If you are a traditional Irish dancer and wish to develop your performance skills and knowledge of your practice as well as widen both to include other forms of artistic expression, this is the course for you. Applicants will be proficient performers but do not necessarily have to have a formal dance educational background (i.e. grade examinations such as those offered by the various Irish dance governing bodies: An Coimisiún Le Rincà Gaelacha; Comhdháil na Múinteoirà le Rincà Gaelacha; Cumann Rince Naisiunta; etc.)
Why study Irish Dance?
This programme will allow you to develop your performance skills. You will also be able to develop your scholarly knowledge and enquiry around traditional Irish dance. However, and very importantly, you will be introduced to other performance practices and scholarly traditions in order to gain new insights into the worlds of music and dance, enhancing your creative potential. You will also study a number of vocationally focused modules aimed at allowing you to translate your artistic and scholarly creativity into a fulfilling career.
As a student, you will be based at the world-class facilities of the Irish World Academy building, equipped to the highest standards with cutting edge performance and rehearsal spaces and technological infrastructure. The co-operative education period allows you to construct your own work-experience, giving you invaluable experience of the opportunities open to you when you graduate.
The programme prepares you for many different career paths including professional performance; further study; work in cultural institutions; media related posts; archival work; performance production; portfolio careers combining the preceding and others in entrepreneurial ways.
What you will Study
In the first year of the course will focus and develop your own traditional dance practice in weekly classes, masterclasses from visiting performers, ensemble work, as well as being introduced to other dance practices such as contemporary dance and ballet. You will also be introduced to critical academic engagement with classical, popular, traditional, contemporary, world music and dance through a performative lens.
From second year onwards, you will deepen your focus on Irish dance. Students will undertake additional specialist modules in Irish music and dance studies and ethnomusicology/ethnochoreology as well as focusing on vocational issues in technology, business and education.
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please
September 2025
University of Limerick
University of Limerick Limerick,
Limerick,
V94 T9PX, Republic of Ireland
Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with a minimum of six subjects which must include: Two H5 (Higher level) grades and Four O6 (Ordinary level) grades or four H7 (Higher Level) grades. Subjects must include Mathematics, Irish or another language, and English
Note: Grade F6 in Foundation Mathematics also satisfies the minimum entry requirements. Foundation Maths is not reckonable for scoring purposes.
Irish Leaving Certificate English: Ordinary Level Grade D or above
TOEFL: 580 (paper based) OR 90 (internet based)
IELTS: Minimum score of 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any component
Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic: Minimum score of 61 (with no section score below 59)
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
“The University of Limerick is an affordable place for students to gain a top-class education which will boost their future career prospects.â€