Riverdance boosted interest in Irish dancing worldwide and led to a business opportunity for Shane McAvinchey (pictured). The Tipperary man is the founder of Irish Dance Pro, a company that sells scratch-preventing, noise-reducing floor pads for Irish dancers to practice on.

McAvinchey (34) is a top Irish dancer and has toured with the Riverdance show and taught Irish dancing around the world. Aside from the practice pads startup, McAvinchey is a director of Up Ya Get, an events company specialising in Irish entertainment, including the annual Irish Dance Festival. He also co-founded an online learning platform with his brother for Irish dance workshops.

Irish Dance Pro’s practice pads are circular mats with markings on them to help a dancer align their moves. They muffle sound and prevent dancers’ scratching floors, and can be rolled up like a yoga mat after use.

The business is run by McAvinchey and co-founder Caroline Jago. “We take on every aspect of the business, from product to marketing to logistics, shipping and everything in between,” says McAvinchey. The mats are sold through Irish Dance Pro’s website and there are also resellers in the US.

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“Around 70% of our sales come from the US, with Ireland and the UK as our next biggest markets,” says McAvinchey. “Irish dancing is very niche, and while it is very easy to profile the customer it is not always easy to pinpoint exactly where they are and how to reach them online.

"I have built up a large network through my previous projects but advertising on social media has been the best way to reach and engage with customers.”

The €100 mat has a patented design. McAvinchey says he called in favours from friends while living in Munich to secure a registered design in the European Patent Office. Enterprise Ireland funding has also been secured through the New Frontiers programme.

Plans for scaling Irish Dance Pro include pitching the practice pads at other percussive dance sectors, such as tap and Flamenco. The company also plans to launch more dance equipment and a clothing line.

His tip for e-commerce ventures is to keep costs to a minimum. “Forget the swanky customised website until you really need it and can really afford it. There are loads of options out there, including Shopify. The website process is easy, quick and cheap if you’re not hung up on having an expensive customised site.”