As a branch member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, Scoil Acla as an organisation promotes the traditional arts and supports local artists throughout the year.

Our origins date back to 1910. While we have broadened the scope of our activities over those decades, our founding principles and core values remain unchanged.

Informed by our commitment to our culture and heritage, Gaelig’ Acla, and island traditions; we proudly embrace our story as we confidently look forward to growing our programme, to reflect our desire to push creative boundaries in all that we do.

We embrace and value all forms of creative contemporary and traditional arts practices.

Allowing time for reflection helps us all to become stronger – both individually and collectively. We aim to continue to work closely with artists, musicians and tutors to help them excel. We seek to continue to share the best learning experiences with participants, while actively engaging with new and established audiences. We strive to develop our programme reach and impact by adopting a multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary curated approach.

At our heart, we work to enable all those who share our love of traditional music, the arts, and our Achill culture and heritage and language, from the professional to enthusiast, to achieve their creative potential.

Mar chroí lár Scoil Acla, oibrímid le cur ar chumas gach duine a roinneann ár ngrá don cheol traidisiúnta, na healaíona, chomh maith lenár gcultúr Acla ,ár noidhreacht agus ár dteanga, más duine gairmiúla ná díograiseoir atá ann,a gcuid poitéinseal cruthaitheacha a bhaint amach.

The backbone of what we do is the annual Scoil Acla Summer School. This is an established festival week focused on traditional music learning and sharing, and celebrates the arts, culture and heritage of the island. The summer school programme is complemented by a year-round series of bespoke music, song and dance masterclasses and workshops, nurturing and supporting the transmission of traditional arts through active participation and performance opportunities, including Culture Night, Seachtain na Gaeilge, special events such as the launch of John “Twin” McNamara’s CD and booklet as well as end of term performances.

A proud, actively engaged voluntary committee, run the organisation throughout the year, and give freely of their time to advance the music, culture and history of our Island. The guiding aim of the organisation is to ensure the next generation achieve their full potential. Our committee members are a committed group of experienced professionals, with shared interests and a wide range of abilities, expertise and skills with each taking responsibility for their different areas of to ensure the overall organisation is efficient and fit for purpose.

Our vision is of an Ireland where traditional music embodied through our culture and heritage is valued and is vibrantly, actively and confidently part of people’s lives.

Scoil Acla engages at home and abroad to forge the relationships, find opportunities and create the connections that inspire artists, participants and audiences. We enable people, places, ideas, communities and genres of music to come together with our Island community – to ignite action, provoke thought or, simply, for the sheer enjoyment of our cultural, musical and artistic identity that Achill and Co. Mayo is so famous for.