University of Limerick academics play key role at Norwegian Folk Music festival

A number of University of Limerick academics played a pivotal role at a hugely popular Norwegian Folk Music festival.

Three faculty members of UL’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, Dr Conor Caldwell, Dr Roísín Ní Ghallóglaigh and Dr Breandán de Gallaí attended this year’s Winter Festival at Rauland at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN).

The Irish academics delivered lectures and workshops on traditional Irish music, Sean Nós songs and traditional Irish dance at the hugely popular annual Norwegian Folk Music Festival.

The festival, which has a focus on the sharing of research around traditional and folk music and dance, has a week-long schedule of lectures, workshops, courses and exhibitions.

There is also a performance element to the festival which culminates in a dance contest in Norwegian folk dancing called the ‘kappleik’ with over 100 contestants competing this weekend deep in the Norwegian mountains of Telemark.

Currently, UL has the only bachelor programme in Folk Dance in Europe but will be joined later this year when USN will commence a brand-new programme in Norwegian folk dance on their Rauland Campus.

Dr Breandán de Gallaí and Associate Professor Stian Roland of the University of South-Eastern Norway are exploring possibilities to establish exchange routes for both knowledge and students between UL and USN.