The Academy for Children was created by University of Limerick's Access Office to enhance community engagement, to inspire future graduates and to widen the participation of underrepresented groups at third level.
Cork City Ballet is one of only two professional ballet companies in Ireland. It was formed in 1991 by Alan Foley to address the void left by the closure of the Cork-based Irish National Ballet in 1989 due to a lack of funding. Cork City Ballet presented its first public performance at the Everyman Palace Theatre on 27 March 1992 and continues to operate under the artistic directorship of Alan Foley, who also acted as the ballet’s principal male dancer until his retirement in that capacity in 2007.
Dance Theatre of Ireland was founded in June 1989 by Robert Connor and Loretta Yurick, former members of Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre. Since its inception, the company has created and produced some forty dance works for theatre, festivals, and television, and presented and commissioned work of international choreographers to introduce dance in its wider context to the Irish audience. The company has toured most major venues in Ireland and participated in some of the most prestigious festivals and theatres in Europe, Korea, and the USA. In 2000, with the support of the Arts Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, and Dunloe Ewart Properties, Dance Theatre of Ireland opened a purpose-built Centre for Dance to provide a permanent home for the company, rehearsal space for new work, and a venue for dance classes and workshops to dance enthusiasts of all ages.