A new third-level degree programme in dance, music, song and the business of running a theatre is now available at the Institute of Technology in Tralee.
This is the only college in Ireland offering the degree, which has attracted inquiries from an Italian university near Rome interested in putting together a similar course.
The BA degree, run in conjunction with the National Folk Theatre, Siamsa Tíre, is a four-year course which replaces the existing, highly successful diploma course.
The institute says the degree programme is an imaginative leap forward.
It brings together the performing arts, heritage and folklore as well as the nuts and bolts of the commercial side, producing students who engage directly with the performing arts. There is a strong vocational element to the course, which covers business skills, dance, music, theatre management and production design.
"Kerry would seem the ideal place to develop this initiative. It's a county grounded in tradition and culture, which has made a significant contribution to the tourism industry in the region. The development of cultural tourism in Kerry, and indeed other regions, is just being explored and falls far short of its full potential, which makes this an exciting degree programme with potential to link creativity, culture and arts administration in Ireland," the institute says.
Former diploma course students Ms Yzanne Cloonan and Mr Fergal Murphy have gone on to successful careers. Ms Cloonan studied folk theatre and then went on to tour the US as a dancer with Riverdance.
After completing his diploma, Mr Murphy formed a production company, Ragús Teo. This summer, it is in Dublin's Olympia Threatre. Ragús plans to develop a 250-seat theatre on Inishmore in the Aran Islands, offering performances and educational courses based on the Siamsa Tíre model.
Last month, third-year students of the diploma course, who formed the Dulske Theatre Company, presented their end-of-year show, Eoinín, at Siamsa. According to the institute, students who didn't indicate an interest in their CAO applications for the new BA programme, will have another opportunity to do so before the change of mind date on July 1st next.