About me



I have spent more than seven years studying the instruments of the gamelan in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia. I initially encountered gamelan music as an Undergraduate student in the BMus degree program in UCC, which at the time was home to the only complete Central Javanese gamelan in Ireland.

Such was my interest in gamelan, that in 1997, while still an undergraduate, I undertook a two-month fieldtrip to Indonesia to study with master musicians in Solo, Central Java. I followed this up with a three-month fieldtrip in 2000 and in 2001 I became the first ever Irish person to be awarded the Darmasiswa scholarship to study karawitan (the art of gamelan playing) at ISI Solo. This scholarship is awarded annually by the Indonesian Embassies worldwide to enable people to study at various third level institutes throughout Indonesia.

I remained in Indonesia for a period of seven years, studying (both at ISI Solo and privately) as well as participating in many gamelan and calung performances throughout Java. I returned to Ireland in February 2008.

I was afforded the opportunity of purchasing this exceptional gamelan from a fellow gamelan enthusiast in 2009. The instruments are truly beautiful, featuring exquisite carvings and finished to an exceptionally high standard. They are also unique in that they are somewhat more portable than standard gamelan sets, having been cleverly designed so as to be stackable enabling the complete set to fit into the back of a large van. They were premiered on August 29-30th this year at the annual Festival of World Cultures in Dun Laoghaire with two days of workshops – one day for children and another day for adults. Since then, I have also conducted workshops in the Draíocht Arts Centre in Blanchardstown and the Music Departments of DKIT and UCD.