Dr Ailbhe Kenny, Associate Professor in Music Education at MIC pictured with Dr Melvin Butler, Chair of the Prize Committee
Dr Ailbhe Kenny, Associate Professor in Music Education at Mary Immaculate College (MIC), has received an Honourable Mention for Outstanding Monograph in Ethnomusicology at the 2026 Alan P. Merriam Prize for her book Music Refuge: Living Asylum through Music.
The prestigious Merriam Prize, awarded by the Society for Ethnomusicology, recognises outstanding scholarship in ethnomusicology. Dr Kenny’s book, published by Oxford University Press and launched in October 2025, draws on more than eight years of research into the musical lives of people seeking asylum and refuge across Europe and beyond.
Music Refuge explores how music creates spaces for identity, connection and belonging for people navigating asylum-seeking systems. Moving beyond narratives that portray refugees and asylum seekers solely through experiences of vulnerability, the book highlights their agency and the ways in which music enables individuals and communities to establish a sense of place, express identity and challenge fixed notions of nationality and belonging.
Bringing together research in migration studies and music education, Dr Kenny homes in on the voices and experiences of adults and children living through displacement, demonstrating how music can offer opportunities for connection, self-expression and hope.
Speaking about the recognition, Dr Kenny said:
“I am delighted that ‘Music Refuge’ has received this recognition as one of only two awardees for the book prize. The book is the culmination of many years of research and, most importantly, the voices, experiences and musical lives of people seeking asylum who generously shared their worlds with me. I hope the book continues to encourage us to think differently about music, migration and belonging as well as creative ways of resisting and disrupting oppressive systems.”
The award recognises Dr Kenny’s significant contribution to research at the intersection of music education, migration and ethnomusicology, and highlights the international reach and impact of her work.
