University of Limerick features in new RTÉ series 'Ceol Le Chéile'

The Irish World Music Café, an initiative based at UL's Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, features in a new four-part television series, Ceol Le Chéile, on RTÉ One. 

Ceol Le Chéile brings together musicians from Ireland's newer cultural communities with established Irish artists, exploring music, culture, and creative exchange. 

Filming for the show took place in part at the Irish World Music Café, which features throughout all four episodes. 

Professor Helen Phelan, Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, said: "The connection between the Irish World Music Café and Ceol le Chéile was immediately apparent to me when I first heard the concept for the series.  

"It is a beautifully conceived project, bringing together musicians who have made their homes in Ireland with iconic voices from the Irish traditional music community. We were so delighted to welcome these amazing artists to the music café!"  

Established in Limerick in 2015 in the context of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme, the Irish World Music Café is run by UL staff, students, and graduates who host music-based social gatherings designed to create welcoming spaces of hospitality with new migrants in Ireland. 

The initiative forms part of the work of University of Limerick's Participatory Health Research, which aims to maximise the participation of those whose life or work is the subject of the research, across all stages of the research process. 

Professor Phelan features in the RTÉ series alongside her co-director of the Participatory Health Research Unit, Professor Anne MacFarlane, doctoral students Ewa Żak-Dyndał, Sarbik Guha, and Srijaa Kundu, as well as students and graduates from across Irish World Academy programmes. 

The Irish World Music Café meets weekly on Thursdays from 10am to 12.30pm at the UL City Campus during the academic year. 

Ceol Le Chéile airs on RTÉ One at 8pm on 2, 9, and 16 October and is available on the RTÉ Player.