More than 1,600 Irish dancers broke a Guiness World Record today when they danced to the iconic Riverdance along the Dublin quays.

1,629 dancers from 44 countries, including the original Riverdance female lead Jean Butler danced the Longest Line for a full five minutes between the Beckett and O'Casey bridges to beat the previous record of 652 in Nashville, Tennessee in 2011.

Brother and sister Ian Hanready (55) and Maura O'Donnell (61) from Dublin spent two months training for the event. "We did Irish dancing when we were kids a long time ago, so this was a chance to re-enact that." 

Christie Matthewson from the new Irish World Heritage Centre in Manchester was one of 25 experienced dancers who travelled to Dublin especially for the event. 

The attempt was part of a weekened of Riverdance-themed events organised by the Gathering including an outdoor performance in Merrion Square yesterday.