Dates: Monday 25th June to Friday 6th July 2018

Location: IRISH WORLD ACADEMY OF MUSIC AND DANCE

***10% discount on tuition fees available for bookings before 17 March***

Workshops • Masterclasses • Sessions • Lunchtime and Evening Concerts

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The 22nd Blas International Summer School for Irish Traditional Music and Dance takes place in the Irish World Academy, University of Limerick from 25th June to 6th July 2018.

Blas has firmly established itself as one of Ireland’s most prestigious university accredited summer schools, drawing students from all over the world to spend two weeks gaining access to the expertise of some of Ireland’s finest artists. In addition to expert tuition and master classes, Blas students can expect a whole range of activities including lectures on Irish traditional music and dance topics, Irish language classes, lunchtime and evening concerts, sessions, céilithe, field-trips and above all, the unique opportunity to share tunes with some of Ireland’s leading traditional musicians.

Following its launch, a range of public events will take place throughout the summer school, including the annual Francis Roche Memorial lecture, the Blas Bilingual Interview with RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta’s Áine Hensey, and daily lunchtime concerts with Blas tutors. Blas is also proud to present Bríd Harper (fiddle) & Tony O’Connell (concertina) as part of their public concert series on Thursday June 28th at 8pm in the Irish World Academy. 

Among the tutors at Blas 2018 are:

Fiddle
Tara Breen
John Carty
Bríd Harper
Eileen O’Brien
Siobhán Peoples 

Flute
Kevin Crawford
Niall Keegan
Kieran Munnelly

Percussion
Jim Higgins
Mel Mercier
Dermot Sheedy
Robbie Walsh 

Song
Gearoidín Breathnach
Karan Casey
Sandra Joyce
Róisín Ní Gallóglaigh 

Harmonic Accompaniment
Alan Colfer
Ryan Molloy
Conal O’Kane
Tadhg Ó Meachair 

Concertina
Tony O’Connell
Tommy Fitzharris 

Accordion
Derek Hickey
Tadhg Ó Meachair  

Dance
Edwina Guckian
Catherine Foley
Mats Melin
Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain
Michael Ryan
Lauren Smyth 

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PROGRAMME DESIGN:

The Blas ethos is translated into the programme design, which incorporates the following:

Expert tuition: Masterclasses taught by renowned performers, experts and teachers of Irish traditional music, song and dance.

Performance & Reflection: Blas is unique among summer schools in that it offers strong academic, as well as practical content.

Intimacy: The school is deliberately kept small in scale so that access to tutors remains intimate. Blas students receive a high level of attention from tutors and organisers. As a result, numbers are limited so early booking is advised.

International accreditation: Blas, through the University of Limerick, is linked to the international credit system in education. Therefore study at Blas could count towards your education award back home. Blas is the only summer school in Irish traditional music and dance to offer this feature.

Extra activities: Lectures, workshops, sessions and other evening events. During the two weeks of Blas, a number of concerts are put on for Blas students and the general public. In previous years Blas concerts have featured Flook, Martin Hayes & Denis Cahill, Noctú, Altan, Solas, Karan Casey, and Goitse. All concerts and events are free to Blas students. Tutors also give free lunchtime concerts during the two weeks of Blas to allow our students the chance to see their tutors perform.

Self-Tailoring: As a student, you can specialise in an individual instrument, song or dance class, or can sample from a number of instrument/song/dance classes to your requirement.

For further information on all aspects of the Blas Summer School, visit www.blas.ie.