Courts / Ireland / Report

Classical musician to challenge mandatory retirement age at Royal Irish Academy of Music

Summary

A leading classical musician, John Finucane, is challenging the mandatory retirement age of 70 at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) on grounds of age discrimination. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has agreed to proceed with a full hearing into the claim, dismissing RIAM's argument that it had no jurisdiction to hear the case. Finucane, who has taught at RIAM since 1995 and has been a professor of clarinet for over three decades, was informed in late 2024 that the academy was following a policy mandating a retirement age of 70. He and his solicitors objected to this policy, arguing that he had not agreed to a retirement age of 70 and that colleagues had worked well into their 80s and 90s. Finucane filed an equality complaint in June 2025, and following discussions, he signed a fixed-term contract under time pressure. The adjudication officer ruled that the Employment Equality Act protects workers from future discrimination and that the matter should proceed to an investigation.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Classical musician to challenge mandatory retirement age at Royal Irish Academy of Music. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• August 2025 Other
• June 2025 Incident
• 2026-08-06 Publication

Case subjects

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report