Irish World Academy

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Irish World Academy Irish World Academy is the centre of academic and performance excellence @ University of Limerick

The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance is a centre of academic and performance excellence housed at the University of Limerick, Ireland. The Academy honours the energies of performance and academic reflection across a wide range of genres and disciplines. These in turn are informed by innovative community outreach and artist-in-residence initiatives that take the Academy to the wider community while attracting a wealth of international performance and scholarly expertise. Founded in 1994 by Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, it has come to find its true home on the beautiful banks of the River Shannon in a state of the art building, which includes two theatres, recording studio, individual practice rooms and dance studios, provides and inspiring creative space for all those who study there. The Academy has a strong international presence with students from over 40 countries studying there. With a stellar faculty of excellent performers, incredible academics and industry professionals the experience of studying at the Irish World Academy second to none. It offers a suite of taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in music and dance related subject areas and its research is at the forefront of these fields of enquiry worldwide. Programmes on offer include:

BA in Irish Music
BA in Irish Dance
BA in Contemporary Dance
BA in Voice
BA in World Music
MA in Irish Traditional Dance Performance
MA in Irish Traditional Music Performance
MA in Irish Music Studies
MA in Irish Dance Studies
MA in Contemporary Dance Performance
MA in Ethnomusicology
MA in Ethnochoreology
MA in Ritual Chant and Song
MA in Community Music
MA in Music Therapy
MA in Songwriting
MA in Composition and Creative Music Practice
MA Classical String Performance in association with the Irish Chamber Orchestra
Professional Master of Education (Music)
MA Research
PhD Arts Practice
PhD Research
Blas International Summer School of Irish Traditional Music and Dance

For more information on our programmes please see: www.IrishWorldAcademy.ie

Sionna Lunchtime Concert: Fintan Vallely and friendsDate: October 20th 2026 Venue: Theatre 1 Time:1pm – 1.50pm Fintan Va...
15/10/2026

Sionna Lunchtime Concert: Fintan Vallely and friends
Date: October 20th 2026
Venue: Theatre 1
Time:1pm – 1.50pm

Fintan Vallely observes the use of the printed word to convey information on Irish music, referencing his Companion to Irish Traditional Music. In 2012 a live concert format titled Compánach was devised to convey something of the detail in the book, and this dealt with the music in all Irish counties, A–Z, county by county. The tunes chosen are named for aspects of each county or region, and the narrative for these is not spoken, but is visual: images of tunes notations, musicians, publications, events and scenery. The images corroborate the music, the observer getting an insight into contexts of both historical and present-day performance. The event as proposed will be based on spoken words, but will feature a few of the 32 sections of the full show (now called Turas), projected on large screen, with the related music performed by the presenter along with UL staff and students

The campus may be quiet today but join us at The Hunt Museum for our weekly Irish traditional music concert with Carolin...
13/10/2026

The campus may be quiet today but join us at The Hunt Museum for our weekly Irish traditional music concert with Caroline Keane and Tom Delaney at 1pm.
Entry free of charge.

UL Open Days: Irish World Academy Showcase Date: October 15th and 16th Venue: Irish World Academy 11am - Course Talk (T...
08/10/2026

UL Open Days: Irish World Academy Showcase
Date: October 15th and 16th
Venue: Irish World Academy

11am - Course Talk (Theatre 1)
12noon - Performance (Theatre 2)
1pm - Course Talk (Theatre 1)

The Irish World Academy is delighted to present a showcase of our undergraduate courses for the University of Limerick Open Day. Course Talks and performances will take place in the inspiring surrounds of the Irish World Academy building and feature student and faculty from the BA Voice, BA Contemporary Dance, BA Irish Dance, BA Music, BA Irish Music, and Certificate in Music and Dance programmes. Come along to get a taste of what it is like to study at the world-renowned Irish World Academy.
For more information - https://www.ul.ie/opendays

06/10/2026

Niamh Parsons and Graham Dunne with support from Heikki Klykisalo and Alec Keith.
Want access to great concerts like this every week? Study with us at the Irish World Academy. Link in comments.

Lunchtime Concert: Respiro Date: October 8th 2026 Venue: Theatre 1 Time: 1pm – 1.50pm Performers: Lorenza Sabatini, Carl...
06/10/2026

Lunchtime Concert: Respiro
Date: October 8th 2026
Venue: Theatre 1
Time: 1pm – 1.50pm
Performers: Lorenza Sabatini, Carlos Rabadán Salas, Nastassja Pretorius

Respiro is the Italian word for ‘breath’. This name reflects the ensemble’s desire to breathe as a unique musical being, sharing emotions and ideas through performance. They are a Limerick based string quartet formed in 2024. The members are graduates and students of the MA in Classical String Performance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, in collaboration with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. The Respiro musicians are performers with a wide range of international experiences who share a deep passion for chamber music and ensemble playing. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Lorenza Sabatini - Second violin Lorenza is an orchestral musician, chamber performer and violin teacher.

Carlos Rabadán Salas was born in 1999 in Mallorca. At the age of 8, he began his musical training, choosing the viola. He just completed his MA in Classical String Performance in the Irish World Academy with Joachim Roewer.

Nastassja Pretorius, a South African-born cellist, is currently studying towards a Master of Arts in Classical String Performance at the University of Limerick, where she is under the tutelage of acclaimed cellist Aoife Nic Athlaoich.

29/09/2026

Today’s lunchtime concert features music and dance from our colleagues at Tradisjonskunst og folkemusikk, Universitetet i Søraust-Noreg, Rauland

24/09/2026

MA Music Therapy students performing at Croom Hospital Limerick

The Irish World Academy Traditional Music Concert Series begins today with a performance from Nathan Gourley and Joey Ab...
22/09/2026

The Irish World Academy Traditional Music Concert Series begins today with a performance from Nathan Gourley and Joey Abarta.
Join us for a live stream at 1.10pm.

Sionna Lunchtime Concert: North Indian Classical Music Date: September 24th 2026 Venue: Theatre 1 Time: 1pm – 1.50pm Per...
22/09/2026

Sionna Lunchtime Concert: North Indian Classical Music
Date: September 24th 2026
Venue: Theatre 1
Time: 1pm – 1.50pm
Performers: Dr Matthew Noone (sarode) and Ronan Skillen (tabla)
Matthew Noone is an indie rocker, improviser, composer and scholar whose primary instrument is the North Indian sarode. He has studied Indian classical music with Sougata Roy Chowdhury in Kolkata and K. Sridhar in the UK for over twenty years and works in a diverse range of disciplines ranging from Indian classical and Irish traditional music to contemporary folk, doom, electronica and electroacoustic improvisation.
Ronan has been exploring a fusion of tabla, percussion and didgeridoo since 2001. He has developed different hybrid percussion kits, with which he creates music for a wide variety of genres and collaborations.
Admission is free and all are welcome.

The MA in Ritual Chant and Song students enjoyed an enriching afternoon out at Glenstal Abbey last week, learning Sean-n...
21/09/2026

The MA in Ritual Chant and Song students enjoyed an enriching afternoon out at Glenstal Abbey last week, learning Sean-nós with Nóirín Ní Riain, visiting the icon chapel, and observing the ritual of Vespers in the abbey church.

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University Of Limerick
Limerick

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