Dr Susan H. Motherway is an ethnomusicologist whose research focuses on Irish traditional music, folk theatre, music and identity, technology and music creativity, and the sustainability of traditional arts in contemporary communities.

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Her work combines ethnomusicological research, artistic practice, and community collaboration to explore how traditional arts continue to live and evolve in contemporary society.

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Her PhD research, Mediating the Divide: The Globalisation of Irish Traditional Song Performance, examined how Irish traditional song has adapted in response to globalisation and changing performance contexts. The work was published by Ashgate.

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She is co-editor, with Prof. John O’Connell, of Staged Folklore: The National Folk Theatre of Ireland 1968–1998 (Cork University Press, 2023). Developed from a scholarly colloquium at Siamsa Tíre, the volume examines the development of Irish folk theatre and the work of its founder and artistic director, Pat Ahern. The project was supported by a Deis Award from the Arts Council of Ireland. 

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Her current research focuses on the documentation and sustainability of regional traditions in North Kerry and Sliabh Luachra. Through applied ethnomusicology, this work explores performance practice, archival development, and community engagement at both sites and informs the development of the Living Tradition Lab.

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Susan is Chair of ICTMD Ireland (International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance) and regularly presents research at conferences and scholarly events (see below).

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Research themes

• Irish traditional music and song

• Folk theatre and staged tradition

• Documentation and sustainability of living traditions