"step dancing in Ireland had the same status that Morris dancing has still in the UK."
On the contrary
Step-dancing within the communities was always a part of local dancing traditions
Flatley's superficialised version of that dancing may have taken it outside the communities (just as the "four pullovers singing in harmony" approach did with folk song), but these usually prove to be passing fads which disappear when they are no longer money-spinners for concert organisers, who will then move on to richer pastures.
Jim Carroll