Martin Hayes

Martin Hayes (born 4 July 1962) is an Irish fiddler from County Clare. He is a member of the Irish-American supergroup The Gloaming.

Family and early life

Hayes was born into a musical family in Maghera, a townland in the parish of Killanena in East County Clare, Ireland. His father, P.J. Hayes, was a noted fiddle player and his grandmother played the concertina. His father and his uncle Paddy Canny, also an influential fiddler, were among the founders of the Tulla Céilí Band in 1946. P.J. Hayes led the band from 1952 until shortly before his death in 2001.

Martin Hayes started playing the fiddle at the age of seven, taught by his father. At 13 he won his first of six All-Ireland Fiddle Competitions. He is one of only three fiddlers ever to be named All-Ireland Fiddle Champion in the senior division in two consecutive years (1981 and 1982).

Career

1985 to 1995

Hayes moved to Chicago in 1985 and became active in the Irish traditional music scene there. He was a regular performer at weekly Irish traditional music sessions along with Chicago fiddler Liz Carroll, who later described him as belonging to "that very narrow set of performers from any musical genre – not just Irish – whose every note is perfect". In the late 1980s he led a band called the "Celtic Aires". In 1989 he and the Chicago guitarist Dennis Cahill formed "Midnight Court", which combined traditional Irish and rock music. The band was active until 1992. In 1993 Hayes moved to Seattle, where he lived until 2005.

1996 to the present

In 1996 Hayes formed an acoustic duo with Dennis Cahill, developing an "unrushed, lyrical, highly expressive interpretation" of traditional Irish music. Hayes and Cahill have released three recordings on the Green Linnet label: The Lonesome Touch (1997), Live in Seattle (1999), and Welcome Here Again (2008).

Hayes performs and records with Peadar Ó Riada and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh as the group "Tríur" and has toured with Kevin Crawford and guitarist, John Doyle, as The Teetotalers.

Hayes was a member of the Martin Hayes Quartet, with Dennis Cahill, Liz Knowles, and Doug Wieselman.

He has also appeared on a number of recordings with other musicians from east Clare including Christy McNamara's CD The House I was Reared In, Mary MacNamara's CD Traditional Music from East Clare and the Compilation CD Reeling Through the Years celebrating 20 years of music from the Feakle Festival.

Hayes plays regularly with The Tulla Céilí Band, of which his late father was a founding member. Since 2003 Hayes has been the musical director of the Masters of Tradition festival, held in Bantry House (Bantry, County Cork) every summer. In 2023 they released the album, Peggy's Dream.

Honours Hayes won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2000 award for Instrumentalist of the Year.

Discography

With P. J. Hayes The Shores of Lough Graney (1990, Ice Nine Productions ICE 003 Cassette; re-released in 2011 on Quillan Records CD 001)

Martin Hayes albums Martin Hayes (1992, Green Linnet #1127) Under the Moon (1995, Green Linnet #1155)

Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill albums The Lonesome Touch (1997, Green Linnet #1127) Live in Seattle (1999, Green Linnet #1195) Welcome Here Again (2008, Green Linnet #1233)

Martin Hayes Quartet The Blue Room (2017)

Martin Hayes & The Common Ground Ensemble Peggy's Dream (2023, Faction Records)

As a member of the Tulla Céilí Band A Celebration of 50 Years (1996, Green Linnet) 60th Anniversary Celebration (2007)

With The Gloaming The Gloaming (2014, Brassland Records / Real World Records) 2 (2016) Live at the NCH (2018) 3 (2019)

Other My Love is in America The Boston College Fiddle Festival (1991, Green Linnet Records #1110) Traditional Music from East Clare by Mary MacNamara (1994, Claddagh Records) John Williams by John Williams (1995, Green Linnet #1157) The Gathering Various Artists (1997, Real World UKCDRW62) Celtic Sessions by William Coulter and Friends (1997, Gourd Music) In Concert by Kevin Burke (1999, Green Linnet #1196) Diary of a Fiddler by Darol Anger 1999 Poor Man's Troubles by Bruce Molsky (2000, Rounder) I Could Read the Sky by Iarla Ó Lionáird (2000, Real World Records) Murphy's Irish Pub with Laura MacKenzie, John Williams and Dean Magraw (2005, Compass Productions) The Wildlife Album (2005 Market Square Records Cat No. MSMCD134) Sligo Live 06 (2006 Sligo Live Sampler, Promotional Use Only) The House I Was Reared In by Christy McNamara (2007, Durra Records) Reeling Through The Years (2007) compilation CD celebrating 20 years of the Feakle Festival Today, Tomorrow & on Sunday (2008) by Helen Hayes (CDHHG 001) The Humours of Tulla (2009) by The Tulla Comhaltas Archive Collection Triúr Sa Draighean (2010) with Peadar Ó Riada and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh Triúr Arís (2012) with Peadar Ó Riada and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh Highlander's Farewell (2011) with Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas, and Bruce Molsky The Butterfly (2019) with Brooklyn Rider