On 8 February 2024, Students of the UCC Music Department performed at St. Gabiel’s Special School. Students Tisa Maunder-Bushell, Luca Gambirasio, Mengwei Zhang, Yalun Yang and Decheng Shao were giving imaginary four season’s music performance to interact with the kids and staff at the school. Dr. Lijuan Qian mediated and photographed this community outreach.

On Wednesday 31st January, RTÉ Radio 1 visited Sunday’s Well for a special recording featuring staff and students of the UCC Music Department, members of UCC Trad Soc, and our 2024 UCC/Arts Council Traditional Artist in Residence, Niamh Dunne.

Dr. Jack Talty discussed the new MA in Irish Traditional Music and shared some highlights of the upcoming UCC Trad Fest, which will take place from 8 – 11 February. 

The show aired on RTÉ Radio 1 at 9pm this Saturday, 3rd February, and is available to listen back at RTÉ's website.

UCC Music is delighted to congratulate second year music student Éabha Breathnach, who has recently been awarded a student research bursary by the Consairtín concertina festival, in association with the Irish Traditional Music Archive.

Éabha will prepare and present a lecture on the renowned Clare concertina player, Kitty Hayes at this year’s Consairtín festival on April 4th. Applications for the prestigious bursary are invited from all undergraduate and postgraduate students on the island of Ireland. Last year, the inaugural recipient of the bursary was Gobnait Kiely, a current fourth year music student at the Department of Music.

We are thrilled to announce that third year music student, Donnchadh Mac Aodha, has been awarded the 2023 Iain MacLeòid Young Composer Award by The Clarsach Society and the Edinburgh International Harp Festival. Donnchadh’s piece, Ambaist, will premiere at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival this April.

More information can be found here.

FUAIM Music at UCC is delighted to share with you the details of the brand-new Spring 2024 season of Friday lunchtime concerts, FUAIM Lectures, and events in the Departments of Theatre and Film & Screen Media.

Congratulations to our accordion and melodeon tutor, Diarmuid Ó Meachair, who has been nominated in both the Best Folk Instrumentalist and Best Emerging Artist categories at the upcoming RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards, which take place at Vicar Street on Tuesday 27th February. For more information about the awards and the other nominees, see https://www.rte.ie/culture/2024/0122/1427359-rte-radio-1-folk-awards-nominations-announced/

The Department of Music at UCC is delighted to announce that we now offer an exciting new MA in Irish Traditional Music. The course is now open for applications for September 2024 intake. For more information about the programme and how to apply, visit: https://www.ucc.ie/en/maitm/

The Music Department at UCC, in association with the Arts Council, the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences (CACSSS), and the School of Film, Music and Theatre at UCC, are delighted to announce the appointment of renowned singer and fiddle player, Niamh Dunne as the 2024 Arts Council / UCC Traditional Artist in Residence. As part of the role, Niamh will deliver a series of concerts, workshops, and events throughout the UCC campus community during the course of her one-year residency, beginning in January 2024.

Cork Opera House and the School of Film, Music & Theatre at UCC are delighted to announce that the 2023-24 UCC – Cork Opera House MRes (Masters by Research) Scholarship recipient is the composer, performer and sound designer Kevin Terry.