Eoghan missed graduation, but had a fantastic excuse
A multi-award winning Dundalk dancer missed his college graduation recently but he had a really good excuse - he was dancing at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida!
And Eoghan Murphy’s parents ensured that they got the grad pictures anyway by getting him a gown and mortar board for the snaps.
He recently graduated from UCD with a BA in Music and Linguistics and his final essay for UCD had to be submitted just a few days after starting rehearsals in Cork for the job in Disney.
Eoughan said: ‘I was driving up and down to Dublin from Cork to finish my final essay. The graduation also overlapped as I flew out to Orlando on August 4 and my graduation was on September 7.
‘Unfortunately I couldn’t graduate with my class but my family surprised me the week before I flew out with a cap and gown so I could get my graduation photos’.
The former Redeemer Boys and De La Salle College student hopes to go on and study music therapy sometime in the future. But throughout his education, Irish dancing has been at the heart of his life.
Over the last number of years, he has won the Ulster, All Ireland, European, British National and All Scotland championships and has a stunning record in competition. Earlier this year at the world championships he was placed third which brought his number of times placing in the top five to 11 times; he has been third five times, fourth four times and fifth twice.
Eoghan said: ‘ Outside of the competitive side of dancing I have also took part in numerous shows including ‘Murphy’s Celtic Legacy’, ‘ Banba’, ‘ Riverdance’ and now ‘Raglan Road’ at Disney Springs.
‘With these shows I have seen many places and performed in surreal places such as the festival ‘ Rock in Rio’ alongside Justin Timberlake, Robbie Williams, the Rolling Stones and Ed Sheeran’.
And as if that all wasn’t enough, in between performing in shows and competing Eoghan also had a part time job in the Carrickdale Hotel and Spa to keep a steady income while he completed his degree.
In many ways, the Disney job is a dream one. Eoghan said: ‘I saw an advertisement on Facebook looking for dancers and musicians to come out to Orlando for six months to perform in Disney Springs so since I was on the last leg of college I decided to just go for it.
‘And I thought: ‘ Why not?’ I had postponed touring with shows until I had my education finished and so when the opportunity arose I jumped at it.
‘I auditioned in DCU and about a month later I was offered the job’. He has been really enjoying Disney Springs, despite the tough schedule. He dances alongside eight other dancers in a pub called ‘Raglan Road’ in Disney Springs. They dance seven nights a week rotating the shifts between three men and five girls. They dance four shows between 4pm and 10pm.
And the future is full of possibilities for Eoghan. He said: ‘My plans are all kind of paused now. I’m hoping to go back and do a masters in music therapy and I’m also hoping to do more shows with Riverdance next year.
‘I danced a few shows in the Gaiety this year during their summer stint but who knows what’s going to happen?’