Liam O'Connor, director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive, on mentoring, competitions and archiving

Liam O'Connor, director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin, spoke with folklorists Nancy Groce and Stephen Winick at the Library of Congress on May 7, 2026 about his musical upbringing, his views on competitions and higher education, and the archive's collecting and digitization work.

O'Connor said he grew up "steeped in traditional music," born in 1983 to a family where his father and older siblings were active players. He told interviewers he began on the tin whistle around age four and moved to the fiddle shortly after, crediting early mentors such as Liam Rowsome, Terry Cree and Seamus Glackin. "Seamus Glackin was a great mentor to me for well over ten years," O'Connor said, describing how local sessions and summer schools in West Clare exposed him to a wide range of regional styles.

Asked about the All-Irelands competition system, O'Connor said he entered contests as a youth but grew less interested over time. "I don't really need someone to put a medal," he said, arguing that ranking players can risk reducing performance to a contest rather than an artistic expression. "My interest is in a lifelong interest in the art form and as a means of expression and a means of sharing."

On education, O'Connor said guest teaching at third-level programs has positive effects. He described degree programs and college study as helping "democratize access to the tradition," enabling people without family ties to step into study and performance.

Describing his work at ITMA, O'Connor called the post "literally a dream job" while acknowledging administrative responsibilities. He said the Arts Council is the archive's principal funder but that ITMA relies on a broad funding mix: "we generally have 15, 16, 17 funders a year now and including actually some U.S. philanthropy has been very beneficial to us as well," he said. He also stated plainly that ITMA is "not a statutory body," and that pursuing multiple funding streams is necessary to meet the archive's ambitions.

O'Connor discussed ITMA's U.S. work during the America250 activities, saying Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs helped part-fund the tour and that documenting Irish music in the U.S. and Britain is central to ITMA's mission. He characterized ITMA as a resource for people researching Irish music worldwide and noted that many collections arrive on both sides of the Atlantic.

On collections, O'Connor described projects such as assembling materials related to fiddler Tommy Potts and work with Sean Keane; some family-promised papers required time and coordination before public release. He emphasized the importance of public access: "It doesn't exist until the user has access," he said, describing a queue for digitization and the practical constraints that delay online availability.

The interview concluded with thanks and an exchange of interest in future archive-to-archive collaboration. O'Connor said he continues to play and teach privately, though he reduced performing after taking the ITMA post to prioritize institutional duties.

The archive and O'Connor's comments highlight the practical balance between stewardship and access: ITMA continues to acquire, process and digitize collections while seeking diverse funding to sustain public availability.