The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) is committed to providing free, universal access to the rich cultural tradition of Irish music, song and dance. If you’re able, we’d love for you to consider a donation. Any level of support will help us preserve and grow this tradition for future generations.
Founded in 1987, the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) is home to the largest, most comprehensive collection of Irish traditional music, song, and dance in the world.
At ITMA, we digitise, preserve and offer free universal access to valuable recordings, photographs, manuscripts, and other archived materials that would otherwise be lost. In doing this, we also connect contemporary artists with archived materials in order to inspire new art, helping to build the living archive of the future.
ITMA’s mission is to be the national public archive and resource centre for Irish traditional music, song and dance, and the globally-recognised specialist advisory agency to advance appreciation, knowledge, and the practice of Irish traditional music. (ITMA Strategic Plan, 2019, p. 6)
Every year ITMA receives a vast number of unique and important private collections. However, due to limitations within our current funding model, making these materials accessible beyond our physical location in Dublin will be delayed for many years without new sources of funding.
In 2024, a private U.S. foundation has generously pledged to match every donation we receive up to €100,000. This means that every donation we receive this year will be doubled.
Your donations will assist us in offering free, universal access to ITMA’s materials, preserving and growing Irish traditional music around the world. ITMA is a registered charity in Ireland and is eligible for 501(c)(3) donations from U.S.-based donors.
All our staff are practitioners in Irish traditional music: musicians, singers and dancers. Their professional experience encompasses librarianship, archival studies, audiovisual technology, information technology, broadcasting, education, design, management and business, and a range of European languages.
The Archive has also benefited from the active involvement in its work of many others including Director Emeritus Nicholas Carolan, its co-founder Harry Bradshaw, Kate O’Dwyer, Glenn Cumiskey, Orla Henihan, Seán Corcoran, Sorcha Ní Mhuiré, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, Aileen Dillane, Clíona Ní Shúilleabháin, Colette Moloney, Antain Mac Lochlainn, Lisa Shields, Edel McLaughlin, Packie McGinley, Peter Browne, Tom Fuller, Brian Masterson, Tony Moreau, Roland Gosda, Eoghan Neff, Mícheál Ó Cathain, Ian Lynch, Áine Ní Bharáin, Brigitte Bark, Elaina Solon, Danny Diamond, Hanna Bush, Ellen Doyle, Jackie Small, Rónán Galvin, Erin Sterling, Piaras Hoban, Rebecca Draisey-Collishaw, Lynnsey Weissenberger, James Redmond, Róisín Ní Bhriain, Sadhbh Nic Ionnraic, Seán Caverly, Celine Jourdan, Stephanie SK Marbach, Iarfhlaith Ó Domhnaill, Sophie Ryan, Seán Hughes, Grace Toland etc.
The operations of the Archive are directed by a Board of directors, who have performing, collecting, broadcasting, archival, financial, marketing and management experience. One third of the members is replaced annually by election.
The Archive arose directly from a proposal to the Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 1987 made by Harry Bradshaw and Nicholas Carolan to preserve historic sound recordings of Irish traditional music. These had been been uncovered during their production of the RTÉ radio series ‘The Irish Phonograph’ (1983–86).
The Council, which had earlier made a decision in principle to establish an archive of Irish traditional music, on the recommendation of a committee chaired by Breandán Breathnach, accepted the proposal. It appointed a Board to oversee its operations, and funded it first as a pilot project and then on an ongoing basis. Important additional revenue funding was later received from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
The remit of the Archive has expanded over the years in line with its founding aims, and staff numbers have grown considerably. Staff have archival, library, audiovisual-recording, music engraving, administrative, digitisation, IT and other skills, and are themselves singers, musicians and dancers.
While its chief documents are still sound recordings, it has become a multimedia archive with substantial holdings of printed materials, still and moving images, artefacts, etc.
The Archive was first situated in Eustace St, Dublin, and moved to larger premises in 63 Merrion Square, Dublin, in 1991. On 15 November 2006 it opened in a permanent home at 73 Merrion Square. It holds there the largest collection of Irish traditional music in existence, and the largest collection of information on this tradition. It is now a premier centre for enjoying and studying this music.