Born in May 1961 in Dublin, Ireland. Education: Attended Royal Irish Academy of Music. Ronan Hardiman is one of Ireland's premier composers of traditional music, responsible for the score to Lord of the Dance as well as many Irish films and television series. One of five children in a musical family, Hardiman was born in May 1961 and grew up in Dublin, Ireland. He worked as a clerk at the Bank of Ireland for twelve years, occasionally playing in pop bands during the 1980s.