Beating Its Own Path: the Bodhrán in the Past, Present and Future

Online Talk with Dr Sandra Joyce

14th October, 7pm

Book here

Void is delighted to host an online talk by Dr Sandra Joyce, Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick. Dr. Joyce will speak about the history of the bodhrán, its ritualistic and folkloristic associations, the developments that took place since the 1960s, and the modern playing styles and players.

Dr Sandra Joyce is Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick. She is also currently Course Director of the MA Irish Music Studies at the Academy. Her research interests include the Irish harp and song traditions, historical ethnomusicology and, most recently, environmental humanities. Together with Helen Lawlor, she is editor of Harp Studies: Perspectives on the Irish Harp (Four Courts Press, 2016), with a second volume focusing on international harp practices to be published later this year. A traditional singer and bodhrán player, she has performed all over the world, most recently in Boston, Washington DC, Beijing and Shanghai (obviously pre-pandemic!). As Director of the Irish World Academy, she oversees a vibrant student and staff body with programmes ranging from contemporary dance performance, to traditional music and dance studies and performance, to community music, all housed in the beautiful custom-built Academy building on the banks of the river Shannon.

Image: Beating a Retreat, Cevdet Erek at Void Gallery, 2021. Photography: Simon Mills