Tutors
Filter by
Kirsten Allstaff
Kirsten Allstaff is one of the founders and directors of The Online Academy of Irish Music. She is an acclaimed flute and tin-whistle player and has played music throughout Ireland, Europe, North America and Asia with various Irish dance shows and groups: Gaelforce Dance, Celtic Legends, Rhythm of the Dance, The Fiddlecase and Clare based band Los Paddys De Los Pampas.In 2014, Kirsten released her solo album 'Gallowglass'. With master instrumentalists John Joe Kelly on Bodhrán and Eoin O'Neill on Bouzouki amongst many others. This album is a blend of traditional tunes from her two homelands of Ireland and Scotland.Originally...
Read More
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
A regular contributor to television and radio programmes in Ireland and abroad, OAIM tutor Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh featured prominently in the Highland Sessions BBC television series, celebrating the best of Irish and Scottish traditional music and song. She also co-hosted and performed at the 2007 and 2009 Gradam Ceoil TG4 (Irish language TV channel) and has presented many music programmes. A Gradam Ceoil 2011 winner, Muireann grew up immersed in the vibrant West-Kerry tradition with its wild dance music, soulful slow airs and many beautiful songs. Her father, a fiddler, would bring her to music sessions from a young age. There she began...
Read More
Niamh Dunne
Niamh Dunne is a highly accomplished singer, fiddler and composer from Co. Limerick. A member of the world renowned band Beoga, with whom she has toured extensively and recorded 3 CDs, including the Grammy short listed "The Incident" in 2009. The Wall Street Journal describes them as "the most exciting new traditional band to emerge from Ireland this century." They recently co-wrote and performed with singer Ed Sheeran on two songs on his new album ÷ (Divide), one of which, Galway Girl, has met with huge success reaching number 1 in Ireland's download chart the week it was released and number 2 in the UK. Niamh...
Read More
Lisa Canny
Lisa is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and composer from Co. Mayo. At five years of age Lisa began learning tenor banjo and at ten she started on the harp, attending classes with Bernie and Holly Geraghty, meanwhile completing her academic grades on the piano too. Heavily involved with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Ballindine, Lisa won 7 All-Ireland Fleadh Ceoil titles throughout her competing years, including the Senior Harp title in 2008. Now a teacher herself, 9 of Lisa's own students have gone on to win All-Ireland medals. After graduating with a first class honours degree in Irish Music and Dance at...
Read More
Neil Fitzgibbon
Neil Fitzgibbon is a musician, composer and educator that has toured and shared stages with many musicians at home in Ireland and around the world. Based in Co Clare, he is a regular on the session scene on the west coast known as both a fiddle player and guitarist. He has recording credits alongside world renowned musicians and artists, both as a collaborator/session musician and creator. He also has extensive teaching experience from his work with the Music Generation youth project.Although Neil is new to OAIM as a tutor, many of you will recognise him as he played with us...
Read More
Therese McInerney
Therese McInerney hails from a little coastal townland just outside Miltown Malbay, but now lives in Ennis, Co. Clare.She grew up surrounded by Irish Culture and developed a love for Irish Traditional music, song, dance, history and the language from an early age.An avid Traditional musician, set dancer and gaeilgeoir all through her primary school days, Therese developed her love of singing and drama during her time in Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon secondary school, where she participated in musicals and choirs.Therese went on to study a BCL International Law Degree in University College Cork, where she volunteered in the UCC Radio...
Read More
Christy Barry
Christy Barry has been playing music all his life. He plays with a unique sound and mastery of the Flute and Whistle which creates an insightful interpretation of Irish music. He's a standard-bearer of the Clare tradition, living as he does in Doolin, the trad-capital of Ireland. He is also a master player of the spoons. Music runs in his blood.Christy started playing music in Doolin in the '70s and then went to live in New York and Chicago. He has played extensively throughout the USA. He returned to Doolin in the late 90s and continues to play and teach...
Read More
Alan Kelly
Described by New York's Irish Voice as 'in league with the best piano accordionists in the world', Alan Kelly is regarded as one of Ireland's most accomplished musicians in any genre. He is a piano accordionist, composer and arranger, utterly at home in his own skin. Though Alan hails from the rich traditional musical landscape of Roscommon, in the west of Ireland, variety in repertoire is one of his hallmarks. Alan is truly one of the busiest performers on the traditional and folk music scene, touring and recording with artists such as: Eddi Reader, Matt Molloy, Sean Keane, De Dannan,...
Read More
Alan Reid
Alan Reid, from North County Leitrim in Ireland, is a highly-adept multi-instrumentalist. His banjo, bouzouki, mandolin, and oud playing has seen him work extensively in both performance and recording settings, as well as making a movie appearance in the 2014 movie 'Noble'. Alan also featured on the compilation CD 'Leitrim Equation 3', where he recorded duets with highly-acclaimed Irish musicians Donal Lunny and John Carty. In a more musically experimental setting, he can be heard as part of his 'Arum' project on their 2016 debut album. Now settled in the Burren in County Clare, Alan has released an album of...
Read More
Tola Custy
Tola Custy comes from Toonagh in County Clare. His father, Frank was the local primary school teacher and also inspired many people to play traditional music. Names such as James Cullinane, Siobhan Peoples, Sharon Shannon, as well as Tola himself all owe their musical beginnings to him. Thus music has been a friend to Tola since he was able to walk.Tola first cut his teeth by making the album "Setting Free" with bouzouki player Cyril O'Donoghue in 1993. He then teamed up with the Moynihan Family from County Cork and , along with bouzouki player Pat Marsh, formed the group...
Read More
Liam O’Brien
2017 TG4 (Irish language TV channel) Young Musician of the Year Liam O'Brien is from Miltown Malbay. He was brought up in a very musical family. After starting on the tin whistle he later went on to take up the concertina and attended classes with Noel Hill for many years. Liam then went on to study Irish Music & Dance in the University of Limerick.Liam has travelled the world playing and teaching. He has been all across Europe, Africa and spent the summer of 2012 touring Japan. Liam has also been teaching concertina and banjo as part of the Brid...
Read More
Cillian Ó’Dálaigh
Cillian is a natural teacher who has been surrounded by Irish music from day one, learning from his father who played with Irish band, Cromlach. Cillian graduated with a B.A in Irish Music and Dance from the University of Limerick and has toured extensively as both guitarist and flute player. He toured with the internationally acclaimed band The Outside Track up until about a year and a half ago, at which point, he opened up a very progressive music production studio in Limerick called Temper & Flux. As well as running the studio, Cillian is also using this time to develop some of his...
Read More
Brian Fleming
Brian Fleming specializes in traditional Irish percussion instruments, while also playing percussion from around the world. His playing has been recorded on fifty albums, he produced three of those and played on several soundtracks for film and TV. He has played with many of the best-known innovators in Irish music and dance, including Davy Spillane, Emer Mayock (Afro Celts), Anuna, Michael Flatley, Cormac Breathnach, De jimbe, and Kíla. He has taught bodhrán and percussion in schools, music schools, universities, and festivals all over Ireland and abroad. In fact, he has played all over the world, including notably Senegal, Gambia, at...
Read More
Marie McTeague
Marie McTeague (formally Clarke) hails from Letterkenny, Co Donegal. She began playing the piano accordion and tin whistle at the age of 5 and competed in the Fleadh Cheoil over the years, winning the Senior All Ireland Title in 1997 for the Piano Accordion. Marie studied Music and Irish at UCC and furthered her studies there with a H.Dip in Education. In 2002 she graduated from the University of Limerick with a Performance MA in Traditional Irish Music. She also holds the TTCT diploma in teaching Traditional Music from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. Marie was part of 'The Rising Step' Dance and...
Read More
Nicolle Fig
Nicolle Fig was born in Mexico City. Years later, she moved to Texas and then Ireland, where she developed a passion for Irish culture, its music, and its people. Nicolle specialises in bodhrán and traditional singing. She is an in-demand teacher. Her success is reflected by her large following on YouTube, where she has developed a strong professional reputation as a welcoming and skillful teacher. Her distinctive, lyrical style of playing has made her a highly sought-after musician and accompanist, both at home and abroad. Nicolle attended the University of Limerick, where she studied under renowned masters of music. She...
Read More
Thomas Johnston
Musician, educator, researcher, Thomas Johnston's work lies in those spaces between Irish traditional music, performing arts for children and young audiences, community music, and music education practice and policy. He is Artistic Director of Ceol Connected, a company dedicated to promoting high quality and meaningful experiences of the traditional arts amongst children. He is also a researcher and lecturer in music education, Irish traditional music, ethnomusicology, and world popular music at Dublin City University. In 2016, Thomas was a recipient of the Arts Council Ireland's Next Generation Bursary Award.In recent years, Thomas has gained expertise as a musician in the...
Read More
Paddy Cummins
Paddy Cummins was born and reared in Drimnagh, Dublin and began experimenting with music at nine years of age. His first instrument of choice was the mandolin, as played by his father, then the guitar before eventually being saddled with a banjo aged fourteen. Paddy attended some brief tuition at Comhaltas branches in Monkstown but is largely self-taught and spent his teenage years completely dedicated to his music practice. After finishing in secondary school, Paddy enrolled at University of Limerick's B.A in Irish Music and Dance and was mentored by John Carty. He also received masterclass tuition from established players such...
Read More
Dáire Mulhern
All-Ireland champion accordionist Dáire Mulhern, from Ennis, Co. Clare, is a musician of high calibre who has toured both Europe and America extensively with Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and other traditional Irish dance shows and bands. He completed his degree in music at Limerick Institute of Technology where he specialised in composition and music technology; He had a composition of his recorded by leading Irish band 'Beoga' on their album 'The Incident' . He is also a respected teacher in the Munster region of Ireland with his students frequently attaining All-Ireland titles at the annual Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
Read More
MJ McMahon
MJ McMahon was born and raised in East Co. Clare. From an early age he played percussion and bódhran and later in his teenage years, developed an interest for the guitar. In 2001 MJ moved to Limerick where he studied traditional Irish music at the University of Limerick. Here, he learned under the tutelage of guitar masters Steve Cooney, Ian Carr, Chris Kelly, amongst many others. Since completing his Masters, MJ has toured Europe extensively with the Irish dance shows 'Celtic Legends' and 'Mystical Dance of Ireland' . He also regularly plays in the American production 'Emerald Beat' based in...
Read More
Tom Delany
Born and raised in France, Tom hails from an upbringing steeped in traditional music. His lively rhythmic style is truly unique. Having toured the world, performing in both solo and group contexts, from the United States to New Zealand, he boasts musicianship beyond his years. Tom has been playing Irish traditional music since the age of twelve, when his father Rory, who emigrated from Ireland in the 1980's, taught him to play the tin whistle. By thirteen, Tom had picked up the uilleann pipes and was already performing regularly around France.Inspired by the travelling style of piping which he encountered...
Read More
Caroline Keane
Caroline Keane has been playing the concertina for more than twenty years and professionally since 2007. Growing up in Limerick, she was surrounded by the musical richness of both Clare and Sliabh Luachra, influences which have become the cornerstone of her uniquely vibrant, passionate and emotive style of concertina playing.At the age of seven, Caroline began taking tin whistle lessons at her local Comhaltas branch, and soon afterwards progressed on to concertina. Under the guidance of her teacher, Noel Hill, she developed proficiency in her art, and by fifteen, was performing both nationally and internationally. In 2006, Caroline was awarded...
Read More
Stephen Markham
Stephen Markham is a pianist from Ennis, Co. Clare. He began learning the piano at the age of 8 and quickly completed his classical music training with the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Already a button accordion player and céilí-band drummer, he became influenced by Irish traditional music and the distinctive piano accompaniment of Cape Breton music. He attributes his love for Irish music to his mother, a piano and tin-whistle player whose family hails from Kilfenora, Co. Clare, an area renowned for its musical heritage.Stephen has won All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil titles in ceili band drumming and piano accompaniment at...
Read More
Billy Mag Fhloinn
Billy Mag Fhloinn was born and raised in a musical family in Limerick City. He began playing traditional music in 1996, beginning on the bodhrán. He then progressed to the bouzouki, after a chance find of an old Greek model in a music shop in Limerick. He learned much of his playing from musicians Mick Broderick and Tony Davoren when living in Dublin, and gained great experience playing the wild dance music of west Kerry when living on the Dingle Peninsula. He has recorded on several albums as an accompanist, and has shared the stage with a variety of performers,...
Read More
Majella Bartley
All Ireland Champion Flute Player, Majella Bartley, hails from Corcaghan in Co. Monaghan. She is a respected flute and fiddle teacher, tutoring at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance as well as at national and international summer schools and workshops such as Scoil Eigse, Fiddle Festival of Wales, Kilkenny Celtic Festival and the British and North American Convention of Comhaltas. She holds the TTCT (Teastas i dTeagasc Ceolta Tíre) traditional music teaching diploma awarded by Comhaltas and is now a tutor and lecturer on this course. She is also a qualified adjudicator and has adjudicated many competitions including...
Read More
Kevin Crawford
Born in Birmingham, England to parents from Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, Kevin Crawford's early life was sound-tracked by the resonance of the lively traditional music scene in the midlands city.Moving to Co. Clare in 1989, he soon became a pivotal member of the effervescent session trail in the Banner county (Co Clare) before enhancing his burgeoning reputation in the group Grianán and the trio Raise the Rafters. He then propelled himself to international recognition with Moving Cloud, with whom he recorded Moving Cloud in 1995 and Foxglove in 1998. Kevin joined Lúnasa in January 1997 for a tour of Australia...
Read More
Jon O’Connell
Jon O'Connell is a musician who has been active on the Irish music scene for over fifteen years. From Miltown Malbay, Co.Clare, Jon is still based in this area, where the traditions of Irish music are strong and music sessions are commonplace.Jon's first instrument is Double Bass. After two years learning about Sound Engineering at the University of Wales, Jon attended Newpark School of Music in Dublin, studying contemporary music and theory.Along with Double Bass, Jon also plays Guitar, Mandola, Mandolin and Banjo and is involved with traditional music groups in Clare, including The Ceili Bandits and The Fiddle Case....
Read More
Mikie Smyth
Mikie Smyth began playing the pipes at the age of nine. His first teachers were Colm De Brun and Andy Conroy in the Pipers Club in Henrietta Street Dublin. As a teacher Mikie has worked for many piping organizations and traditional summer schools, including the Willie Clancy and Joe Mooney summer schools. He is currently the pipes tutor at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in the University of Limerick where he teaches on both the B.A and M.A˰programmes. Mikie has performed both as a soloist and with shows (Riverdance and Ragus) in over 5 countries. Mikie has...
Read More
Edel Fox
Edel Fox is a concertina player from Miltown Malbay Co. Clare. She began playing at the age of 7 and was fortunate to be brought up in an area and environment where traditional music was in abundance. Edel learnt much of her music from concertina players Noel Hill, Dymphna O'Sullivan, Tim Collins and Tony O'Connell as well as local musicians such as Pete Haugh, Michael Mahoney and Peadar Crotty. Over the years, Edel's playing has been hugely influenced by the music and recordings of Willie Clancy, Bobby Casey, Junior Crehan and Mrs. Crotty, to name but a few. Edel spent...
Read More
Steph Geremia
Steph Geremia is an Irish flautist and singer highly regarded as one of the top musicians of her generation. Perhaps best known for her vibrant and versatile Irish flute playing and as a mainstay of the critically acclaimed group, Alan Kelly Gang, she brings a wealth of musical scholarship to her love for Ireland's North Connaught tradition, as displayed on her sparkling 2018 release Up She Flew."Exceptional skill and musicality. . . a masterclass in Irish flute." Folkworld ★★★★ RnR ★★★★ Songlines.Steph has toured extensively around the globe and performed at top world and folk music festivals including WOMADelaide (Australia),...
Read More
Francis Cunningham
Francis Cunningham hails from Crusheen, Co. Clare. Described by Kevin Crawford as one of the finest young exponents of the concertina with a strong emphasis on the Clare tradition. In 2019 he released an album with Carl Hession and Eimear Coughlan featuring 40 original compositions by Carl entitled 'Úrnua'. A multi All-Ireland concertina winner, he has performed in Europe and the US and has taught workshops at various festivals such Scoil Samhradh Willie Clancy, Consairtín, The Feakle Festival, Scoil Éigse, Meitheal, The O Carolan Harp Festival and Concertina Cruinniú.
Read More
Aidan O’Donnell
TG4 Young Musician of the Year 2010 Aidan O'Donnell has been described as one of the finest young Irish musicians at present. He began his music making at the age of 12, and since then has performed with some of traditional music's finest artists, including Donal Lunny, Micheal Ó'Suilleabháin and the Chieftains. In 2007, he won the prestigious 'Oireachtas na Geailge' fiddle title, and has been a regular tutor at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, at the University of Limerick for the past number of years.He released his critically acclaimed debut album in 2006, with Mayo flute...
Read More
Niall Keegan
Dr Niall Keegan was born in the south east of England and began playing Irish traditional flute at an early age amongst the community of first and second generation musicians in and around London. In 1990 Niall began studying under Dr. Mícheál Ó' Súilleabháin for a Masters degree which he completed in 1992 with the submission of a thesis entitled The Words of Traditional Flute Style. He is course director of the new Traditional Irish Music performance masters at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick and also teaches on the ethno-musicology program there. He has...
Read More
Mirella Murray
Mirella Murray currently plays with 'Cherish the Ladies'. She grew up in Claddaghduff, near Clifden, on the north west coast of Connemara. Her father John Joe, a notable sean nós dancer, comes from Inishark Island and has a deep understanding of, and love for, traditional music. Mirella learned the piano accordion from Mary Finn, herself a great player from the musical Finn family of Ballymote, Co. Sligo. She met up with fiddler Liz Kane from Letterfrack, and they played and learned a lot of their music together going through the Fleadh Cheoil competitions. They won the All-Ireland duet in 1995,...
Read More
Jim Higgins
Jim hails from Renmore in Galway. Born into a musical family, he went on to study music in University College Cork under Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin amongst others. While in Cork, Jim caught 'the bodhran bug', playing alongside players such as Mel Mercier, Colm Murphy and Frank Torpey. During this period Jim was an active member of 'The Stunning' rock band playing trumpet and keyboards as well as percussion. He went on to play drums with fellow Galwegians 'The Sawdoctors' following a four year stint with 'The Riverdance Show' which took him around the world.He is an honorary member of the...
Read More
Derek Hickey
Derek Hickey hails from Adare, Co. Limerick. He started playing accordion at a young age. By the age of 18 he joined the band Arcady and then at 21 was invited by Frankie Gavin to join De Dannan. He recorded two albums with the band during the time he spent with them. He is a regular tutor at The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick. In his rich and varied performing experiences, he has shared the stage with some of world's greatest talents including Stephan Grappelli and The Rolling Stones.
Read More
Jean Damei
Jean Damei was born on 7th March 1989 in Grenoble, France and started to play the guitar at the age of 16. After meeting a number of Irish musicians touring and teaching music in the Alps he discovered a passion for this music. At the age of 18, he left Ardeche, his childhood home, to study guitar and flute in the Irish Music and Dance degree course at the University of Limerick. On his return to France, to Lyon in 2011, he decided to explore jazz and funk. He has found much inspiration from these two musical universes, allowing him...
Read More
Gwenn Frin
Gwenn Frin is a flute and tin whistle player. Originally from Brittany, France, Gwenn fell in love with the Irish wooden flute at an early age and the flute has forever since been the thread of her life bringing her to many countries and adventures all over the world. She first performed with the 'Cercle Celtique de Rennes' where she was introduced to the traditional dances of Brittany before playing for the dancers themselves. Her true professional debut was with the band Beaj Iskis in the early 1990s, which toured the 'Fest Noz' scene in Brittany for four years.Gwenn moved...
Read More
Stay Tuned!
Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, proposals, etc. Our newsletter is once a week, no spam :)
By subscribing to this list you agree to receive newsletters and information on OAIM offerings.
Unsubscribe any time using the link at the bottom of emails.
Unsubscribe any time using the link at the bottom of emails.