About Us
As part of a national network, Music Generation Dublin City (MGDC) is managed and funded locally by City of Dublin Education and Training Board (City of Dublin ETB), in partnership with Dublin City Council and local music education providers.
Music Generation is a locally-managed programme that offers performance music education opportunities to children and young people across the country. The programmes are determined by the individual needs of each county – we try to find and fill the gaps that exist – and include live experiences, music lessons and group performances in a range of settings and across a huge number of different instruments, genres, and musical styles.
Programming in each area is very diverse. In Dublin City, the programs are based around “Voice” and the voices of the participants. To find out more about our programmes, please click here.
Some examples of programmes provided by Music Generation across the country include group and one-to-one tuition; rock and pop bands; rap and hip-hop initiatives; trad groups; brass bands; harp ensembles; choirs; ukulele squads; orchestras among others.
While Music Generation programmes are local, our core national values and musical approaches unify all the work we do:
- Music Generation aims to remove the barriers that prevent children and young people from participating in music, so affordability and accessibility are central to all programmes.
- Music Generation believes in an inclusive approach to teaching and learning music, which ensures that the interests of the child/young person are valued and taken into account.
- We work with skilled and passionate musicians, who inspire and support young people to develop their creativity and musical skills.
Meet Our Team
Kieran McGuinness
Music Generation Development Officer
Kieran is an experienced Musician, Songwriter, Musician educator, and Project Coordinator.
A native of North County Dublin, Kieran studied Computers and IT in College, before embarking on a decade-long career with Delorentos; touring the world, signing with Universal worldwide, and releasing 6 critically acclaimed albums.
In between touring, Kieran began as a lecturer in BIMM Dublin in 2013, teaching live performance, music history, and songwriting, and becoming module leader of first and second-year courses. His experience as Course Director of the Liber8 project brought him into Dublin City Post-Primary Schools, designing and managing programmes related to musicianship, performance, and technology; aimed at giving people access to music education, regardless of their background.
He has also designed and managed voice and instrumental programs in primary schools in the inner city, as well as music summer schools and special performance projects, such as the Royal Visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018.
His love for music education led him to return to study further and higher music education as a postgraduate.
Kieran’s passion lies in performance and expression through music, and he brings his desire to develop, improve, and innovate as a musician to his teaching and pedagogy.
Paula McCarthy
Administrator
Paula McCarthy is a multi-instrumentalist who plays and teaches clarinet, saxophone, recorder, and piano.
She studied Music & English at UCD where she received an honours BA and BMus. She went on to obtain diplomas in piano, clarinet teaching, sound engineering, and most recently in podcasting and radio documentary making. She is also a qualified Special Needs Assistant.
She has experience playing in many diverse music ensembles, concert bands and orchestras, as well as in pub bands, as a pit musician, and as a church musician. She is also a composer, an award-winning radio documentary maker, and is a regular presenter on Dublin South FM.
Paula has many years of experience teaching in music schools in the Dublin area and worked with Music Generation as a Musician Educator for seven years before joining the Music Generation Dublin City team as Administrator.
She now works alongside the Music Development Officer on building Music Generation Dublin City’s contacts, liaises with schools and Musician Educators and looks after the day-to-day administration for the Dublin City Area.
Orla Dwyer
Resource Worker
Orla Dwyer is a musician and educator from Dublin. She has been working as a session musician and music teacher for over 10 years. She graduated from Maynooth University in 2012 with a Bachelors of Music, specialising in Composition and Piano Performance. In 2015, she graduated top of her class with a Higher Diploma in Music Education from Griffith College Dublin and studied at Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain.
As a performer, she has played as a session keyboardist for many local indie and folk acts, worked as an arranger and lead accompanist for The Three Tenors Ireland and enjoys accompanying vocal students in their recitals and exams. Inspired by her love of dancing and globe trotting, she DJs as Little O, playing a selection of dance music from all over the world. She tours regularly, both at home and abroad, as well as hosting her monthly radio show on Dublin Digital Radio.
Orla began teaching with Music Generation in 2018 in South Dublin, as part of the Ready Steady Play Ukulele program. In 2021, she joined the Dublin City, working as team leader for the Music Club program. She has been involved with Music Generation’s Communities of Practice Peer sharing program, presented as an artist for Music Generation’s Musicians’ Day 2024 and attended and presented at the MEED Conference in Estonia, May 2025.
She is the resource worker with Dublin City, working as an educator in the primary programs, managing social media and supporting the administrative team.
