Into It: Michael Flatley

... listening to?

My favorite song these days is called "Little Girl Blue" by Nina Simone. She's so earthy. What a remarkable voice, so unusual and so individual. There's a lovely album I came across the other day by George Michael called "Songs From the Last Century." It's a bit of a throwback. He has a very tender approach to the album itself, and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime," the very first song, is gorgeous.

Years ago, there was a brilliant movie with a very moving performance by Richard Harris called "The Field" (1990). I always felt bad that he didn't win the Oscar that year, because he should have. One of my favorite films is "The Mission" (1986) with Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons. It features my favorite movie soundtrack of all time, by Ennio Morricone.

In terms of literature, "Ulysses" by James Joyce is an extraordinary work. If you want to get hooked, turn to the very last page and just read the monologue by Molly Bloom at the end. I'm reading a book right now called "The Great Hunger" by Cecil Woodham-Smith about the great famine in Ireland.

• Michael Flatley's new tour, "Celtic Tiger," arrives in the US on Sept. 27. Visit www.celtictigerlive.com for more information.