SOME SUMMER schools are all about academic discussion; others are more like extended workshops, with an emphasis on the performance element. Both approaches are, of course, fine – there are no summer school police lurking in the bushes with rule books and whistles.

But the Blas school of traditional music and dance, which is held at the World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, from June 22nd to July 3rd, aims to achieve a balance between practical performance skills and the academic study of the tradition.

Indeed, the school’s entire programme is structured with this dual aim in mind. The idea is to create a kind of incubator – a safe space in which to improve technique and spark creative ideas – and over its 12 years, the school has attracted musicians both from within the tradition and from other musical genres.

The location on UL’s highly attractive campus is a big plus. Students and tutors stay in the university’s pine-clad student villages, which, needless to say, allows for a good deal of bonding over a late-night pint or two. But the main attraction must be the sheer quality of Blas’s visiting tutors.

This year the list includes Donal Lunny and Alec Finn (bouzouki), Martin Hayes, John Carty and Matt Cranitch (fiddle), Iarla Ó Lionáird and Karan Casey (voice), Mel Mercier and Tommy Hayes (bodhran) and Michéal Ó Súilleabháin and Geraldine Cotter (piano).

True to the performance ethos, however, public concerts are also, however, a vital part of this summer school. This year’s concerts includes Donal Lunny and Friends at Daghdha Church, Limerick, on Wednesday June 24th; Tony McManus at Dolan’s Warehouse on Tuesday June 30th, and Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill at St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick, on Thursday July 2nd.

Tel: 061-213431; www.blas.ie