A legal battle between the dancer Michael Flatley and the producers of Riverdance has been settled, it was announced yesterday. A statement said the terms remained confidential, but they acknowledged Flatley's contribution to the original development of Riverdance.
A spokesman for one of the producers, Ms Moya Doherty, said last night they would be adhering strictly to the confidentiality agreement.
Flatley issued a writ against Abhann Productions, the Dublin-based producers of the show, in 1995 after disputes over pay and profit-sharing.
The 40-year-old Irish-American was sacked from Riverdance on the eve of its triumphant return to London in October 1995. He always maintained that it could not have been created without him.
Flatley went on to greater fame and fortune with his own show, Lord of the Dance, which has played a series of sell-out concerts across the world.
The joint statement from Ms Doherty and Flatley said: "Everyone is very pleased that matters have been finally resolved."
A legal adviser to Flatley told The Irish Times in 1995 that he was suing the Riverdance producers on contractual grounds, claiming he was entitled to 2 per cent of the gross earnings of the Riverdance shows. A recent estimate of the shows' turnover was £400 million, which would suggest that Flatley's claim was for £80 million. In 1997, the American business magazine Forbes said Flatley was earning $54 million a year.