Just hours before the curtain was due to rise on the tour’s latest performance in Zagreb, Croatia, it was announced that Flatley’s former business partner had been paid off by a company owned by construction magnate Maurice Regan and developer Luke Comer.
It is the latest development in a bitter legal battle between Flatley and Switzer Consulting, which had been contracted to run the tour.
In a statement issued by Flatley’s solicitors Creed McStay, it was said that Switzer had been told yesterday afternoon to "cease and desist" using the music.
This followed an order of Belfast High Court on Tuesday, instructing Switzer not to interfere with or disrupt the Lord of the Dance – 30th Anniversary Tour, not to interfere with any members of the cast or crew, and not to assert any authority, ownership or entitlement over the show.
Belfast High Court has previously heard that a July 2024 agreement, allowing Switzer to manage the tour, had followed a fall-out between Flatley and Philip Moross, who had formed a partnership to run Lord of the Dance in 2019.
The court was told that Mr. Moross, of music services group Cutting Edge, was owed £2.9m (€3.35m) by Flatley at the time, which was to be repaid on a monthly basis from 50% of the royalties earned by the Lord of the Dance shows.
Flatley would receive the other 50%, while Switzer would be paid fees of £35,000 (€40,000) a month for the first 24 months for its management of the tour, increasing to £40,000 (€46,000) a month.
By January, Mr. Moross had been paid back just under €500,000 under the agreement, the court heard.
The statement issued on behalf of Flatley yesterday read: "Shawdale Holdings Limited, a company jointly owned by Mr. Maurice Regan and Mr. Luke Comer, with the consent of Mr. Michael Flatley, has today acquired all rights and interests previously held by Cutting Edge Group Limited in connection with the Lord of the Dance.
"All financial obligations between the parties have been performed and discharged in full leaving no amounts whatsoever owing by Mr. Flatley to Cutting Edge."
The statement continued: "Shawdale Holdings Limited is aware of the unauthorised use of those music rights, and have this afternoon issued the appropriate cease and desist notices to those parties.
"All parties who were the subject of the injunction granted yesterday by Mr. Justice Huddlestone in the Belfast High Court have been formally notified that they have no entitlement whatsoever to use the grand rights in the music to Lord of the Dance."
Maurice Regan and Luke Comer previously stepped up to support Flatley in January, when they gave him half a million euro, to help him overturn an injunction Switzer had then won, barring him from being involved in the tour.
The Belfast High Court was told the money had come from Stolensky, "an investment company which has had dealings for some time" with the dancer. Stolensky is a lending company controlled by Mr. Regan.
The court also heard that the Dublin-registered company had "unencumbered assets in excess of €50million" and was prepared to pay any monthly service fee that was due to Switzer.
A source close to Flatley confirmed to the Irish Daily Mail that racing tycoon and developer Luke Comer had also lent his support.
Mr. Regan and Mr. Comer also previously joined forces to help Flatley save his beloved Castlehyde mansion from the receivers.
They loaned the dancer €7m in January last year following an alleged default on a €6.5m debt secured on Castlehyde.
Flatley is a neighbour to John Magnier’s Coolmore operation as the team’s National Hunt stallion farm, Castlehyde Stud, is close to the Irish dancer’s estate.
Mr. Regan was named in the High Court in Dublin last year as the rival bidder for the 750-acre Barne Estate in Co Tipperary, which Mr. Magnier wanted to buy.
It was said during that case that Mr. Regan and Mr. Magnier were "at war."
Mr. Regan was born in Co Kerry, founded New York-based construction giant JT Magen in 1992, and remains its chief executive.
Together with his wife Samantha, Mr. Regan also owns Newtown Anner Stud near Clonmel.
Luke Comer made his fortune after building up a multibillion-euro property empire across Europe, America, and Africa.
He is also heavily involved in horse racing and breeding, but received a three-year training ban in 2023 following a doping scandal.
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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