMan01]

Tá fáilte romhat.

[@RottenApple672]

Michael has a wonderful voice he is gorgeous

[@ajrwilde14]

Jean was the Queen!

[@RubyW7944]

Combo of Irish jig, tap dance, flamenco, and ballet. Amazing.

[@martm216]

Jean is such a sweetie - a highly talented and intelligent sweetie. She and Michael Flatley make a wonderful team.

[@Budkkjr]

that piece Micahel did with the guys...it reminds me so much of warlords from lord of the dance...so freaking awesome...thanks for sharing.

[@ccburro1]

Such grace, athleticism, rhythm, speed.

[@cathybobalek8069]

ALWAYS AMAZING TO SEE. younger I did alot of kloging it's hard work.they do it so gracefully. and make it look so easy.thank you for the video.

[@adasparks3119]

This is my first time seeing this! So very amazing to watch! Thank you for posting it. I’m a “new”, old(66 yo) Flatley fan! Can’t get enough of his magical feet, uncompromising faith, incredible work ethic and gentle heart.

[@daisypeters3216]

Thank you so much for send me this interessant dance video, CR's Video Vaults. I'm so glad for this.

[@martinpatrick9915]

New York and Chicago born Jean Butler and Micheal Flatley.

[@davetorcan6047]

I can't even imagine how their bodies do it. It is so amazing amazing amazing!!!

[@pumagutten]

Both Jean and Michael came forward as very pleasant people in this interview, but as a man I have to say: Jean is spectacular! WOW! I remember the first time I saw her in the ESC 1994. She looked like the girl of my dreams!❤

[@Willsey]

Mine too❤

[@movinon1242]

The inspiration for the Seinfeld "Puffy Shirt" episode!

[@jeannetteburgess2745]

Michael holding out the chair for Jean. A gentleman...They really were the most magical couple

[@Yasi_nzi]

Did they ever marry? They looked so cute together

[@Bondmanproductions]

@@Yasi_nzi nope never married, Michael was married at the time, and Jean was dating someone too, but Jean was never interested in him at all, If memory serves me correctly Jean thought Michael was a bit of an egomaniac and a control freak

[@merdab8]

And he was....he left riverdance to do Lord of the Dance. She stayed and performed with Colin Dunne (sp)? Who iirc beat Flatley in taps per second in the Guinness book of world records.

[@dancer44110]

@@merdab8 not quite. They let him go because they wouldn’t let him dance his choreography the way he wanted. Then proceeded to continue to use his choreography after they let him go and make a huge profit.

[@seannosdance2009]

They hated each other with a deep passion, they were not close at all.

[@realist8082]

Jean Butler was, and likely still is, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen!

[@rtermini]

She is amazing

[@nicolak100]

They have such interesting accents, you can tell they must have had Irish born parents because some of their phrasing and pronunciations are more definitely Irish, mixed with some American pronunciation. Overall an interesting retrospect, I suppose you can see that probably with each subsequent generation the original Irish accent gets diluted and lost

[@xxdoodles85xxdoodles33]

Michael was born in Chicago, but his parents emigrated from Ireland and he was (as he says) “raised on both sides of the water” 😊

[@stevew3978]

They adapted their accents to fit the audience. I watched Michael Flatley and Jean Butler being interviewed (separately) by American American news outlets, and they both spoke in much sharper American accents in those interviews.

[@JohninRosc]

What a fabulous interview and history in the making there. Michael was so humble and almost shy (not too shy to steal a bit too much of the limelight on the night, though Jean was a little reticent) - traits he shook off soon enough, but very much to his advantage and in an admirable way. These two made the term "plastic paddy" an accolade rather than some sort of backhanded insult - something this 100% Irish, London born Irishman is very grateful to them for. Such a shame people born in Ireland today are denied their Irishness by those same begrudgers because they have a different skin colour.

[@meralkahyaoglu2163]

Olağanüstü, harika 👍👍👏👏🌹❤️ Muhteşem bir çift ve efsane gösterileri.... !nanılmaz 👍✌️🌹🌹

[@slick9892]

I kept trying to figure out how to adjust the tracking on my iPad. ;)

[@davidjones2043]

26 years ago now 😳

[@poison1vy]

So long ago! 😳

[@winstoncat6785]

They seemed to pick up Irish accents - presumably with their upbringing, it was latent and once they were in Ireland, it came out automatically.

[@martinwalsh3228]

The Riverdance stars of course.

[@eileenahern-ku9nx]

Gay is a great man. He says the " strapping" its a wonderful word. Were you eve r told as a kid " your a strap" as if a kid knew what a strap was 😅. But HOWEVER you knew you did something wrong. Its Brilliant 😅😅❤

[@manuelvasquez7836]

even the cat loves it

[@hannablue7038]

perfection

[@boywonder6659]

The audience had been dug up from the grave yard that same morning.

[@Kelly-ju7zw]

michael

[@PBayee34]

Was that a kiss on the lips at 6:15 ? Would be controversial today.

[@SirBeauJangles]

How did Irish dance purists receive this version of their traditional dance? With approval? Often the old guard really dislike their art being brought up to date.

[@shauncorless8965]

Poor Michael getting sacked opening night at the palladium,,on his own show now that was a disagreement 😮wtf

[@blackcastle159]

I was 18 yr old fella at the time... Jaysus chhhrist Mrs butler...😦😣😦

[@martinpatrick9915]

Butler/Flatley family roots,

[@jeanlee5338]

Fabulous Dancing xx

[@brianocallaghan7172]

ireland s genius in full flow as personified by these two mystical creatures flately and butler. they personified the modern ireland at last coming of age and yes we had the euros or cian o connor or eamonn coughlan or the three tenors or freddie merrcury or a whole galaxy of people bono and others but in a global context "nothing " could compete with these dancing feet and riverdance more than "anything else" personified ireland at long last as a world beater within a hotly contested medium namely dance. flatley in particular will be celebrated in centuries to come and where mozart beethoven michaelangelo and a host of other luminaries are spoken of with intergenerational reverence flarley will assuredly be in that mix too and who pray could begrudge him.a danceing genius like no other he belongs within the pantheon of greats and so he will be remembered.what a legacy to carry while you are still alive.he did us proud for sure and as to which foot deserves more praise one over the other i dont feel qualified to judge some say his right foot others say the left but for me he was operating so quickly my eyesight was not good enough to discern as to which foot had the edge!! i will leave that to others more expert than i

[@mrsinn2642]

Jean sounds very nervous

[@Wafaloo]

MrSinn I think it’s the recording

[@weeardguy]

@@Wafaloo It is ;) @mrsinn2642: the host and Flatley both have weird voices due to the bad tape.

[@Fyodorist]

Roll it there Roisín please

[@rosamartin9202]

Sensacional!

[@lenafan492]

Jean Butler is very beautiful looking in this

[@tikitiki7610]

these two are the best!!!!!

[@honestbarsteward]

Michael seems like a lovely fella 👍

[@Quaker-tc8ue]

He would be if his ego didn’t get in his way.

[@marioabadfernandezdelacigo8893]

How disgusting the TV presenter asking Jean for a kiss in the mouth. Wtf.

[@sarahduhay5150]

😅 Good ol' days huh before #metoo

[@jrpacer6355]

Are they a couple or just dance partners would love to know more about them

[@matthewdiano5226]

They had great chemistry together, but my understanding has always been that they did not get off stage; While an extraordinary talent, Flatley had a reputation of being hard to work with because he possessed a very large ego.

[@tcaudiobooks737]

I think Michael wanted to stick his knob up her, but she thought he was a twat, so...

[@Yasi_nzi]

I think she was already taken cuz she has a ring on her finger...if she wasnt taken they wouldve sure started a relationship.. the chemistry is fireeee

[@Bondmanproductions]

Micheal was married at the time

[@tcaudiobooks737]

@@Featherfawn Yes.

[@michaelriordan3802]

its finegans wake ... the tap dace

[@martinpatrick9915]

Fresh faced Jean Butler I think she was 19 yrs old.

[@karlmccarron3318]

23 actually

[@travelwithcathy5228]

Finding

[@Alfred-fu1ev]

Flatley my dear I don’t Riverdance

[@pmacc3557]

Fiachna and Fauchna in action 😀

[@raphfelix6305]

he's picked up a slight Irish accent since that interview. living in Ireland for a few decades would do that.

[@christopherwarren4293]

That Irish accent was put on. He's since reverted back to more of an American accent. Make no mistake. He was born in Detroit and grew up on the south side of Chicago.

[@kevinmacbearach8629]

@@christopherwarren4293 He spent half his childhood in Ireland.

[@lucyfoster4082]

Christopher Warren And what about Jean, isn’t she from Long Island and Alabama?

[@lisajaworski7281]

Both his parents were born in Ireland and he has always spoken that way. It was not put on at all.

[@rygregory]

Put Michael in Ireland and he’ll sound more Irish since he grew up around it with his parents. But put him back in Chicago and he’ll eventually sound more American. Everyone does it. The linguistic term for it is code-switching. :)

[@martinpatrick9915]

Fun fact some of jeans family married into the Flatley family.

[@stevew3978]

That must have made some awkward family reunions.

[@donhayner8530]

God I Love freckles.

[@bootsie280]

Don’t take the name of thy Lord your God in vain…blasphemer.

[@donhayner8530]

Hey booty,bite me@@bootsie280

[@1OuO]

This sounds like some console or game menu song.

[@user-tl4zy7sp3v]

Она красивая

[@JoeMartinez_LA_LostSoul]

she's still hot

[@grayhalf1854]

She's still hot in 1994, definitely.

[@raytaaffe6588]

I'd love to see Michael and Jean doing Michael Jackson's 'Moonwalk'. Smiles.

[@theemrpoint123]

Michael Flatley did in fact do the moonwalk in Riverdance: The Show. You can find the full show on youtube. It's after "Heartland" at the very end of the show, when Flatley does his last solo.

[@judyweeks1480]

For two people born in the States, they have a strange accent?

[@kitsilanomusician2669]

Watch out!! The accent purists are about!! I never understood this obsession with the need to validate the purity of peoples accents. Like, people travel and have different cultural influences. Unless you're Judy Weeks who has never left her village and so has a perfectly pure and untainted accent.

[@judyweeks1480]

@@kitsilanomusician2669 Oh blah, blah, blah. Nobody picks up an Irish accent that quickly. He was raised in Chicago and she was raised in New York. He's at least in his thirties here so it's not like he went to school in Ireland, you dope. They are putting it on for the audience to which they are playing. Nobody asked you to understand anything but now that you mention it, people who pretend to have an accent, other than the one they grew up with, are phony.

[@nocomment4047]

Jean moved to Ireland when she was 17

[@judyweeks1480]

@@nocomment4047 Her accent isn't as thick as Michael's

[@kitsilanomusician2669]

@@judyweeks1480 Yes "Nobody picks up an Irish accent that quickly" Surprisingly, as an accent expert, you fail to include the Parent's role in accent formation. Michael's Father was from Sligo and Mother was from Carlow. Michael was born in American. Hence, an Irish-American accent. Is that so complicated to comprehend? Now quit your bellyaching and leave it be.

[@NDRonin1401]

The calfs on that stringbean dancing girl!

[@jackieb8265]

when talking about the upcoming show ..why did the host say "black tap dancers" from American...since when does tap dancing have a color?

[@dianariverjackson5123]

Technically Irish dance is traditionally white while American tap has its roots in african black culture

[@andrabb4125]

Because there were black American tap dancers in the early Riverdance shows

[@corkboy4523]

Amazing that flatleys current wife danced in the original riverdance show. He sidelined Beata for her😁

[@Alexandra_Hill]

The original riverdance show at the Eurovision? because that was definitely Jean.

[@corkboy4523]

@@Alexandra_Hill flatleys wife was one of the backing dancers. Obviously not the principal dancer.

[@Alexandra_Hill]

@@corkboy4523 gotcha, sorry, I didn't read you comment properly.

[@marikafasola8771]

why this video is ALWAYS OUT OF SYNC???? for the fuck sake, this is cursed or something?

[@Quaker-tc8ue]

Because it’s from 1994, axxhole, long before digital was around.

[@Fifenfurter]

Euck, this interview is so cringey. Michael Flatley and Jean both had amazing stories but only one of them really got to talk. The interviewer kept cutting Jean short and kept alluding to really stupid things like her sex appeal. Flatley has lots of that, too. He could have spoken about the performance as whole. The interviewer didn't even bother to find out whether or not Jean had a boyfriend before the interview or before he started being a perv and then they couldn't even find the boyfriend in the audience. So gross.

[@sarahduhay5150]

Well that's how it was back in those days!

[@paulec2634]

Michael & Jean look so uhm, connected, and Beata looks a bit uncomfortable watching from the audience until Michael says he's the 'luckiest guy in the world' etc to have her.

[@central2346]

Jean Butler never dance so well as Michael Flathey he is the best .

[@Quaker-tc8ue]

No, he’s not. Jean has said that Colin Dunne is, ‘the best Irish dancer I’ve met.’

[@davidfelix2594]

I bet the sweat was dripping off her flaps after that.

[@grayhalf1854]

Thanks for the image. No, really.

[@damienocallaghan2648]

Michael FLATFOOT😀😀😀😀😀 Listen to that Accent....He is about as Irish as Winston Churchill He was bon in CHICAGO😀😀😀😀😀

[@vincenthigginbotham8729]

His parents were Irish that moved to America

[@Itsaboutthewaterlife]

@@vincenthigginbotham8729 True. Good take.