Born and raised in Lucan , Dublin , Doyle started dancing at the age of three and won several bronze , silver and gold medals at Irish and World Championships . After graduating from Mount Sackville Secondary School in nearby Chapelizod , Doyle began a Masters in European Social Policy where she was required to study at a different university for each semester . In early 1994 , she moved to Ljubljana to study in Slovenia . It was at this time that '' Riverdance '' performed their seven-minute interval act at the Eurovision Song Contest . Being aware of the performance , she convinced a local pub to put it on the television . Her good friend , Breandán de Gallaí , was one of the troupe members that night and it was only because of her university commitments that Doyle herself did not audition for a role in the performance
Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1994
Joanne Doyle