BA in Irish Music and Dance

Programme Structure

The BA in Irish Music and Dance is a four-year programme. Six or seven semesters are spent in Limerick; one is spent on the Co-operative Education programme, which provides work experience, and another is spent either in Limerick or off-campus on the Study Abroad programme.

Year One:

Semester 1:

  • Practicum 1a – Main Performance Interest and Performance Skills
  • Practicum 1b
  • Teanga, Sochaí agus Saíocht 1 or Beginners’ Irish 1
  • Introduction to Irish Traditional Music and Dance Studies 1
  • Contextualising and Vocational Studies 1 – Popular Music and Dance Studies / Audio/Visual Technology

Semester 2:

  • Practicum 2a – Main Performance Interest and Performance Skills
  • Practicum 2b
  • Teanga, Sochaí agus Saíocht 2 or Beginners’ Irish 2
  • Introduction to Irish Traditional Music and Dance Studies 2
  • Contextualising and Vocational Studies 2 – Introduction to Historical Western Art Music / Dance Studies

Year Two:

Semester 3:

  • Practicum 3a – Main Performance Interest and Performance Skills
  • Practicum 3b
  • Teanga, Sochaí agus Saíocht 3 or Beginners’ Irish 3
  • Irish Traditional Music and Dance Studies 1
  • Contextualising and Vocational Studies 4 – Entrepreneurship

Semester 4:

  • Practicum 4a – Main Performance Interest and Performance Skills
  • Practicum 4b
  • Elective*
  • Irish Traditional Music and Dance Studies 2
  • Contextualising and Vocational Studies 3 – Music and Dance Education / Community Music and Dance

Year Three:

Semester 5:

  • External Placement

Semester 6:

  • Practicum 5a – Main Performance Interest and Performance Skills
  • Practicum 5b
  • Elective*
  • Irish Traditional Music and Dance Studies 3
  • Contextualising and Vocational Studies 5 – Ethnomusicology and Ethnochoreology Theory and Practice / Digital Media Technology

Year Four:

Semester 7:

  • Practicum 6a – Main Performance Interest – final year performance project and Performance Skills
  • Practicum 6b
  • Elective*
  • Traditional Music and Dance Studies 4
  • Contextualising and Vocational Studies 6 – Ethnomusicology and Ethnochoreology World Music and Dance Survey / Final Year Project

Semester 8:

  • Practicum 7a – Main Performance Interest – final year performance project and Performance Skills
  • Practicum 7b
  • Elective*
  • Irish Traditional Music and Dance Studies 5
  • Contextualising and Vocational Studies 7 – Music, Dance and Human Behaviour / Final Year Project

* electives are to be chosen from the current Irish Studies Programme, Irish Music and Dance programmes and other programmes within the Department of Government and Society.

** – semester six can alternatively be spent as an external academic placement in an institution outside of Ireland