MÍCHEÁL Ó
SÚILLEABHÁIN
IN EDUCATION

Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin is widely viewed as the single most important figure in the integration of Irish traditional music and dance into the higher education system in Ireland over the past three decades.

As a result, his work has directly influenced related educational ventures in Wales, England, Scotland and the USA. In 2005, the National University of Ireland at University College Cork awarded him an honorary D.Mus. Also in 2005, Boston College awarded him Honary Alumnus status in recognition of his contribution to Irish Studies programme on that campus.

He has also been to the forefront in European terms in the granting of parity of esteem to indigenous music and dance traditions into mainstream Higher Education systems. 

His work from 1975 to 1993 at the Music Department, University College Cork, established it as a trail blazer in the integration of traditional musicians within a shared curriculum with classical musicians. 

His work at the University of Limerick has continued this work to an even more developed level with the introduction of several postgraduate and undergraduate programme which are globally unique. These include the following:

• MA Irish Traditional Music Performance

• MA Irish Traditional Dance Performance

• MA Music Therapy

• MA Contemporary Dance Performance

• MA Community Music

• MA Chant and Ritual Song

• MA Ethnomusicology

• MA Ethnochoreology

• Graduate Diploma/M. Ed Education (Music)

• MA Classical String Performance

• BA Irish Music and Dance

• BA Voice and Dance (to commence in 2008)

Under his direction faculty numbers have risen from a zero base to 16, and students from a zero base to 200 in the first ten years. Up to one in three students come from outside the European Union, and some twenty countries are represented in the student body. An International Quality Review Report in 2004 "wished to acknowledge the highly visionary, vibrant and dynamic nature of the Irish World Music Centre" as well as "commending the Irish World Music Centre for the transformative and life-changing nature of the educational experience students have reported".

A new home for the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance is currently being constructed on the Clare side of the river Shannon on the University of Limerick campus. This 4500 sq meter building, costing 21 million euro, will be completed in 2008. The design was the result of an international architectural competition which attracted 92 entries. The winning design was by Daniel Cordier, a French architect living in London. 

He is also closely involved in archives of Irish traditional music and dance. He established the Traditional Music Archive at University College Cork based on earlier holdings in 1975. In 1990 he established the Archive of Irish Traditional Music in America at the Burns Library, Boston College, where he also set up the Irish Music Program at the Music Department and Irish Studies Program there. In 1994 he set up the Performing Arts Archive at the University of Limerick. He has served for twelve years on the Board of the Irish Traditional Music Archive (Dublin) including six consecutive years as Chair. 

In 1993 he designed and established Maoin Cheoil an Chlair, an independent music school in Ennis, Co Clare where traditional and classical music share parity of esteem in the curriculum and activities of the school. He sees the school as a potential model for similar school across Ireland and Europe. 

In November 2004 the University Limerick marked the 10th anniversary of the Irish World Music Centre with the unveiling of the 3D model of the architectural plans for the Irish World Performing Arts Village which will house the Irish World Music Centre under its new title Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.

In 2005, Boston College made him an Honary Alumus for his services to Irish Music.

His educational influence has reached across classical music, to chant performance to traditional music, from contemporary dance to traditional dance, from Music Therapy through Music Education and Community Music - in most of these areas establishing the first programmes of their kind in Ireland, in Europe, or in the world.