WELCOME TO RILEY SCHOOL!

Here you will find a spirited and open community of children, teens and adults dedicated to the pursuit of Irish traditional music. We celebrate each person's achievements and honor the individual and collective talents of our extended family.


Visit our Facebook Page for the latest information on all our extracurricular activities.

Summer Recess

Classes are finished for the school year, but here are some of the places you can find us this summer.
Classes will resume with Fall Quarter on September 6th and registration will open in mid-August.
Cincinnati Appalachian Festival : May 10-11

Come visit us at the Riley School booth.

Sayler Park Sustains : June 14

Riley School will host a small session tent.

Dayton Celtic Festival : July 25-27

The Riley School will host a large session tent - bring your instrument or just come to listen.
We will also host a whistle workshop.

SummerCéilí : August 21, 22

Liz Knowles, Kieran O'Hare, John Skelton (Riley School's flute and whistle teacher!!) and Randy Clepper will be playing with a Summermusik String Quartet at the Irish Heritage Center on August 21 and 22. Riley musicians will share some tunes before the show and there will likely be a session after.

Liz and Kieran are playing with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra on August 23. The McGing Irish Dancers and Friendly Sons of St Patrick Glee Club will be performing that night as well. Liz and Kieran and John will offer workshops at the Irish Heritage Center on August 24.

Watch the Summermusik website for details, and to purchase tickets.


Upcoming Events
Fall Open House - September 6

The Riley School invites kids and adults to visit one of our classes the first day of our Fall Quarter. Check our class schedule, then email to sign up for the class or classes you want to try that day. The late fee is waived for new students who sign up for classes that day.

Everyone is invited to meet the Riley community and have a light lunch of soup and bread at noon.


Location and Quarter Dates

In-person classes are held on Saturdays, beginning at 9:00 am at :

Grace United Methodist Church
2221 Slane Avenue
Norwood, OH

Dates for the 2025-26 school year are -
Fall Quarter : 6 SEP - 7 NOV
Winter Quarter : 3 JAN - 7 MAR
Spring Quarter : 21 MAR - 2 MAY
Registration generally opens about a month before classes begin.

Current Sessions

For up to date information on all our sessions, please contact to be added to the Cincinnati Sessions Facebook Messenger group, or to be added to the Dayton Session Facebook Messenger group.
Check out our Community Sessions Page for information about our regularly scheduled Irish music sessions.


Celebrating our 25th Anniversary

25th Anniversary Logo
Watch our Anniversary Video

Riley School of Irish Music receives support from the Ohio and Kentucky Arts Councils.

OH Arts Council Logo KY Arts Council Logo