The Irish Dramatic Combat Academy was formed in 2003. The IDCA was founded with the aim of improving the standards of safety, quality and training of stage combat and promoting a unified code of practice for the training, teaching and assessing of stage combat within the Republic of Ireland..

The mission of the IDCA includes:

• The training of students as safe performers of Stage Combat.
• The adjudication of Fight Performance Tests, assessed at Basic, Intermediate and Advanced levels.
• The training of Certified Teachers to teach safely, competently and consistently the IDCA syllabus.
• To monitor the standards and practices of all those who teach the Academy's syllabus.
• To develope training programs to international standards
• To foster co-operation and exchange with other stage-combat associations internationally

The IDCA currently teachs the Stage Combat element of the Gaiety School of Acting actors course granting successful participants the basic Actor/Combatant qualification which is valid for two years.