Dr Ryan Molloy

Music

Gaeilge agus fáilte

Associate Professor

Logic House
109
(01) 708 3730
http://www.ryanmolloy.ie

Biography

Ryan Molloy’s compositional work engages with the boundary of contemporary music and traditional Irish music, drawing on his extensive experience as a traditional Irish fiddler and pianist. Ryan’s has written over fifty works and his music has been performed to audiences on four continents for over fifteen years, as well as featuring regularly in national and international TV and radio broadcasts (including BBC, RTÉ and UTV). Ryan has been commissioned by both RTÉ and the BBC, as well as a range of renowned performers such as the Danish String Quartet, Ulster Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, and Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble. He has represented Ireland at the prestigious ISCM World New Music Days festivals in Hong Kong (2015), Vancouver (2017) and Auckland/Christchurch (2022).
Ryan has recorded on over thirty albums as a pianist, composer and arranger and he was an RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Best Folk Instrumentalist nominee in 2020 and 2021. Described as a ‘milestone’ in traditional piano performance, Ryan’s critically acclaimed first solo recording pianophony was released in 2019. 2021 saw the release of Tempered, a new CD of music for uilleann pipes and piano, as well as a digital EP featuring the 30-minute song cycle Buaine na Gaoithe performed by its commissioners, the Damselfly Trio.
 
Ryan is represented by the Contemporary Music Centre (www.cmc.ie).

Visit 
www.ryanmolloy.ie for information on other works, performances and recordings.

Research Interests

  • Irish ‘art music’ from the late twentieth century to the present;
  • Irish traditional music and its development in the late Twentieth Century;
  • Postmodern nationalist aesthetics in Irish art music;
  • Microinterval modality in older traditional Irish music; 
  • New compositional styles allowing fuller incorporation of Irish traditional music in the contemporary medium;
  • The examination of identity in contemporary art and the response of contemporary performers to ‘traditional’ material;
  • The place of contemporary composition in modern society;
  • Cultural contexts of improvisation
I am interested in hearing from potential MA or PhD students or postdoctoral collaborators. If you have any queries or proposals, please contact me at ryan.molloy@mu.ie.

Composition

Year Publication
2021 Ryan Molloy (2021) Sraith na Búille (The Boyle Suite). Dublin: [Composition]
2021 Ryan Molloy (2021) dlúthinneach. Dublin: [Composition]
2021 Ryan Molloy (2021) Casúir ’s Cnaipí. Dublin: [Composition]
2020 Ryan Molloy (2020) The Ballycommon Suite. Dublin: [Composition]
2020 Ryan Molloy (2020) Luasc. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2020 Ryan Molloy (2020) Arcady. Dublin: [Composition]
2020 Ryan Molloy (2020) Síoglór. Dublin: [Composition]
2019 Ryan Molloy (2019) Gealán. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2019 Ryan Molloy (2019) Adeste Fideles Fanfare. Dublin: [Composition]
2019 Ryan Molloy (2019) Trí Amhrán. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2018 Ryan Molloy (2018) Dúchann. [Composition]
2018 Ryan Molloy (2018) Ogham. [Composition]
2018 Ryan Molloy (2018) The Mountains of Pomeroy. [Composition] [Link]
2018 Ryan Molloy (2018) Loinnir Laoise. [Composition] [Link]
2018 Ryan Molloy & Martin Dyar (2018) Buaine na Gaoithe. [Composition]
2018 Ryan Molloy (2018) Béal. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2018 Ryan Molloy (2018) Tu Es Petrus. CMC: [Composition]
2017 Ryan Molloy (2017) Amhrán Fheilimidh. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2016 Dr Ryan Molloy (2016) Be Thou My Vision. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2016 Dr Ryan Molloy (2016) Violin Concerto. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2016 Dr Ryan Molloy (2016) for Morton O'Leary. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2016 Dr Ryan Molloy (2016) Gortnagarn (II). Dublin: [Composition]
2016 Dr Ryan Molloy (2016) Death and the Post Office. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2015 Dr Ryan Molloy (2015) Meithealated Spirits. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2015 Dr Ryan Molloy (2015) Irish Suite. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2015 Dr Ryan Molloy (2015) Innisfail. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2014 Dr Ryan Molloy (2014) Seisiún. [Composition] [Link]
2014 Dr Ryan Molloy (2014) Cantaireacht. [Composition] [Link]
2014 Dr Ryan Molloy (2014) Bodhrán v.1.0. Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2014 Dr Ryan Molloy (2014) Clearances (III). Dublin: [Composition] [Link]
2013 Dr Ryan Molloy (2013) Concertino. [Composition] [Link]
2013 Dr Ryan Molloy (2013) Gealach Críoch Lochlann. [Composition] [Link]
2013 Dr Ryan Molloy (2013) Salve Regina. [Composition]
2012 Dr Ryan Molloy (2012) Sliabh Geal gCua. [Composition] [Link]
2012 Dr Ryan Molloy (2012) Between The Tunes. [Composition] [Link]
2012 Dr Ryan Molloy (2012) Jolly, Slender Beggarman. [Composition] [Link]
2012 Dr Ryan Molloy (2012) For A Lone Piper. [Composition] [Link]
2012 Dr Ryan Molloy (2012) Innisfail. [Composition] [Link]
2011 Dr Ryan Molloy (2011) Séamsur II. [Composition] [Link]
2011 Dr Ryan Molloy (2011) Séamsur IV. [Composition] [Link]
2011 Dr Ryan Molloy (2011) Gortnagarn. [Composition] [Link]
2011 Dr Ryan Molloy (2011) Séamsur III. [Composition] [Link]
2010 Dr Ryan Molloy (2010) Third Epistle to Timothy. [Composition] [Link]
2010 Dr Ryan Molloy (2010) Aisling Airt Mhic Cumhaigh. [Composition] [Link]
2010 Dr Ryan Molloy (2010) Séamsur I. [Composition] [Link]
2009 Dr Ryan Molloy (2009) An Seilgeoir. [Composition] [Link]
2008 Dr Ryan Molloy (2008) Sætre Brygge. [Composition] [Link]
2008 Dr Ryan Molloy (2008) Mise Éire. [Composition] [Link]

Sound recording

Year Publication
2023 Ryan Molloy; Charlie Le Brun (2023) Breton. [Sound recording] [Link]
2022 Cathal Ó Curráin; Ryan Molloy; Marty Barry (2022) Cosán Ceoil. [Sound recording] [Link]
2022 Ryan Molloy; Stephen Doherty; David Doocey; Kieran Leonard (2022) NxNW. [Sound recording] [Link]
2021 Ryan Molloy, Martin Dyar, The Damselfly Trio, Liz Pearse (2021) Buaine na Gaoithe. [Sound recording] [Link]
2021 Ryan Molloy; Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble (2021) Gortnagarn II. [Sound recording] [Link]
2021 Ryan Molloy (2021) Tempered. [Sound recording] [Link]
2019 Ryan Molloy (2019) Pianophony. [Sound recording] [Link]
2020 Ryan Molloy; Barry Kerr; Niamh Dunne (2020) Cairn. [Sound recording] [Link]
2019 Fergal Scahill & Ryan Molloy (2019) One Day :: November Woods. [Sound recording] [Link]
2018 Ryan Molloy (2018) new music::new ireland 3. [Sound recording] [Link]
2017 Alexander Bernstein & Ryan Molloy (2017) Innisfail & other piano works. [Sound recording] [Link]
2016 We Banjo 3 (2016) String Theory. [Sound recording] [Link]
2015 We Banjo 3 (2015) Live in Galway. [Sound recording] [Link]
2014 Seamus Walshe (2014) Turas. [Sound recording] [Link]
2013 David Doocey (2013) Changing Time. [Sound recording] [Link]
2012 Fergal Scahill & Ryan Molloy (2012) Wayfaring. [Sound recording] [Link]
2012 Trad Noise Trio (2012) twentytwelve. [Sound recording] [Link]
2012 David Munnelly & Mick Conneely (2012) Tis What It Is. [Sound recording] [Link]
2010 Shauna Mullin (2010) The Wishing Tree. [Sound recording] [Link]
2009 Dean Warner (2009) The Northern Box. [Sound recording] [Link]
2009 David Munnelly Band (2009) Tight Squeeze. [Sound recording] [Link]
2008 Paul McGlinchey (2008) Unearthed. [Sound recording] [Link]
2008 Fergal Scahill & Ryan Molloy (2008) The Dusty Bridge. [Sound recording] [Link]
2007 Paul Brock & Enda Scahill (2007) Humdinger. [Sound recording] [Link]
2006 David Munnelly Band (2006) By Heck. [Sound recording] [Link]
2006 Kieran Munnelly & Aidan O'Donnell (2006) In Safe Hands. [Sound recording] [Link]

Media

Year Publication
2015 Dr Ryan Molloy (2015) Good Boy. Belfast: [Media]

Conference Contribution

Year Publication
2017 Ryan Molloy (2017) Folk Music Analysis 2017 Microinterval Modality In Irish Traditional Music - An Empirical Approach Málaga, ES, .
2019 Ryan Molloy (2019) Future Folk A summary of recent performance and compositional practice in Traditional Irish Music Newnham College, Cambridge University, 05/09/2019-07/09/2019.

Peer Reviewed Journal

Year Publication
2007 Molloy R.; Danielsson A.; Karlsson L.; Eland J. (2007) 'Double photoionisation spectra of small molecules and a new empirical rule for double ionisation energies'. Journal of Chemical Physics, 335 (1):49-54. [DOI]
2006 Molloy R.; Eland J. (2006) 'Double photoionisation of toluene'. Chemical Physics Letters, 421 (1-3):31-35. [DOI]

Invited papers

Year Publication
2015 Ryan Molloy (2015) Traditional Irish Music in String Quartet Form: the fabric of 'Gealach Chríoch Lochlann'. [Invited papers]

Invited Seminars

Year Publication
2013 Ryan Molloy (2013) A Survey of Recent Compositional Work. [Invited Seminars]
2017 Ryan Molloy (2017) Traditional Contemporary Music: Conflicts of Identity/Influence. [Invited Seminars]
2018 Ryan Molloy (2018) Traditional Contemporary Music: Conflicts of Identity/Influence. [Invited Seminars]
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2024) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

Professional Associations

Description Function From / To
Association of Irish Composers Member 28/02/2013 -
Irish Composers Collective Member 12/03/2010 - 30/04/2015

Honors and Awards

Date Title Awarding Body
01/01/2013 BBC Performing Arts Fund Fellowship
01/01/2010 Winner - West Cork Music Composition Competition
01/01/2009 Highly Commended - Jerome Hynes Composition Competition

Education

Start date Institution Qualification Subject
Queen's University Belfast PhD in Composition
University of Oxford MChem
Queen's University Belfast MA in Composition

Languages

Language Reading Writing Speaking
French Fluent Fluent Fluent
Irish Fluent Fluent Fluent