Irish Traditional Music Performance MA

The MA in Irish Traditional Music Performance is a one-year, full-time postgraduate programme designed to provide advanced tuition in the performance of Irish Traditional Music. Instrumental and vocal tuition is provided by a community of world-renowned traditional performers and tutors. Past tutors have included Frankie Gavin, Liam O'Flynn, Martin Hayes, Matt Cranitch, Michael McGoldrick amongst many others. Academic skills relating to the understanding and critical examination of repertoire, sources and styles of performance, as well as an examination of modern, vocational, non-performance skills such as music business and music technology, form an essential part of the programme content.

This programme will develop music skills and other associated skills appropriate to the modern performance of traditional Irish music.

• To provide a learning environment for advanced performance in Traditional Irish Music to the highest standard;
• To honour the artistic integrity, history, and identity of the performance practice within an academic and performance orientated context; 
• To facilitate interactivity with other performance practices; 
• To assist each individual performer in 'finding his or her voice' through traditional music performance; 
• To facilitate the cross-fertilisation of both the academic and performance pursuits of postgraduate performing music, dance and academic programmes; 
• To equip the student with the necessary vocational skills for modern professional performance contexts.

Careers: Many students on the MA Irish Traditional Music Performance have gone on the build a career as a professional performer, and this is the primary focus of the course. The compulsory and elective modules are designed to enhance the student’s career prospects in performance, not only through developing the individual’s skills as a musician, but also in other key areas, such as recording and content production, grant applications and cultural policy.

The MA Irish Traditional Music Performance has helped refine the skills of many of Ireland’s most innovative traditional musicians, including Bríd Harper, Rebecca McCarthy-Kent and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh. The course also serves as an opportunity for students from other musical backgrounds to develop their knowledge of traditional music performance in an intensive learning environment. Professional musicians from other genres, such as award-winning Canadian fiddler Ivonne Hernandez have recently graduated from the programme.

The broad range of skills acquired on the MAITMP has led students into multiple other fields of work outside of performance, primarily music education (at primary, post-primary, secondary and tertiary levels). Our graduates also work in areas such as music technology and arts management. Many also go on to pursue PhDs and enter the world of research.