Tutors

Derek Hickey hails from Adare, Co. Limerick. Both his grandfathers played fiddle and his own musical career began at ten years of age when his uncle left an accordion in the family home. Derek progressed to dance tunes within weeks though he didn’t begin lessons – under the tutelage of Dónal de Barra – until he was 12.

Derek’s professional career began three years later when he joined the Shannonside Céilí Band. Formed by the Liddy family the band was particularly popular in the north of the country. It also toured extensively in England and made regular trips throughout Europe.

In 1991 Frankie Gavin asked Derek to join him for regular sessions in his then leased hotel in Kinvara, Co. Galway. One year later, at just eighteen years of age Derek joined Arcady, Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonagh’s band. Frances Black, Brendan Larrisey and Patsy Broderick were also members of the band at that time and many other household names have played in the line-up including Sharon Shannon, Cathal Hayden and Gerry O’Connor.

In 1995 Derek joined the legendary De Dannan. The De Dannan sound has always been based around the interaction between Frankie Gavin’s virtuoso fiddle and the box. Other great box players in De Dannan’s colourful history have included Jackie Daly, Mairtin O’Connor and Aidan Coffey. His pairing with Gavin proved to be one of the best box and fiddle duets ever. He toured with De Dannan until they disbanded in 2003. Derek is a button accordion tutor on the BA Irish Music and Dance at the Irish World Academy.

Diarmuid Ó Meachair is an Accordion player and sean nós singer from Cúil Aodha, Co. Cork. He is also an accomplished Melodeon player and sean-nós singer. He was awarded the prestigious TG4 Young Musician of the year award in 2022. Diarmuid is part of the teaching staff at the Department of Music in UCC.

Diarmuid has released 3 solo albums in the past two years, "Siúl na Slí" (December, 2022), "Melodeon Medleys" (July, 2023) and "Diarmuid Ó Meachair" in (July 2024). He was nominated for 2 RTÉ Folk Awards in 2023, "Best instrumentalist" and "Best emerging artist".

A native Irish speaker from Cúil Aodha in the Múscraí Gaeltacht, Diarmuid has won many sean nós singing competitions at the Oireachtas na Gaeilge.

In 2023, he was commissioned by The John Dwyer Festival and the National Arts Council of Ireland to compose a suite a music in memory of the great Dwyer family from Beara.

In 2016, Diarmuid won the Senior All Ireland melodeon title at the Fleadh in Ennis at 19 years of age. In 2018, Diarmuid graduated from Mary Immaculate College with a Bachelor’s degree in Primary Education.

As a soloist, Diarmuid has been invited to teach at multiple festivals in Ireland, Europe and the US. In 2023 he was invited by the legendary Frankie Gavin to join his group Dé Dannan. They have played at multiple festivals in Ireland, UK and Europe. In May they performed on The Late Late Show.

Brendan McCarthy is an innovative accordion player from county Cork. His grounding in the music of his local area and Sliabh Luachra has been complimented by his immersion in the accordion styles of modern English masters, such as Andy Cutting and Karen Tweed. Brendan plays a specially designed accordion which allows for versatile bass playing.

He plays in an ensemble with Conal O'Kane and Aisling Drost-Byrne and 2025 will see them release their debut record together.

Brendan is a graduate of the Irish World Academy.

Conal O’Kane is a Philadelphia native and graduate of the University of Limerick’s BA in Irish Music and Dance and MA in Irish Music Performance programs. A multi-instrumentalist, he originally played fiddle before focusing on guitar, which gives him an unusual insight into both the melodic and harmonic structures of a large repertoire of tunes. He studied music theory with Roberto Pace at the Settlement Music School, which gives him a broad spectrum of accompaniment techniques from a wide range of musical genres.

In addition to his busy touring schedule with the band Goitse, he is also a guitar teacher on both the undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Irish music at the Irish World Academy in UL, and a regular tutor at the Blas International Summer School of Irish Music and Dance.

Picture Eddie Kavanagh

Marty Barry is a traditional musician/singer from Banbridge County Down, and plays guitar and banjo. Gaining a huge interest in music from a young age, Marty went on to study at the University of Limerick. After graduating, Marty has been a full time performer/tutor and is working on his debut solo album. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, Australia and China and has just recently guested on trad albums such as Caitlin Nic Gabhann, Ciaran O Maonaigh and Cathal Curran’s new album ‚The High Seas‘ and Alan Reid and Rachel Conlon’s 'A Quare Yield‘.

Marty usually plays his guitar in drop-d tuning, in rar cases in dadgad. In his workshop he shows drop-d tuning but if desired he also teaches dadgad tuning.

Hailing from Waterford, Alan Colfer is a virtuoso guitar player, composer and instrumentalist whose unique style incorporates genres from across the globe. He is a highly regarded exponent of fingerstyle guitar and teaches at the Irish World Academy of Music at the University of Limerick since 2006.

Colfer’s style is unique, weaving influence from Scandinavian music, Irish folk, blues and soul, traditional and world music, and he is widely recognised as one of Ireland’s finest instrumental guitarists.

Macdara Ó Faoláin is a young bouzouki player from An Rinn, Co Waterford, renowned for his innovative approach to traditional Irish music. He is currently focused on composing solo bouzouki pieces that seamlessly blend his deep knowledge of harmony with his traditional roots, drawing inspiration from a wide array of genres. As a native Irish speaker, he is also writing new songs in Irish, contributing to both the preservation and evolution of the language through his music.

Macdara performs regularly with collaborators such as Victoria Adiiye and Cormac McCarthy, and frequently accompanies various musicians within the traditional music scene, having developed a distinctive approach to the Irish bouzouki. He is also a member of a trio with Páraic Mac Donnchadha and Pádraic Keane. Their debut album, Beo, a compilation of live recordings from performances across the country, was hailed by the Irish Echo as "one of the best albums of the past few years."

Conor Broderick, a virtuoso pianist hailed for his extraordinary musicality, has captivated audiences worldwide with his enchanting performances.

Formally trained at The Irish World Academy, at which he now tutors, he honed his skills under the guidance of eminent mentors, such as padraig O’Reilly, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and Ryan Molloy to name a few. Broderick’s interpretative depth and technical brilliance set him apart, leading to numerous accolades and invitations to perform with renowned artists across the globe.

His repertoire encompasses a wide range, from classical and Jazz masterpieces to contemporary compositions, each delivered with a unique blend of passion and precision. Broderick’s artistry extends beyond the stafe, as he actively engages in collaborations with fellow musicians. Conor has played in over 50 countries around the world, including Zimbabwe, Japan, China and Russia.

Conor plays with world renowned musicians, such as singer/songwriter Sean O Meara, and accordion soloist Damien Mullane.

Ryan Molloy is a composer and performer from Pomeroy, Co. Tyrone, currently resident in Co. Kildare. His music has been recorded on over thirty albums and his repertoire spans numerous genres from traditional Irish music to contemporary classical music. He has worked with a host of internationally renowned artists such as Fergal Scahill, Seán Óg Graham, Paddy Glackin, Iarla Ó Lionáird, North Cregg, Barry Kerr, the Danish String Quartet, the Ulster Orchestra, and Irish Chamber Orchestra, amongst many others.

He has written over fifty works and his music has been performed to audiences on four continents for over twenty years, as well as featuring regularly in national and international TV and radio broadcasts (including BBC, RTÉ, TG4 and RnaG). As a composer, Ryan has represented Ireland at the prestigious ISCM World New Music Days festivals in Hong Kong (2015), Vancouver (2017) and Auckland/Christchurch (2022).

Described as a ‘milestone’ in traditional piano performance, Ryan’s critically acclaimed first solo recording pianophony was released in 2019 and earned him two RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards nominations in 2020 and 2021. That year also saw the release of Tempered, a new CD of music for uilleann pipes and piano, as well as a digital EP featuring the 30-minute song cycle Buaine na Gaoithe performed by its commissioners, the Damselfly Trio. Ryan is currently Associate Professor of composition at Maynooth University. He is also reported to own a fiddle.

Alec Brown is a contemporary cellist living in Limerick, Ireland. He was awarded a PhD from the University of Limerick for an arts practice thesis focussing on Irish traditional music on the cello. He is also deeply rooted in many other genres including; classical, folk, bluegrass, jazz, blues, and many more. After studying with cellists such as Dr. Stephen Feldman, Natalie Haas, Rushad Eggleston, Neil Martin and others, Alec has developed a unique contemporary style that spans multiple genres of music. He has performed extensively throughout Ireland and in parts of Europe with a wide range of bands and artists.

"A fresh take on Irish music which incorporates the cello in a beautifully subtle yet driving way…great tune choices, well-crafted arrangements, and a killer groove. Alec Brown has it all…pure joy to listen to!" - Natalie Haas

"Alec Brown has approached Celtic rhythmic playing on the cello in a new and dynamic way - incorporating an uplifting and unique style to his music. While surrounded by a group of highly talented musicians, Alec brings his Irish cello stylings to the forefront of the performance, proving yet again, that you can never have enough cello…" - Eric Wright, The Fretless