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EnglishWhat Collections and Materials Can You Explore on the ITMA Website?
Updated
The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) website at itma.ie gives free, universal access to a broad range of Irish traditional music, song and dance materials. You can browse collections by place, people, tunes, songs, dance, decades and instruments; listen to and watch recordings; read manuscripts and other documents; view online exhibitions; and search the main catalogues or the whole site. An optional free account lets you save items to a personal dashboard.
What the collections cover
The site organises its holdings under several browse categories, listed in its main navigation:
- Places — material connected to particular locations
- People — performers, collectors and other figures
- Tunes — instrumental repertoire
- Songs — song material
- Dance — dance-related content
- Decades — material browsable by period
- Instruments — content organised around instruments
Alongside these, the site lists Manuscripts and a set of named exhibitions (see below). The archive describes itself as "The Well for Irish Traditional Music, Song and Dance," and its stated mission is to champion the value and relevance of Irish traditional music.
Ways to experience the material
The navigation groups content by how you want to engage with it:
| Mode | What it points to |
|---|---|
| Listen | Audio material from the collections |
| Watch | Video material |
| Read | Texts, including manuscripts and written resources |
| View | Visual material and exhibitions |
| Learn | Educational content |
| Explore | The browse categories above (places, people, tunes, songs, dance, decades, instruments) |
Exhibitions
The site hosts a changing programme of online exhibitions. Current and recent examples named on the site include:
- Christy Moore: How Do Songs Live? — ITMA's new exhibition
- Saothar Port
- Drawing from the Well / Taoscadh ón Tobar
- From the Bridge
- Manuscripts
A "More Exhibitions" link leads to the full list. The site also maintains a "Latest" section for news, blog posts, recent public acquisitions and events, with an archive of past items.
Searching and catalogues
Two entry points help you find specific material:
- Main catalogues — the archive's structured catalogue search
- Site search — a general search across the website
If you know roughly what you want (a tune name, a performer, a place), start with the main catalogues; use site search for news, blog posts and exhibition pages.
Saving items with an ITMA account
You can register for an ITMA Archive account. According to the site, signing up "provides the ability to save content you find across the site and access directly from your own dashboard." Registration, login and password reset are handled through the site's Login page. Browsing and searching do not require an account; the account adds the personal dashboard and saved-content feature.
Access, language and accessibility
- Cost: ITMA states it is committed to providing free, universal access to its materials. Donations are invited but are separate from access — the site presents them as voluntary support for preservation and digitisation, with suggested amounts from €10 upward and notes on tax treatment for donors in Ireland and the USA.
- Languages: the site can be switched between Gaeilge and English.
- Accessibility: an accessibility toolbar offers font sizing, a reset, contrast adjustment and a monochrome mode.
A practical way in
If you are new to the archive, pick a starting point that matches your interest: browse Tunes or Songs for repertoire, People for a particular musician, Places for local material, or open an Exhibition for a curated introduction. Use the main catalogues when you have a specific item in mind, and register an account if you want to keep a running list of what you find.