The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art is an Irish

drama school A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pr ...

that offers conservatory training for theatre, film and television from industry professionals. The Lir Academy is located in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and is a part of

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. The Lir is associated with the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

History

The Lir Academy was founded by

Danielle Ryan Danielle Ryan (born 1 November 1983) is an Irish actress, philanthropist and entrepreneur. Early life Ryan is the daughter of Capt. Cathal Ryan and granddaughter of Tony Ryan, founder of Ryanair. Career Acting Ryan graduated from the Royal A ...

under the Cathal Ryan Trust in 2011 in response to its parent, Trinity College, discontinuing its acting course in 2007. In May 2008, a recommendation was made from the Forum on Actor Training recommending the creation of a national academy of dramatic art to provide university accredited education. Ryan funded a purpose-built premises for the Lir, located in

Grand Canal Dock Grand Canal Dock () is a Southside area near the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. It is located on the border of eastern Dublin 2 and the westernmost part of Ringsend in Dublin 4, surrounding the Grand Canal Docks, an enclosed harbour where the ...

in Dublin. In 2017, The Lir had an annual income of €2.1 million and staged 10 theatre shows, an opera production, two short films, a design exhibition and an industry showcase.

Courses

The Lir Academy provides conservatoire training with degrees in acting, stage management and technical theatre, along with Masters in Fine Art for playwriting, theatre directing and stage design. The school also offers short courses and diploma programs in a range of performing arts disciplines. The Bachelor In Acting, is a three-year degree course for approximately sixteen students per year, has auditions in Ireland and abroad. The Academy offers practical training for actors based in part on the acting technique of Konstantine Stanislavski, in combination with training in voice and movement. .

Notable people

, founder

Alumni

Cameron Cuffe Cameron Charles D. Cuffe (born 5 April 1993) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Gino in the film ''Florence Foster Jenkins'' (2016), William Shannon in the ITV series ''The Halcyon'' (2017), and Seg-El in the Syfy series ''Kryp ...

Kwaku Fortune Kwaku Fortune is an Irish actor. Early life and education Fortune is from Roundwood, County Wicklow. He is of Ghanaian descent on his mother's side. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Acting from The Lir Academy at Trinity College Dubli ...

Danielle Galligan Danielle Galligan (born 1 December 1992) is an Irish actress, theatre maker, and poet. On television, she is known for her role in the Netflix series ''Shadow and Bone'' (2021–). She was nominated for an IFTA for her performance in the film '' ...

Lauren-Shannon Jones Lauren-Shannon Jones (born c. 1989), is an Irish playwright and performer. Biography Jones began her media career working as a model before going on to graduate with an honours degree in film production from Colaiste Dhulaigh in Coolock and Wol ...

Paul Mescal Paul Mescal (; born 2 February 1996) is an Irish actor. Born in Maynooth, he studied acting at The Lir Academy and subsequently performed in plays in Dublin theatres. Mescal rose to fame with his role in the miniseries '' Normal People'' (2020), ...

* Alex Murphy *

Agnes O'Casey Agnes Eustacia Kenig (born 1995/1996), known professionally as Agnes O'Casey, is an English actor. She is known for her onscreen debut as Vivien Epstein in the 2021 BBC One drama '' Ridley Road''. Early life O'Casey is from Finsbury Park, the e ...

Ruairi O'Connor Ruairí O’Connor is an Irish actor. He is known for his role as Henry Tudor, the future Henry VIII, in Starz series ''The Spanish Princess''. He has also starred in '' Handsome Devil'' and '' The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It''. Early ...

Alison Oliver Alison Oliver (born 3 June 1997) is an Irish actress. She is known for her debut role as Frances in the BBC Three and Hulu miniseries ''Conversations with Friends'' (2022). Early life Oliver was born in Ballintemple, Cork before moving to Blac ...

John Reardon John Henry Reardon (born July 30, 1975) is a Canadian actor and former university football player. Prior to 2015, Reardon starred as Blake Laviolette on the CBC Television series ''Arctic Air'' and had a recurring role as Greg Cameron on the S ...

References

2011 establishments in Ireland Arts in Dublin (city) Drama schools in Ireland Educational institutions established in 2011 Trinity College Dublin {{Ireland-university-stub