Dave Molloy

Dave Molloy’s journey into higher education is anything but traditional—but it is a testament to the value of lived experience, lifelong learning, and a deep-rooted passion for music. Originally from Dublin and now living in Forkhill, County Armagh, Dave entered the fourth year of DkIT’s BA in Audio and Music Production through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) route, following a long and accomplished career in the music industry. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process by which prior learning and experience is valued to gain exemptions and fast-track through degrees. 

After completing his Leaving Certificate, Dave opted to go directly into the world of professional music, instead of going down the university route. A talented guitar player, he toured extensively throughout Europe with bands, before moving into roles behind the scenes. This included working as a stage manager and front-of-house engineer for Brendan O’Carroll, gaining invaluable experience in live production and technical management.

Over the years, Dave built a strong reputation as a songwriter and composer for film, television, and recording artists, collaborating with musicians such as Terry Conlon and Paul McDonnell. He regularly attended the annual MIDEM conference in France—the world’s largest music industry event—broadening his professional network and deepening his industry expertise. Alongside his composing work, he performed with the house band on RTÉ’s ‘The Voice’, and is a music educator within LMETB’s Youthreach programmes.

Despite decades of industry experience, getting a formal qualification was always on the back of Dave's mind: "It's something I had been thinking about for over ten years,” he reflected. But heading to college after so long in the working world, seemed a bit daunting. Discovering the Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) process at DkIT was a gamechanger for Dave. Through this process, he worked closely with academic staff over a month-long period to map his professional experience onto the learning outcomes of earlier modules in the Audio and Music Production programme. "With this support, I finally made the leap into my degree," Dave said. 

Dave’s extensive and diverse background meant he met the required standard to enter directly into Year 4 of the Audio and Music Production degree, an achievement that reflects both his skill and the depth of his professional career. Although he joined in the final year, Dave approached the course with fresh eyes and a determination to embrace the academic experience fully.

Production Sound for Media has been the stand out module for Dave to-date as a discipline he had never explored before starting the degree. He also enjoyed Advanced Mixing, which challenged him to expand his capabilities in an area he hadn’t previously specialised in.

Dave admits that the beginning of his degree felt daunting, a reversal from his usual role as the seasoned professional guiding others. But the teaching team in Audio and Music Production at DkIT quickly put him at ease “The lecturers are great,” he said. “They all have really different styles and have high expectations of all of us.”

Dave believes the Audio and Music Production degree is exceptionally relevant to today’s music world, where job roles are increasingly fluid.