May 25th, 2025. The search for Ireland’s best young jazz musician is back on!
Limerick Jazz will host Young Irish Jazz Musician 2026 in University Concert Hall, Limerick on the evening of Sunday 22nd November 2026. Finalists will perform with a professional house band before an expert panel of judges and a live audience.
Young Irish Jazz Musician is a showcase for the best of emerging jazz talent across the island of Ireland. At the inaugural 2022 event the award went to pianist Nils Kavanagh from Sligo. Nils has gone on to a national tour, was Young Artist in Residence at the Sligo Jazz Festival in 2023 and was a finalist in BBC Young Jazz Musician in 2024.
Young Irish Jazz Musician 2024 was another Sligo pianist Rory Conneally. Rory has just been awarded a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, the most prestigious jazz school in the US.
The Young Irish Jazz Musician 2026 will be invited to perform at the internationally renowned Limerick Jazz Festival and will also receive a bursary of one thousand Euro to put towards developing their career through further study, performance or recording.
The competition is open to young Irish musicians aged 16 to 23 and secondary school students can combine their entries with the study of improvised music as part of their broader Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle music studies. Details of how to apply can be found at www.limerickjazz.com
Nils Kavanagh, Young Irish Jazz Musician 2022 said: “The award has been instrumental to the development of my career and has enabled me to achieve many things I would not have done otherwise at this stage in my life”.
Rory Conneakky, Young Irish Jazz Musician 2024 said: My experience with Young Irish Jazz Musician and Limerick Jazz has been invaluable to me in my development as an artist; it has opened up many pathways for my career and has instilled in me the confidence to pursue my dreams as a professional musician”.
John Daly, Chair of Limerick Jazz said: “Limerick Jazz is very excited to be continuing this great initiative for our up-and-coming generation of jazz musicians. It is a natural development of our long-running commitment to jazz education”.
Limerick Jazz Society is the longest continually active jazz society in Ireland and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2012 with the first Limerick Jazz Festival. Its regular spring and autumn seasons feature performances by leading international and Irish performers. Since 2007 it has also provided jazz education programs through Limerick Jazz Workshop, the only regular jazz workshop in Ireland outside Dublin. Limerick Jazz Society is a registered charity and is supported by the Arts Council and Limerick City and County Council.
For more information and application form go to the Young Irish Jazz Musician section