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family · Tuesday 21 July 2026 · Various 
Meitheal Summer School - Traditional Music Ennis
At St. Flannan's College · Ennis, Co. Clare
At St. Flannan's College · Ennis, Co. Clare
Meitheal Summer School is a five-day residential programme that drops young traditional Irish musicians into total immersion - five days of workshops, sessions, composition, and performance under the guidance of expert tutors. It runs each July at St. Flannan’s College in Ennis, and for any teenager who plays trad seriously, it is one of the best weeks of the year. This is not a beginner course or a holiday camp; it is aimed at highly competent young players who want to be challenged and want to play with others at the same level.
Students live on campus in supervised dormitories for the week, with all meals included. The days are packed. Workshops cover a wide range of music, song, and dance, and there is a strong focus on ensemble playing through a trad orchestra strand. A composition strand runs alongside the workshops - students can enter a competition for best tune in the trad idiom, with scholarships awarded to winners. In previous years tutors have included respected players such as John Carty, Tim Collins, Darragh Murphy, and Laura Doherty, though the tutor lineup changes year to year. Informal sessions fill any spare corners of the day.
The week builds toward a finale concert. In recent years the closing concert has been held at Glór, the arts centre in Ennis town, which gives the students a proper stage in front of an audience. The programme is residential, and participants should note they need to bring their own bedding - sleeping bag or quilt, pillow, and pillowcase.
The school is open to students aged 13 and upwards. Applications for the 2026 cohort closed ahead of the event, so the intake for July is already confirmed.
Ennis is well connected. By road it sits on the M18 motorway from Limerick, about 35 minutes south, and is roughly an hour and a half from Galway on the N18. Bus Éireann runs regular services from Limerick, Galway, and Dublin to Ennis Bus Station on Station Road. St. Flannan’s College is on the outskirts of the town, about 2km from the centre - car parking is available on the college campus, which makes drop-off straightforward.
Ennis itself is a handsome market town with a medieval street plan, strong traditional music culture, and plenty to keep a family occupied while a teenager is at the school. There is more to see in Ennis and across Co. Clare.
Heading to St. Flannan's College in Ennis? Clare has plenty more to see. Read the Ennis area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.