Minister Martin celebrates the opening of the new campus at the Royal Irish Academy of Music

The Royal Irish Academy of Music today unveiled its new campus, supported by a €3 million grant from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and a €7 million grant from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The ambitious redevelopment of the historic Westland Row site includes the refurbishment of RIAM's original Georgian block as well as a new purpose-built structure housing a series of performance, learning and education spaces.

The redevelopment provides a range of state of the art facilities that further establish RIAM as an international centre of musical excellence. This includes nearly eighty teaching and research supervision rooms, a large-scale library and research facility, a 300-seater recital hall with world-class acoustics, a tiered lecture hall, a music therapy suite as well as a range of common rooms and administrative spaces. The project will enable RIAM to expand its student cohort at both undergraduate and postgraduate level providing more educational opportunities for musicians in Ireland.

Speaking today Minister Martin, said:

"The new RIAM campus offers a remarkable array of facilities for our young musicians and artists. From an impressive new 300 seater recital hall to a modernised library and research facility, RIAM's students will be equipped with the best possible resources in which to further their development.

"As Minister for Culture and the Arts, I am delighted that my department was able to support this important redevelopment project. With RIAM's and the forthcoming redevelopment of the National Concert Hall, Ireland is well on its way to becoming a world-class centre of musical excellence."

Minister Harris added:

"I am delighted to be here at the Royal Irish Academy of Music to officially open their redeveloped campus with Minister Catherine Martin. This redevelopment was a really significant undertaking, at a cost of around €26 million, my department funded €7 million of that cost and Minister Martin's department funded a further €3 million.

"The development project transforms the RIAM campus and opens it to the public in a far more accessible way. Accessibility and digital infrastructure of the campus will broaden the reach and profile of its students, to include those who have disabilities and those outside of Dublin."

Redevelopment of the Royal Irish Academy of Music

As part of its 175 Strategic Plan, RIAM developed plans for a major redevelopment of its premises on Westland Row. The redevelopment case was largely driven by recognition that the existing RIAM premises were no longer fit for purpose and that this increasingly impacted on the ability of the Academy to perform as a centre of musical excellence nationally and internationally. The redevelopment will enable the Academy to expand its capacity at undergraduate and postgraduate level, including a projected additional 108 full-time students and 1,291 part-time students (current student cohort is approximately 150 full-time students).

The redevelopment consists of two elements:

• a new building, including a recital hall and library, located on the site of existing buildings behind the Georgian block
• refurbishment of the original Georgian block

The redevelopment includes the following new and improved facilities:

• 76 teaching and research supervision rooms
• a large library and research facility
• a proto-professional 300-seater recital hall with world-class acoustics
• a music therapy suite
• a tiered lecture hall
• common rooms, breakout space and office space

The government has provided €10 million in grant funding for the project, of which €3 million has been awarded by Minister Martin's department as part of their overall programme of capital investment in cultural infrastructure.