Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office and Music Network invite applications for the 2026 dlr Musicians-in-Residence Scheme.
This is funded by The Arts Council.
Now in its 12th year, the Scheme provides musicians with space and time to create new work, develop their skills, collaborate with other artists and showcase their music.
Successful artists will receive funding up to a maximum award of €12,000, a space to work in and advice and mentoring to support their career development.
Audiences will also have an opportunity to engage with the resident musicians at a series of open rehearsals, workshops and public performances in Dún Laoghaire.
Two residencies are available to musicians working in any genre of music.
One residency is specifically for emerging musicians and one is for established musicians.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate a strong connection to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, or propose a project that links with the area, for example taking inspiration from the location or by engaging with local communities or musicians.
The Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Cllr. Jim Gildea said: “Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is delighted to offer this opportunity again in 2026 for musicians to focus on the creation of new music.
“We are committed to encouraging new work and allowing the arts to flourish and are very grateful to the Arts Council for funding this Scheme.”?
Frank Curran, Chief Executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said: “Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is very pleased to continue our strong working relationship with Music Network to provide this important Scheme.
“This is a key collaboration with a national music resource organisation to support musicians.”
Commenting on the announcement, CEO of Music Network Sharon Rollston said: “It’s a pleasure to work with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council once again on the management of this annual scheme.
“These residencies provide valuable time and resources for musicians to develop their artistic practice, advance their careers and produce exciting new work which we look forward to sharing with the residents of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown later this year.”
The 2025 dlr Musicians-in-Residence scheme provided two residencies, one for an established musician which was awarded to composer/singer/songwriter Julie Feeney and an additional residency to support the work of an emerging musician, songwriter/interdisciplinary artist Aoife McAtamney also known as Daughter Of A Drum.
Under this year’s scheme, the residency to support the work of an established musician or group has a maximum funding award of €12,000, and an award of up to €7,500 is available to support the work of an emerging musician or group.
Anyone interested in making an application to the scheme can book a place for a site visit to dlr LexIcon Studio on Tuesday 27 January 2026 at 6pm by emailing arts@dlrcoco.ie.
Members of the DLR Arts Office and Music Network will be available on the evening to answer any specific questions.
An online information meeting for applicants will also take place on Wednesday 28 January 2026 at 11am, registration for this event is via MusicNetwork.ie.
This year’s residencies will run from August to December 2026.
The closing date for applications is Thursday 12 February at 2pm and more information about the opportunities and how to apply is available on Music Network’s website.
The Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Musicians-in-Residence Scheme is jointly funded by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Arts Council and is managed by Music Network.