Updates from the Creative Arts Research Centre (CARC)
It has been a busy period for staff and students in DkIT’s Creative Arts Research Centre (CARC).
Several researchers have shared their research recently in Ireland and internationally at a variety of events and welcomed guest speakers and collaborators to Dundalk.
DkIT lecturer part of Italian Irish Music Festival
Dr Daithí Kearney, co-director of the Creative Arts Research Centre recently facilitated workshops and performed at the Orvieto Irish Fleadh in Italy. He focused in particular on the dance traditions of north Kerry, which was the subject of his recent article in the journal Irish University Review.
Daithí was part of an ensemble of leading Irish performers that included flute player Martha Guiney from Newry, a graduate of the BA (Hons) Music at DkIT. Her recent solo album The Raven’s Call has received critical acclaim, and she regularly tours internationally. They were joined by Dermot Sheedy, best known as the drummer with Hermitage Green, fiddle player Tola Custy of the well-known Clare musical family, Belfast guitarist Claire McGreevy, Louth born banjo player Stevie Dunne, Waterford fiddle player Sarah O’Gorman, and Leitrim singer and researcher Fionnuala Maxwell. They facilitated workshops, led sessions and performed in the historical city alongside musicians from across Europe.
The headline concert on Saturday night was attended by Elizabeth McCullough, Irish Ambassador Designate to Italy, and Second Secretary Conor Fagan, the cultural attachè. They were presented with a copy of Shouldering the Tradition (Dreoilín Productions, 2025). The research team of the recently published book included Fionuala and Dr Conor Ward, who completed his PhD on musical traditions in Longford and Leitrim under Daithí’s supervision at DkIT.
The Orvieto Irish Fleadh was supported by Culture Ireland, The Department of, and the Irish Embassy and involved over sixty musicians from Ireland, Italy and Brittany.
Irish Diaries project featured at Prague Conference
DkIT researcher Dianne McPhelim recently presented on her research into the diaries of Irish woman Mamo MacDonald at the 7th International Postgraduate Conference in Irish Studies at the Charles University, Prague.
A recipient of a Research Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship, Dianne is undertaking research under the supervision of Dr Daithí Kearney (DkIT) and Dr Naoise Collins (IADT) and is a member of the Creative Arts Research Centre. As well as presenting, Dianne was involved in peer review of the work of other early-career researchers as part of a supportive network of international scholars.
The participants at the Prague event presented papers on a range of topics that spanned Irish literature and related studies over the course of two days in six panels, with one session entirely dedicated to Early Career Research and Career Building. This panel, comprised of Dr Georgina Nugent (University College Cork), Dr James Little (University of Cyprus), and Prof Ondřej Pilný (Charles University / Anglo-American University), was highly informative, thought-provoking and enlightening with each speaker providing first-hand accounts of their own experiences seeking employment following their PhD, offering advice on publishing, careers, dealing with bad reviews, and self-care throughout the process.
The conference, which took it’s theme as ‘voices from the margins’, challenged Dianne to critically consider two aspects of MacDonald’s identity: the traditional housewife and contemporary feminist. Dianne is continuing her work digitising and critically engaging with artefacts relating to the life and work of MacDonald and her contribution to documenting and shaping the lives of women in Ireland.
DkIT Song Researcher Shares Local Traditions
It has been a busy period for DkIT researcher Colleen Savage, who is preparing to graduate with a Masters by Research for her project focused on the song traditions of South Armagh. A singer, she recently performed as part of The Long Grazing Acre concert tour with renowned uilleann piper Paddy Keenan. She also coordinated a singing session as part of the Ring of Gullion Autumn Festival. This special event featured two of Armagh’s most talented singers — Sinead Murphy Smyth and Pearse McMahon — in an intimate and welcoming setting. She also organised a guest lecture by Leitrim researcher Alan Woods entitled 'With the banjo on my Side: The Life and Times of singer Margaret Barry' in the Lislea Centre as part of the festival. Woods, who works for the Irish Traditional Music Archive and is an organiser of the Dublin based singing collective The Night Before Larry Got Stretched, was joined by members of the Barry family for performances on the night.
Colleen’s research and dedication to local singing and knowledge of musical heritage have inspired a number of projects. While her MA placed a particular emphasis on Irish language song and the archival material connected to Crossmaglen shopkeeper John Hannon in particular, she continues to develop her practice as a singer, exploring a sometimes-forgotten repertoire of local song.
Research on Music and Intellectual Disability presented at international conference in Limerick
Dr Daithí Kearney, co-director of the Creative Arts Research Centre recently presented at the 17th Cultural Diversity in Music Education conference hosted by Mary Immaculate College and the University of Limerick. His paper focused on innovations as part of the Certificate in Skills for Independent Living at DkIT, which caters for adults with intellectual disabilities.
As part of a panel with researchers from Sing Ireland and the Field Band Foundation in South Africa, Daithí shared learning and insights from the DkIT programme which focused on the use of songwriting and dancing to develop communication, empathy and engagement amongst the students. Daithí also chaired a session with scholars from Australia, Canada and Ireland that reflected developments in music education that promoted cultural understanding and inclusion in conservatory education, primary schools and community contexts.
Also presenting at the conference was Dr Sean McElwain, who completed his PhD under the Daithí’s supervision at DkIT. Now Head of Programme Development with the Irish Institute of Music and Song in Balbriggan, Sean presented on initiatives to promote inclusion through an Irish traditional music initiative supported by the Arts Council and Music Network.
Irish button accordion traditions focus of Longford local history series
DkIT doctoral scholar Darren Culliney presented a public lecture detailing his research on button accordion playing in Ulster as part of the Longford Historical Society Series in the Teallach Íosa Family Centre, Longford on 14 October.
The recipient of a TUTF scholarship from the HEA and DkIT, Darren focused on the impact of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann on musical practice, with a particular focus on competitions and Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Supervised by Dr Daithí Kearney (DkIT) and Dr Verena Commins (University of Galway), Darren is a leading performer, winning four competitions at the Leinster Fleadh in Drogheda this year.