Micheál P. Ó Caoimh explains how his school has brought traditional music and culture into the transition-yearclassroom

Most students are experts on pop music and culture, and music students know about and appreciate classical music, but their awareness of Irish music and cultural tradition can be fairly sparse.

That was why, 12 years ago, as a small part of our school's transition-year-Irish programme, we introduced a module of traditional music. It was very popular with students, so I proposed to the principal that we broaden it into a stand-alone subject.

Now our cultural-studies programme aims to expose students to the rich cultural heritage of Irish folk and traditional music and song. It incorporates some international folk music for comparison, helping to give a wider context to folk music in general and to Irish folk and traditional music in particular.

The course takes a very quick look at Irish music before 1960. The reference here is to céilí bands, local musicians and local styles such as Denis Murphy of Sliabh Luachra, Willie Clancy of Clare and Johnny Doherty of Donegal. We also feature individual public or international performers, such as Delia Murphy, Margaret Barry and the McNulty family.

The main thrust of the course, however, is the study of the enormous and fascinating development of Irish folk and traditional music and dance since the late 1950s and early 1960s. The contribution of Seán Ó Riada, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, The Dubliners, The Johnstons, Christy Moore, Planxty, Paul Brady and many more is incredible in the modernising, popularising and internationalising of our music and song.

Many performers of the calibre of Sinéad O'Connor, Bono, Van Morrison and The Cranberries freely accept the influence of the traditional idiom and its exponents on their writing and performance.

The cultural-studies programme highlights, with numerous examples, the close connection between folk song and political expression and protest. This, of course, is the essence of folk song, or song of the people.

We look at the themes of love, emigration, disaster, humour, workers' rights, injustice, racial tension and Travellers' rights and more as reflected in song, both nationally and internationally. There is no shortage of songs to highlight any of these themes.

We also study the role of emigration in taking Irish music and song overseas, particularly to North America, as well as how the music has been Americanised and brought back to Ireland by a new generation of musicians with a different style of musicianship.

We introduce the students to the sean-nós style of singing, to help them see it as an integral part of what is uniquely Gaelic.

Dance, also a very important part of the Irish tradition, is another essential part of the programme.

Besides introducing students to the best of Irish performers in the folk and traditional idiom, we show them how Irish musicians play foreign music and how foreign musicians play Irish music. Indeed, the way Irish and foreign music has mixed is a fascinating topic, with many exciting examples of fusion between traditions.

We make every effort to have a live performance in the classroom - an event that has proven extremely popular. Surprisingly, it is often the first time that students have experienced a live session.

We have developed a series of support materials for the programme, including notes, lyrics, tapes, CDs, videos and DVDs.

I am forever pleasantly surprised by the students' enthusiasm for the cultural-studies programme, year after year.

Micheál P. Ó Caoimh teaches at Presentation Secondary School, Loughboy, Kilkenny