The Academy of Irish Music of Chicago was established in 1994 at the Irish American Heritage in Chicago to ensure that the traditional ways of learning and teaching Irish and Celtic music continue to be handed from generation to generation. Its major source of funding is the Irish Music Foundation, an Illinois non-profit corporation dedicated to carrying on the long tradition of Irish music in Chicago..

The goal of the Academy is to make traditional music a part of the students's general education -- something they will have and enjoy for the rest of their lives. The instructors strive to create an atmosphere of learning and performing music that reflects a tradition that is at least hundreds of years old. The students and their families form life-long bonds with friends and the music.

The Academy offers private and group lessons at the Irish American Heritage Center and private lessons at Gaelic Park in Oak Lawn, IL.