The Irish Chamber Orchestra is celebrating 30 years in Limerick, where it has secured its place at the heart of cultural life in the city.
Based at the Irish World Music and Dance Academy at UL, it has wowed audiences at the University Concert Hall locally and won acclaim internationally.
As it marks this milestone, the orchestra continues to inspire future generations and enrich the musical fabric of Limerick.
The ICO brings classical music into the classroom, engaging more than 400 children every week as part of its outreach programme with St Mary's National School and Le Chéile National School.
"We started the education programme 16 years ago and it's grown into a behemoth now," said ICO Chief Executive Gerry Keenan. "It's 450 kids getting free music education, free instruments, twice a week."
Le Chéile National School principal Anthony Fitzgerald praised the programme.
"We amalgamated two schools (Southill and Rathbane) to form Le Chéile ten years ago, and the ICO has been an integral part of what we do since then," he said.
"It is pretty unique in that every child from junior infants right up to sixth class has access to a really high-quality music education programme. They all start off with violins and they progress to violas and other instruments."
"We're just having a laugh, playing away and it’s good fun"
A number of former students at Le Chéile have gone on to study music at third level, and are working with the ICO, including music tutor Jasmine Dillon O'Carroll.
She learned how to play the violin and the cello at the school, and now plays with ICO Youth. She returns to Le Chéile each week to teach the pupils.
"It’s very rewarding, I really love it now," she said.
"As you can hear, they’re great. They get to have a laugh as well, it’s not all serious or anything. We’re just having a laugh, playing away and it’s good fun."
The late musician and composer, Mícheál O Súilleabháin, was the first head of the music academy at UL, and was instrumental in bringing the ICO from Dublin to Limerick in 1995.
Mr Keenan described the move as a "game changer" because it secured more funding from the Arts Council and helped develop the orchestra.
"The big thing that helped us was getting our own home on the university campus," he said.
Mr Keenan said the outreach programme, in particular, has benefitted the ICO as much as the school communities.
"We’ve shown a lot of resilience to stay here," he said, "mostly I’d have to say, thanks to a lot of local funding, particularly JP McManus, and I think it has been a wonderful asset to us and the community who really trust us now.
"We’re part of what they are and it’s brilliant."
