glór is delighted to announce that this year’s annual MÓRglór Award 2025 has been awarded to Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy, a major traditional Irish music, song and dance event held annually in Miltown Malbay, County Clare.
Led by a dedicated organising committee, Harry Hughes; Éamon McGivney; Séamus Ó Rócháin, Deirdre Comber, David Mc Dermott and Maureen Kilduff, Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy is Ireland’s largest traditional music summer school and commemorates the town’s famous uilleann piper, Willie Clancy. The idea was initiated by Clancy himself and implemented within six months by Muiris Ó Rócháin in collaboration with CCÉ’s timire ceoil Séamus Mac Mathúna, and local musicians Martin Talty, Paddy Joe McMahon and Junior Crehan.
The school has earned a strong reputation as a welcoming space where Irish traditional music can be learned and practiced by all. Each year, it attracts thousands of students who attend daily classes led by experts in Irish music and dance. In addition, the summer school presents a full programme of lectures, recitals, céilithe, and exhibitions, and has grown into a vibrant academy for Irish music, song, and dance since its founding.
Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy’s impact on students of all ages and from the four corners of the globe is immeasurable. Now in its sixth decade, the festival continues to grow in scale and reputation, all while staying true to its founding mission: the teaching and celebration of Irish traditional music, song, and dance. Each year, it draws thousands of participants and visitors—both Irish and international—who gather to attend classes, take part in lively sessions and céilís, or to simply enjoy the exceptional music and atmosphere.
On Saturday 17th May the people of Clare will come together to acknowledge a debt of gratitude to the committee of Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy for over 50 years of promoting Irish Traditional Music with a concert in glór featuring heady line-up of local and national traditional musicians including the O’Brien, Cotter and Kelly families; The Drôle and Cór Chúil Aodha, along with Brid O’Donohue; Tim Dennehy; Bobby Gardiner; Kseniya Rusnak and Paul Dooley; Josephine Marsh and Mick Kinsella; Marian Curtin and Therese McInerney, Aine Hensey as MC and many more.
Director of glór, Marie O’Byrne, comments, “We are absolutely delighted to recognise and celebrate the committee of Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy, who lead a festival that has rightfully earned legendary status. We look forward to a concert that will honour their outstanding contribution to the development and promotion of traditional music – locally, nationally, and internationally – in the company of many of the festival’s long-standing friends and allies.”
County Clare is renowned and celebrated globally for its rich musical heritage. Music, song and dance all play a central role in the cultural life of the county. The traditional arts are an intrinsic part of County Clare’s identity, portraying a wonderfully rich and diverse image of the county both in Ireland and abroad.
MÓRglór, named after Clare’s cultural ambassador and visionary, Muiris Ó Rocháin, is an acknowledgement and celebration by glór of the wealth of professional & semi-professional artists, alongside the talented individuals, groups and communities within the county, all of whom provide a vital stimulus for the growth and development of Clare’s unique culture.
Previous MÓRglór recipients include Corofin Traditional Music Festival (2014); Eoin O’Neill (2015); Frank Custy (2016); Geraldine Cotter (2017), Chris Droney (2018); Mary MacNamara (2019); The Shannon Family (2021); Malbay Studios (2022) and Siobhán Peoples (2023).
MÓRglór 2025 tickets are on sale and on 065 6843103.
Clare FM is glór’s lead media partner for MÓRglór
For further information on MÓRglór, see www.glor.ie
