A Montreal performer had made historical past as the primary Canadian to tackle the lead position in Lord of the Dance —the world-famous Irish dance present seen by thousands and thousands. Now, Lucas Lawton is being honoured with the 2026 Liam Daly Heritage Award for sharing Irish tradition with audiences across the globe.
“I by no means even had thought-about earlier than that that’s what I used to be doing,” he informed CityNews. “Spreading heritage world wide, I’ve at all times simply been so excited to be within the present.”
At simply seven years outdated, Lawton stepped foot into Irish dancing.
He then fell in love with the Lord of the Dance present after his mom gifted him a VHS of the manufacturing, which has been operating since 1996.
“Lord of the Dance is a present from starting to finish of 100 per cent Irish dancing,” stated the performer. “It tells a narrative of fine versus evil.”
“It’s 30 dancers on stage,” he added. “It’s excessive power. It’s thrilling. It’s loud. There’s wonderful music.”
Lawton landed a digital audition in the course of the pandemic for his or her spinoff present, Ft of Flames.
Later, he was chosen by Michael Flatley, the present’s creator credited with reinventing conventional Irish dance, to play him within the position of The Lord of the Dance.
“It was actually past my wildest desires to ever even step foot on that stage,” he stated, smiling. “It was value all of the exhausting work and all of the years.”
“Why do I like Irish dance? You understand what it’s been like, my identification, to be trustworthy, ever since I used to be a child,” Lawton defined. “I get to placed on the most important Irish dance present on the planet.”
The manufacturing is now celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Montreal Irish dancer Lucas Lawton seems on a poster for Lord of the Dance. (Submitted by: Lucas Lawton)
What Lawton is doing –celebrating Irish tradition– that’s what he’s being honoured for by the United Irish Societies of Montreal.
“For his excellent contributions to selling Irish dance and for representing Montreal’s Irish group with distinction on the world stage, the United Irish Societies of Montreal is proud to current Mr. Lucas Lawton with the Liam Daly Heritage Award for 2026,” they wrote on their website.
You’ll be able to catch Lawton within the present because it excursions the world, on social media, and even whereas he’s giving Irish dance classes within the metropolis.
He’ll even be amongst these main this 12 months’s Montreal Saint Patrick’s Day parade on March 22.
“Hopefully, , I’m inspiring the following technology of dancers right here in Montreal to pursue their desires,” he stated. “And hopefully sooner or later find yourself on the world stage like me.”