ITMA unequivocally condemns sexual abuse, bullying and harassment in any form within traditional music culture and practice and stands with all those women who have experienced and been traumatised by such behaviour in the traditional music community.

Irish Traditional Music is a vital and valuable part of the cultural heritage of Ireland. It is a source of joy, friendship, community and creative fulfilment for so many. It has grown exponentially in popularity, accessibility and reach, in Ireland and internationally. It makes all the more disturbing the revelation of a very different experience of many women within our community.

We commend the bravery of the women who, at some personal cost, have come forward with their individual accounts of abuse. They should be aware that their testimony has been of inestimable value to the traditional community. It has broken a taboo of silence maintained around the issue for many years. For this, we and the traditional music community owe them a debt of gratitude. It will now be possible to move forward and begin to create an environment in which sexual abuse, bullying and harassment can be eliminated in our community.

The FairPlé movement, established in 2018, has committed to raising awareness of the effect of gender on participation in traditional music, increasing the visibility of women players and tackling gender biases in the programming of concerts, gigs and festivals.

ITMA is committed to the principle of gender equality and will ensure that our current rigorous internal policies and practices with regard to gender equality and the provision of a safe environment for all be extended to our users. We hope this will be reflected in the wider traditional music community.