'If it's music you want, you should go to Clare." Christy Moore's lyric from Lisdoonvarna credits the obvious. The county has long been associated with a vibrant tradition of music. Its regional variations in style sprang up in the kitchens and house dances of the countryside. But that music has long developed beyond its origins, carried to world audiences by such musical ambassadors as the fiddler Martin Hayes and the concertina player Noel Hill.

That the Irish arts establishment has given little back, infrastructurally, to a county that has given so much has long been shameful. Unlike other counties, Clare has no decent performance venue or purpose-built arts centre. But the opening of Gl≤r Irish Music Centre tonight is going to change all that.

Based in Ennis and built at a cost of £6.5 million, Gl≤r is, in the words of its director, Katie Verling, "the national centre for the performance of Irish music and a regional arts centre for Clare and its environs". Cynics may point out that it is opening in the heart of the constituency of S∅le de Valera, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, but in a town with no proper performance venue, and with little in terms of arts provision, something needed to be done.

Initially, however, Gl≤r was conceived not as a way of providing an arts centre, says Verling, but as a tourist attraction. "Visitors to Ireland generally have great difficulty accessing quality Irish music. That was the original impetus for getting the project going," she says.

"But as we developed the project, we saw that if we were to develop a centre that just focused on the external market, it wouldn't have any cultural relevance to the people of Clare."

Verling says she aims to satisfy the musical standards of the people of the county, and in doing so draw in an audience. She is clearly sensitive to criticism of the tourist-oriented brief.

"We're not asking musicians to dress up in leprechaun suits," she says. "We're not asking artists to prostitute themselves in some way. We're not out there to pimp for them. What we're trying to do is say that Irish music is fantastic music; we respect it . . . We're giving musicians a chance to show off. We're not trying to package them in some way that's not true to themselves."

Already detectable in Verling's defensiveness are the seeds of a debate about the concept of Gl≤r. The Irish traditional world, much like the Irish-language world, is a place where bitter factions develop. There is the argument over whether traditional music should fuse with other forms or remain "pure" and true to its roots. In Verling's conversation, you can hear her response to criticisms of Gl≤r for opening its doors to the likes of The Saw Doctors or for placing the tradition in a concert setting - something that has been occurring since the 1960s, in any case.

So what about The Saw Doctors and Brian Kennedy, both of whom will soon be playing at Gl≤r? What have they to do with Irish music? "We're deliberately calling it an Irish music centre, even though our first responsibility is to traditional Irish music. Irish music is developing all the time. The stuff that Donal Lunny's recording or that Bill Whelan's writing is as validly Irish music as the music that Mary MacNamara's playing. We're interpreting the term 'Irish music' broadly."

In the tradition-versus-innovation debate, it is clear where Gl≤r's director stands. This will be a place where pure, unaccompanied east Clare fiddling will be as much at home as Hayes's jazz- and baroque-tinged playing.

And what a home. Despite having an exterior that looks from some angles like a factory, its interior is light, airy and atmospheric, designed by the Dublin-based architect Des McMahon, of Gilroy McMahon, the practice responsible for the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks, in Dublin.

The first impression is one of space. There is a well-designed cafe and bar, with lounge areas beside - there are also plans for a shop that will specialise in Irish music - but the centrepiece is the adaptable 500-seat main auditorium. Tony Killeen, who, as the theatre manager, is Verling's second in command, shows me around.

"The idea of the design was that the space would be as versatile as possible," he says. "David 'Spud' Murphy took care of the technical specification, and the idea was that a play could be in here one night and a major concert the next . . . The seats are very adaptable. You can store seats to have as little as 250, or less, black off the stage and play on the sprung board in front. You can even take out all the seats and have a stand-up gig."

Killeen assures me that, with the Poor Clares as neighbours, the building has been well soundproofed. He describes the acoustics as stunning; the ventilators have been chosen for quietness during solo playing, and computer-designed acoustic panels have been fitted to the walls to ensure a rich sound.

As well as the main auditorium, there is a small theatre space. With seating for between 65 and 70 people, "it is ideal for readings, lectures and small gigs", says Verling; Killeen says it will be great for "small performances or for children's workshops". The technical set-up has also been designed to facilitate outside broadcasts, the first of which happens tonight, when RT╔ Radio 1 covers the official opening.

It seems that, rather than being one thing, Gl≤r will endeavour to be many. Local arts centre, national centre for Irish music, venue for touring shows and concerts - this is a centre with many briefs. Upcoming events include ritual dancers from Ghana, a country-music festival and Handel's Messiah. This is eclectic programming that Verling is eager to champion. "These events are about building audiences," she says. "We've never been able to put things like this on in Clare before. Not everyone in Clare wants to go to traditional-music events."

Specially flagged "Gl≤r Gigs" will see the venue act in its capacity as Irish music centre. Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill perform at the first Gl≤r Gig, tomorrow, while Altan headline the second, on December 8th. Verling says she hopes that there will be between 200 and 220 events a year at the centre and that, within two years, they will be filling 60 per cent of the seats, on average.

"Our turnover will be in excess of £1 million," she predicts, "and we're underwritten by the local authorities to in or around £200,000 to £300,000 a year." It is the combination of box-office income and local-authority funding, coupled with sponsorship, that will keep Gl≤r in business, she says.

Walking around the town's streets, everyone I spoke to was aware of the centre and knew where it was. As Killeen and crew make their final adjustments, as the sound is checked and the last of the paint dries, Ennis will today be full of expectation, waiting to explore the potential of an arts space it has long been due.

RT╔ Radio 1 will broadcast the opening at 10.50 p.m. today. Gl≤r is on Friars Walk, Ennis, Co Clare (065-6843103, www.glor.ie)