Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin
Ó Súilleabháin (left) at the honorary conferring of Seamus Heaney (right) at the University of Limerick, 1996
Background information
Born	(1950-12-10)10 December 1950 Clonmel, Ireland
Died	7 November 2018(2018-11-07) (aged 67)
Genres	Classical Irish traditional Folk
Occupation(s)	Composer Pianist
Years active	1976–2018
Labels	Gael Linn, Venture Records, Virgin Records, Universal Records, Sony BMG, Atlantic Records
Associated acts	Nóirín Ní Riain, size2shoes

Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin (born December 10, 1950 – died November 7, 2018) was a famous Irish musician, composer, and teacher. He was known for blending traditional Irish music with classical styles. He also played a big part in music education in Ireland.

Life and Music

Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin was a talented pianist, composer, and recording artist. He also worked as a professor of music. He founded the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick in 1994.

His sons, Owen Ó Súílleabháin and Mícheál 'Moley' Ó Súílleabháin, are well-known singers and songwriters. They perform in the Irish pop band Size2shoes. Mícheál's first wife is the Irish chant singer Nóirín Ní Riain. They worked together on music in the 1980s.

Early Musical Journey

Mícheál was born in Clonmel, Ireland. He once shared that there wasn't much music in his home when he was a child. He studied music at University College Cork. There, he learned from the famous musician Sean Ó Riada. Ó Riada's ideas about traditional music really inspired Mícheál.

Mícheál realized that even though he played the piano, which wasn't a traditional Irish instrument, he could still make Irish music. He decided to use his piano skills in a new and creative way. He turned what some might see as a limitation into a strength.

Awards and Recognition

Mícheál received many honors for his work.

• In 2004, he was given an honorary music degree from the National University of Ireland. This was at his old university, University College Cork.
• In 2017, he received another honorary music degree from the Royal Scottish Conservatoire.
• In 2016, his hometown of Clonmel gave him the "Freedom of the Town" award.

He also recorded many pieces with the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Promoting Irish Arts

In 1990, Mícheál started the Irish Music Archive at the Burns Library in Boston College. This archive helps keep Irish music history safe. In 2016, he became the O'Donnell Chair of Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He also performed a series of concerts with the RTE Symphony Orchestra in Ireland. These concerts were recorded and broadcast on the radio.

For nine years, he was the first chairman of 'Culture Ireland'. This is an organization within the Irish Government that helps promote Irish arts all over the world. In 2016, he retired from the University of Limerick.

Building the Irish World Academy

Mícheál worked closely with his second wife, Professor Helen Phelan, to build the Irish World Academy. In 22 years (from 1994 to 2016), it grew from nothing to having about 300 students. It offered around 20 new and exciting degree programs.

Students from over 50 countries came to study there. They could learn about things like:

• Music Therapy
• Contemporary Dance
• Irish Traditional Dance
• Community Music
• Festive Arts
• Irish Traditional Music
• Classical String Performance
• Ethnomusicology (studying music from different cultures)
• Ethnochoreology (studying dance from different cultures)
• Ritual Chant and Song

Many of these programs were the first of their kind in the world.

In 1995, Mícheál helped move the Irish Chamber Orchestra from Dublin to the Irish World Academy. This made the orchestra more professional. In 2014, he also helped the aerial dance company Fidget Feet become artists in residence at the Academy. This led them to move permanently to Limerick City.

In 2008, a special building for the Irish World Academy was opened. It cost 21 million euros and was very large. This amazing building is located by the River Shannon on the university campus. Mícheál's new ideas for education and art attracted a group called The Atlantic Philanthropies (TAP). Chuck Feeney, who started TAP, was also very interested in Mícheál's work.

Mícheál passed away in 2018, after being unwell for some time.

Discography

• Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, 1976 (1990), Gael-Linn.
• Oró Damhnaigh, 1976, Gael Linn cCy of the Mountain, 1982 (2012) Gael Linn
• The Dolphin’s Way, 1987, Virgin Records Ltd.
• Oilean/Island (1989)
• Enlightenment with Van Morrison (1990)
• Casadh/Turning (1991)
• Gaiseadh/Flowing (1992)
• Between Worlds (1995)
• Lumen (1995)
• Becoming (1998)
• Templum (2001)
• Irish Destiny (DVD 2004) Elver Gleams (2010)