Under the direction of Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, the Academy focuses on disciplines ranging from music, dance and voice through to research and performance. In each of these diverse and exciting areas students have the opportunity to experience a tremendous array of music and dance genres. During the past 10 years, the Irish World Academy has accommodated our own Irish talent, as well as hosting more than 200 musicians and dancers from 25 countries throughout the world.
A New Home
The result of an international competition, the new Irish World Academy of Music and Dance building is located in County Clare along the banks of the River Shannon. Lying at the foot of the new Pedestrian Living Bridge which links both sides of the campus, this 4100sqm building has become the new heart of this young and vibrant University. Its architectural design is an inspired response to the ecological surroundings at the University of Limerick; this includes the many monastic influences along the River Shannon exemplified by Clonmacnoise, as well as those located in Limerick and Clare, such as Glenstal Abbey and Quin Abbey.
“This new building provides a riverside space where musicians, dancers, composers, singers, conductors and choreographers explore together. Musicologists and choreologists research alongside live performance.
The history and anthropology of music and dance provides the research surround for the rediscovery of older sounds and gestures, as well as for the discovery of new voices, and the reinvention of received traditions”.
Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, world-renowned musician and Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.