BIMM Dublin announces NÍV as Dermot Kennedy scholarship winner
We are proud to announce NÍV as the third winner of our very special Dermot Kennedy Foundation Diploma in Professional Musicianship Scholarship at BIMM Institute Dublin.
As we enter the third year of our partnership together, Dermot Kennedy, one of Ireland’s most successful singer-songwriters, is again offering his support for a promising up-and-coming artist.
NÍV has received a place on our Foundation Diploma in Professional Musicianship course, a practical, vocational, part-time option that’s perfect for musicians looking to further their abilities. It’s part of our continued commitment to support new Irish artists.
NÍV is the artist name of Kildare-born singer-songwriter Niamh Murray. Niamh’s music career began as the lead singer of country folk outfit, Murmur, made up of Niamh and her sisters, Róisín and Sinéad Murray. During this time, the band played alongside Hudson Taylor and Orla Gartland.
Niamh then joined indie rock band, District Daze. During her time as lead singer, the band won King Kong Club’s Battle of the Bands and were rewarded with a slot at Electric Picnic Festival.
As a solo artist, NÍV sold out her first single launch in The Workman’s Club for her single ‘Silly Voices’, and performed as part of Hotpress Magazine’s Lockdown Sessions. Following this, NÍV was added to RTE Radio 1’s Recommends List.
In 2022, Niamh was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and has spent the last year working, travelling and using her music to spread Irish culture in North Carolina and across the United States. She is now back in Ireland, based in Dublin, and is looking forward to what the year in BIMM and the Dermot Kennedy scholarship has in store for her.
Commenting on the announcement, NÍV said:
“I’m so excited and honoured to have received this scholarship. Being able to study songwriting at BIMM has been a dream of mine, and so to be given this scholarship is just an unbelievable thing to have happened in my life. I can’t wait to get started!”
Dermot’s debut album Without Fear, released in 2019, is the longest-running no.1 album in the Irish charts by an Irish artist since records began. It is certified seven times platinum and has picked up over 2 billion streams across digital platforms.
Dermot Kennedy added:
“I’m so excited to have this scholarship awarded in my name, in the same town where I fell in love with music, played my first show and found my way through a life in music.”
BIMM Institute Dublin College Principal, Alan Cullivan, added:
“It’s fantastic to see an artist like Dermot, who not only speaks up for other artists and musicians but is also doing something in a practical sense to help. We are delighted to collaborate with him as part of the college’s commitment to helping Ireland’s future artists achieve their ambitions.”
Want to come and join us at BIMM Institute Dublin? Enquire now to start your life in music or contact our friendly team at [email protected].
