Born and raised in Lucan, Dublin, Doyle started dancing at the age of three and won several bronze, silver and gold medals at Irish and World Championships. After graduating from Mount Sackville Secondary School in nearby Chapelizod, Doyle began a Masters in European Social Policy where she was required to study at a different university for each semester. In early 1994, she moved to Ljubljana to study in Slovenia. It was at this time that "Riverdance" performed their seven-minute interval act at the Eurovision Song Contest. Being aware of the performance, she convinced a local pub to put it on the television. Her good friend, Breandán de Gallaí, was one of the troupe members that night and it was only because of her university commitments that Doyle herself did not audition for a role in the performance.