Our Team

A native of Newcastle West, Jamie has been involved in performing locally from a young age. He is a member of Newcastle West Musical Society, playing roles such as ‘Mickey’ (Blood Brothers), ‘Rooster’ (Annie) and ‘Jesus’ (Jesus Christ Superstar).

He qualified as a secondary teacher with a First Class Honours Degree in English and Music from University College Cork and a Masters Degree in Drama and Education from Trinity College, Dublin. He has trained with acclaimed soprano, Sonya Keogh and was a founding member of the Honan Chapel choir at UCC.

Jamie has been involved in music and theatrical production for many years, primarily at Davis College, Mallow, before going on to establish the Desmond School of Performing Arts. In 2016, he co-produced a special performance for the 1916 Rising entitled “Aiseirí 1916” in Cork Opera House for Cork Education and Training Board. He has also directed each of the musicals for Desmond School of Performing Arts including; Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.

Jamie is a passionate advocate for the arts and is very proud of all the wonderfully talented students of Desmond School of Performing Arts.

Molly graduated from the University of Limerick with a First Class Honours Degree in Voice and Dance and has been a vocal tutor in the Desmond School of Performing Arts since 2017. She has experience of many singing genres including contemporary/popular music, musical theatre, western classical and Irish traditional. She has extensive experience working with children and young people and has a keen interest in vocal pedagogy and development.

Molly tailors each lesson to the student’s individual needs, skill level and interests. She has been stage manager for our productions; Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. In addition to her lessons, Molly is currently completing her Master’s Degree in Music Education at the University of Limerick.

Leanne is a primary school teacher from Pallaskenry. She began her teaching endeavours at the age of 14, before going on to establish a dance and drama school at the age of 16 – staging productions such as Aladdin, Grease, The Lion King and The Night before Christmas, amongst others. This venture ceased when Leanne attended St. Patricks College, Drumcondra to further her studies.

Upon her return to Limerick, Leanne has performed with Tops Odyssey in the ‘Tops of the Town’ National Competition (2012) where she was awarded ‘Star of the Show’. She also went on to perform with the award-winning Cecilian and Limerick Musical Societies, where she gained invaluable experience in musical theatre. Throughout the years, Leanne has performed in a variety of productions with these societies such as Oklahoma, Grease, Annie Get your Gun, Evita, The Addams Family, The Witches of Eastwick, Oliver, Copacabana and others.

Leanne loves to impart students with a love of singing and acting and has staged various school productions over the years. She has thoroughly enjoyed her experience with the Desmond School of Performing Arts to date and is looking forward to working with the extremely talented group of young people this area has to offer.