Bill Whelan
Composer · Born May 22, 1950 (76) · Limerick, Ireland
William Michael Joseph Whelan (born 22 May 1950) is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The result, "Riverdance", was a seven-minute piece of original music accompanying a new take on traditional Irish stepdance that became a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze for Irish traditional music and dance. The corresponding soundtrack album earned him a Grammy. "Riverdance" was released as a single in 1994, credited to "Bill Whelan and Anúna featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra". It reached number one in Ireland for 18 weeks and number nine in the UK. The album of the same title reached number 31 in the album charts in 1995.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 22, 1950 (76)
- Limerick, Ireland
- Composer
- 7 on MovieCove · 15 credits in all
Known for
What are Bill Whelan's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 7
Light 5 · Serious 1 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 2
Steady 5 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 1
Casual 4 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Bill Whelan's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Bill Whelan's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
15 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
In the Name of Peace: John Hume in America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Riverdance: Live from Radio City Music Hall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Riverdance - Best Of Riverdance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Riverdance: The Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Riverdance: Live à l'Arena de Genève (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Seven Ages (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Dancing at Lughnasa(1998)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Riverdance: Live From New York City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Riverdance: The New Show(1996)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Some Mother's Son(1996)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Riverdance: The Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Dick Francis: Twice Shy(1989)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Career shape
A full career of 14 titles from 1989 to 2021.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Bill Whelan's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 85th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 80th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 7 titles are Mixed.
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the sound and music 65/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Bill Whelan work with?
People who share at least 2 of Bill Whelan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John McColgan shares the most, 3.
Directors
- John McColganShared titles: Riverdance: The Animated Adventure (2021), Riverdance Live from Beijing (2010), Riverdance: The New Show (1996)See all 3 shared titles with John McColgan
Actors
- John KavanaghShared titles: Riverdance: The Animated Adventure (2021), Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)See all 2 shared titles with John Kavanagh
Producers
- Moya DohertyShared titles: Riverdance: The Animated Adventure (2021), Riverdance Live from Beijing (2010), Riverdance: The New Show (1996)See all 3 shared titles with Moya Doherty
- Patricia CarrollShared titles: Riverdance: The Animated Adventure (2021), Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Patricia Carroll
- Rod StonemanShared titles: Dancing at Lughnasa (1998), Some Mother's Son (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Rod Stoneman