The Ballinasloe October Fair is known for its horse-dealing, crowded streets, and roaming minstrels. In October 2017, Alan Woods joined the festivities to present an ITMA lecture on the history of ballad sheets and street singers. Find out how he used materials from the ITMA collection to prepare.

The staff at ITMA are putting the spotlight on women this March 8th. Read, listen, and watch a few of our favourite selections from the ITMA collection!

The staff at ITMA are putting the spotlight on women this March 8th. Read, listen, and watch a few of our favourite selections from the ITMA collection!

Rhythm. Meter. Form. Accent. Art. Musicians often hear the advice that they should let their instruments sing. Singers cannot practise their art without words. And often a poet's text is incomplete without the sound of human utterance. During 2018 Poetry Ireland and ITMA are joining forces to explore the space where poetry and music meet.

Dublin’s Opera Theatre Company recently revived the first Irish-language opera, Robert O’Dwyer’s (1862 – 1949) Eithne, for its first performance in over a century. Although Eithne was well-received by contemporary critics for its contribution to the Gaelic revival movement and as an attempt to establish a national opera tradition, the opera has been mysteriously forgotten for over a century. 

Four sort-a-thon events have brought volunteers into ITMA since the summer. Two more events are scheduled for November.

Over the past 18 months we have been working closely with Red Dog to develop a new visual identity for ITMA. Managing Director at Red Dog, Mary Doherty, has been kind enough to put together her reflections on what has been a new and inspiring process for us here in the Irish Traditional Music Archive.

On Saturday 24 June 2017 the ITMA library was transformed into a sorting office. Eight volunteers signed up to help staff delve into the treasure trove that is the ITMA ephemera collection.