Staff

Garry Shannon BA. HDE. T.T.C.T. MA(IrMusPerformance) Coordinator of Meitheal Residential Summer School With 40 years' teaching experience, Garry has influenced quite a proportion of the current generation of musicians. A superb flute player and member of the legendary Kilfenora Band, he has toured and recorded extensively including three solo albums on sale at the usual outlets.
Ernestine Healy BMus, HDE, TTCT, MA(IrMusPerformance) Executive Director of Meitheal Residential Summer School ​Ernestine Healy, a renowned educator and concertina virtuoso from County Mayo, has significantly influenced Irish traditional music as a performer, director, and producer. She has worked as a tutor and lecturer at the University of Limerick, University College Cork, and Dublin City University, and directed the Meitheal Residential Summer School since it’s inception in 2004. Ernestine's compositions, including the acclaimed "Cairdeas Suite," have been featured and celebrated on prominent platforms like TG4's Fleadh2023 and in the tunebook ‘Folk Tunes from the Women’ curated by Kathryn Tickell . Her creative work extends to commissioned pieces, like "The Tionól Suite" for Music Generation Laois. Ernestine continues to shape the Irish music landscape through innovative projects and her upcoming solo album. See https://www.ernestinehealy.com for more info.
Orla Healy B.Ed TTCT Director of Meitheal Residential Summer School - Limerick Orla is a fiddler, vocalist and pianist hailing from County Mayo. A qualified primary school teacher. She is also presently working as a Maths Recovery Associate. Having a wealth of experience with classical, traditional and rock music, Orla has a number of All Ireland titles, one of which was with a senior group where herself, Eimear and Ernestine were all members. She is currently working on a music project in her school, which aims to give access to all students to violin classes and performance in an orchestra.
Eimear Ní Mhaolmhuaidh B.Ed, A.R.I.A.M., TTCT, M.Ed (Music) Director of Meitheal Residential Summer School - Ennis Originally hailing from Claremorris, Co. Mayo - but currently living in Dublin, Eimear is both a Traditional and a Classical artist. A fiddler and pianist, she has lots of experience with orchestras of all ages and also with trad. groups, one of which won a senior All-Ireland with both herself and Ernestine as members. She is a primary teacher and has also lectured in Music Education in both St Patrick’s College of Education and in Marino Institute of Education.