Michael Coleman (1891-1945) is regarded by many as the most influential Irish traditional musician of the 20thcentury. In New York in 1921, Coleman produced the first of over 40 commercial 78rpm discs encompassing over 80 tracks of fiddle playing which have left an indelible mark on Irish traditional music. One hundred years after his first recording, Coleman’s influence on the tradition, in both a direct and an indirect way, can still be heard. 

Leading instrumentalists, singers and dancers have been commissioned to spend time engaging with collections of their choice in ITMA and to then produce something new that can be shared with the public.

A monthly series showcasing compositions of tunes by contemporary composers in the traditional idiom.

Last September 2020, Duala: a film by Jack Talty and Maurice Gunning, commissioned by ITMA/Clare Arts Office premiered online and in Glór, Ennis. We thought it would be interesting to go behind-the-scenes with the film makers to find out how it all came about. 

ITMA archivist, Maeve Gebruers, reports on ITMA's Heritage Council Project, Boscaí Ceoil.

A series of new compositions commissioned by The Rolling Wave with support from The Irish Traditional Music Archive. 

ITMA Board Member Dermot Diamond pays tribute to fiddle player Andy Dickson who died in April 2020

ITMA have added a selection of traditional Irish tunes as a further layer on the Heritage Maps website (www.heritagemaps.ie) from the Heritage Council.   

Earlier this year Ben Lennon, the renowned fiddle player from Co. Leitrim, passed away at the age of 91. This blog by Alan Woods looks back over the life and music of a much loved member of the Irish traditional music community.

As part of our contribution to the virtual Willie Clancy Summer School for 2020 we asked 4 photographers to give us their favourite photo from the festival.

Photographer Peter Laban has taken photographs at the Willie Clancy Summer School from many years.  He has kindly donated a substantial collection of these images to ITMA.  This is a selection that he choose from the early days of the festival, with some of his own thoughts and memories included.