Muckross folk scholarship

A €20,000 bursary is being made available by Muckross House in Killarney to students taking a degree course in Irish cultural studies at the Institute of Technology (IT), Tralee.

Muckross House chief executive Pat Dawson said students on the Bachelor of Arts in Folk Theatre Studies course could qualify for the bursary over four academic years, commencing next September.

The course, a collaboration between the IT and Siamsa Tíre, the National Folk Theatre, has students from all over Ireland from a wide range of backgrounds, sharing an expertise and interest in traditional music, dance and Irish culture.

Head of the IT’s business and humanities department, Pat McGarty, said the bursary would be of enormous benefit and marked the first phase of a strategic partnership between Muckross House and the Institute.

“Not only will it attract students to avail of the opportunity to fund their studies, but it aligns what we do here with what Muckross House does so well, that is the preservation and celebration of our heritage,” he said.

“At present, we are also marketing this course in the US and will have our first cohort of US students next year.

“This bursary is a very significant development in this context and will undoubtedly attract students to the course,” he went on.

Mr McGarty said the subject composition of the course, covering areas such as music, dance, theatre, literature, arts administration and Irish culture meant it had no counterpart in any other third level institution.

Muckross House, which is visited by more than 200,000 people each year, is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a folk museum.