By Sandra Mallon

Copyright irishmirror

Michael Flatley has poured cold water on the prospect of returning to the stage as he announced that his hit show, Lord of the Dance, is set to go back on the road with a 30th anniversary tour. Mr Flatley arrived at a packed press conference on Wednesday morning in Dublin to announce he is set to return with a new dance troupe to celebrate 30 years of Lord of the Dance. Since its premiere in 1996, Lord of the Dance has dazzled over 60 million people across 60 countries and every continent, earning standing ovations from Dublin to Dubai and London to Las Vegas. In 2026, Lord of the Dance will return with its 30th Anniversary Tour — a reimagined celebration that pushes the boundaries once again. Fans can expect thrilling new choreography, state-of-the-art staging, spectacular lighting and special effects and the same heartbeat-pounding energy that made the original production a worldwide sensation. The Irish-American said: “After 30 years I’m delighted and honoured to be back in Dublin. You may or may not be aware that it was Peter Aiken’s father Jim who gave me my start in this business, when everybody else left me for dead, when there was seemingly no chance to get up off the canvas, Big Jim stood by me, and he was the biggest name in the business. “And I’m proud to say we have the greatest dance team in the world, and for 30 years, we’ve been getting standing ovations all around the world, representing Ireland to the best of our ability, in a positive light, and bringing a little bit of joy everywhere. “I’m very blessed in life that I’m in the ‘joy’ business. What a wonderful thing to be able to go to cities you’ve never been in your life and leave people standing, clapping, stamping their feet and screaming for more and at the same time, employing over the years, thousands of young dancers, cast, crew, singers and fiddle players that have made us all very, very proud. “We’re coming back where it all started to the 3Arena.” But the legendary hoofer said he won’t don his Irish dancing shoes for one more jig when the show comes to Dublin’s 3Arena on February 5. Asked if fans will get a chance to see him on stage performing again, he said: “I’m afraid I’m long in the tooth now, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to dance alongside dancers that are the greatest in the world at this time. “But I do miss it. How could you not miss this? There’s a brand-new set and fabulous new lighting design, new sound designs, new musical numbers, a couple of new dance numbers. “There’s big stairs that comes down the back and new big screens with fabulous footage. And I remember Broadway. I remember Madison Square Garden, I remember Budapest. We do football stadiums and in Czech Republic, and walking down the stairs at the end of the show, and you have 80,000 or 100,000 people standing up screaming. “Doesn’t get any better than that. You know? How could I not miss it? Of course, I do. “I always will. There’s a hologram toward the end of the show of me performing that I recorded just before I retired back in 2016 and it’s me dancing against me three things. “It’s entertaining… the audience seems to love it, but that’s as close as I’ll get to being back on stage.” Mr Flatley also opened up about not slowing down since he was diagnosed with cancer in January 2023. The 67-year-old was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer , which he has never specified, and had surgery to treat it. By May 2024, he had stated that the cancer was in remission. Opening up about his health, he said: “I’m good. There’s always going to be… they’re always going to have to monitor me. But I don’t give in easily. “I wake up every morning, I have two espressos and then I go for my power walk, and you can imagine me knocking people out of my way, walking so fast, dogs, everybody runs for cover. “I’m just an attack person in that way. I love that lifestyle. I can’t get enough done every day. I’m not saying that I’m able to accomplish everything but boy, I give it hell every day, to the best of my ability. “You know, there’s an American word called ‘pastime’. I don’t understand that. Why would anybody want a pastime? There’s not enough time. What are they talking about? What are they referring to? I don’t understand that. I mean, okay, I’m a voracious reader. I like to sit down with that, but even then, there’s a race car racing around in my mind, and sometimes I just can’t turn it off long enough to focus. “I’m a few pages in, and I have to keep starting again, you know, and go back and reread what did he just say, or what did she just say, those kinds of things. “But I think every day I get up with a focus, every day I get up and follow that dream, whatever that dream is, yeah, they have to have single minded focus.” Promoter Joe Gallagher of Joe Gallagher Entertainments said: “We are thrilled to be bringing Lord of the Dance back to Dublin for its 30th Anniversary. “Over the decades, Michael Flatley has done something extraordinary – he made Irish dance sexy, powerful and utterly irresistible. He didn’t just create a show – he created a movement that continues to captivate the world.” The Lord of the Dance 30th Anniversary show will be live at the 3Arena, Dublin on Feburary 5, 2026. Tickets priced at €30, €45, €60, €70 and €80 go on sale on Monday, September 29 at 10am on Ticketmaster. For further information, check out Aiken Promotions . Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.