Blas is run by the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, which began life as a postgraduate centre at University of Limerick, dedicated to performance and reflection in the performing arts of music and dance.
Benefits of our summer school
By studying Irish traditional music and dance on an Irish university campus, students benefit not only from an ‘on-the-ground experience’ but also from the international network of university connections and accreditation systems.
The University of Limerick has a highly developed library of prints, manuscripts and audio-visual holdings in Irish music and dance.
This includes a specialist library of 18th and 19th-century out-of-print collections of Irish music and extensive holdings in ethnomusicology and ethnochoreology.
The Irish World Academy
Initially concerning itself with research and innovation in Irish and Irish-related music worldwide, the Academy now offers a suite of 10 one-year, full-time taught masters’ degrees, a Professional Masters of Education (Music), two-year MA programmes in Music Therapy and Classical String Performance, and five four-year undergraduate degrees.
It houses a community of faculty, performers, scholars, visiting musicians, dancers and academics who form the basis for Blas’ unique academic credentials.
Many Blas students have taken their time with us as an introduction to what the Irish World Academy has to offer and have later returned as full-time BA, MA, or PME students.
Study at Blas and you might come back for more!