Our School

Founded in 1996 by Susan Cross Gilligan, The Riley School of Irish Music is a community of children, teens and adults dedicated to the pursuit of Irish traditional music. Small class sizes provide a rewarding and effective way for students to experience the history, camaraderie and joy of playing traditional Irish music. We hold an Open House each quarter for new and prospective students.

fiddle players
Classes are held in person on Saturdays, beginning at 9:00 am at :

Grace United Methodist Church
2221 Slane Avenue
Norwood, OH

The church is available to us until 3 pm. Note that several rooms are reserved for church use and NOT available to Riley School. Those rooms are cross-hatched on the floor plans linked below. Please check with the registrar before using a room you are not normally assigned to.


Parking

Parking is available in the lot adjacent to the church as marked, and then on the streets close by. Enter the building through the "main entrance" at the left front of the church, closest to the east parking lot. Harpists may use the "west entrance" by the handicapped parking spaces to unload and bring harps up the ramp to the main floor where the harp classes meet. Please move your car to the east parking lot after unloading the harp.


Classes Offered

We teach traditional Irish tunes on traditional Irish instruments, as well as traditional singing. Please see the Class Schedule Page for current quarter class offerings and times. Specific class times may be adjusted depending on enrollment and teacher availability.


Learning Opportunities

  • Regular Saturday music classes
  • Periodic workshops lead by visiting musicians
  • Summer Camps
  • Heritage, Culture, and Language Workshops
  • Sessions - informal music and social gatherings

Performance Opportunities

  • Ceili Band
  • Ensemble Performing
  • Weekly Riley School Lunch concerts
  • Fleadh Cheoil (Music Competitions held at the regional and international level)

Our Organizational Teams

The Riley School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization staffed primarily by volunteers.

Current board members are:
Daniel Cieslak, chair
Margie Roulier, vice chair
Sylvia Hadley, treasurer
Vicki Madden, secretary
Danny Blair
Heather Schieman
Michael Schock
Kathy Schneider wears lots of hats, including that of Registrar. See her if you need help with registering/paying for your class.
Sherry Michael is our Webmaster and Soupmaster (lunch organizer).
Jay Scarr is our Saturday Manager, and may also be a good source for Saturday morning questions or issues.
The Music Committee finds great tunes for us every quarter and organizes production of the reference recordings:
Amy Bogard
Doug Mast
Kathy Schneider
Jeff Standley
For additions or corrections to the website, please send email to