Sarah Cunningham

Sarah studied piano from a young age and received both a BMus degree and an MA (in Computer Music) from NUI Maynooth. Before college, she sang with the Loreto Balbriggan Senior Choir and the Dublin Secondary Schoolgirls Choir, and while at college she performed with the NUIM Choral Society, the Maynooth Gospel Choir and the Park Singers. She has also taught piano, guitar and musicianship in Maynooth, Naas, Straffan and Celbridge. In addition to her administrative work at the New School, Sarah is also Co-ordinator of our busy Outreach Programme, providing information and advice on particular workshops or In-School music courses and responsible for scheduling, contracts and payments. She also works on Waltons World Masters series concerts and co-organises our annual charity concerts.

Eoghan Ó Flainn

Eoghan hails from a musical family (he is a nephew of the renowned uilleann piper Liam O’Flynn) and began playing guitar in his early teens. While in school he played in a number of bands spanning many genres, including metal, punk, blues, rock and pop, and he also began studying classical guitar and music theory, achieving a Grade VIII in classical guitar. Eoghan graduated from NUI Maynooth with an honours BA degree in Music and Anthropology and subsequently achieved a Masters degree in Music Composition. His compositions have been performed by many distinguished artists and groups, most notably the Crash Ensemble, and in concerts at Queen’s University Belfast and St. Ann's Church, Dublin. He joins the New School after having been a manager for a tour company for many years, and he continues to play the guitar and compose in a variety of styles.

Barry Shanahan

Barry began his instrumental training at the Limerick School of Music from an early age, obtaining Grade VIII (ABRSM) in violin and theory, and Grade VII in piano, and competed in various competitions and festivals, including Féile Luimnigh, Feis Maitiú, and the Feis Ceoil. He went on to obtain his BA(Mus) in University College Cork, where he was a member of the Choral Society and continued his violin training at the Cork School of Music, performing as part of the school’s symphony orchestra. Before going to university, Barry was a member of the National Youth Orchestras, performing at home at the National Concert Hall, the University of Limerick Concert Hall, Waterford Institute of Technology, and the Waterfront Concert Hall in Belfast, and elsewhere abroad. He currently plays violin in Dublin with the Hibernian Orchestra, and joins the New School having completed his PhD study of hip-hop in American cinema, television and literature.

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