Does anyone know of any universities (in the US) that offer a degree program in Folk and Irish music? Or any university that has a folk or Irish band/ensemble?
Check out Young Harris College ( http://www.yhc.edu ) and the University of Wisconsin. I don’t know exactly what they have but I have been in touch with YHC about their Ireland summer program ( http://www.yhc.edu/is ) and I was also referred to a Mr. John Gleeson at U of Wisc.
I believe the University of
Missouri at St. Louis has
a program in Irish Arts,
maybe going to an MA level,
and that it includes music.
I believe the director
plays a wicked concertina.
If you put Mick Moloney in a search engine you might get some results. Admittedly he plays stringed instruments, but it’s a broad church.
There is a college in Cape Breton Nova Scotia that teaches Gaelic. The only one outside of Scotland as far as I am aware. Don’t remeber the name.
The University College of Cape Breton offers a Celtic Studies program. It looks like it concentrates on language, history, literature, etc. There’s some music but wouldn’t be satisfactory for someone wanting to study Irish music in a big way.
http://www.uccb.ns.ca/index1.htm
Steve
Try Boston College. I just had a quick look but they do offer an Irish studies program and some sort of Irish music program too.
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/irish/undergrad.html
Steve
Jim, would that director be Gearoid O hAllmhurain?
People raved about how interesting his classes were at Goderich last summer..he taught Gaelic and history of Irish music.
Personally, I’m planning on starting my own group… That way it can be as flexible as it needs to be to work around member schedules…
Although getting credit for it as a class would be really cool…! 
I’m guessing, but Boston College, Boston University, Fordham University all may offer something.
Tom Gallagher
a whistling tenor, just fiddling around
fiddlingtenor@usa.com
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to say something and remove all doubt” --atributed to Abraham Lincoln
[ This Message was edited by: fiddling_tenor on 2002-10-08 15:20 ]
There is an Irish studies program at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Whether there is any associated musical degree I don’t know.