Martin Hayes Trio
Special Guests: Mary Dillon, Neil Martin & Dónal O'Connor
Martin Hayes, one of the most revered fiddlers of our time, returns to Festival for a special performance at the Grand Opera House.
Martin will be joined on stage by guitarist Conal O’Kane, and bouzouki and concertina player Brian Donnellan.
Renowned for his soulful interpretations of traditional Irish music, Martin is the founder of the musical supergroup The Gloaming, The Common Ground Ensemble, and the Martin Hayes Quartet.
Over the past thirty years, Martin has recorded and collaborated with extraordinary musicians in the classical, folk and contemporary music worlds, including Dennis Cahill, Bill Frisell, Ricky Skaggs, Yo-Yo Ma, the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the RTE Concert Orchestra. He has also performed on stage with Sting, Paul Simon and Phoebe Bridgers.
This is an opportunity to experience the artistry of one of Irish music’s true masters.
We’re delighted to welcome Mary Dillon, Neil Martin and Dónal O’Connor as special guests for the evening. This trio brings together three of Ireland’s most respected traditional musicians.
Mary Dillon, the much-loved County Derry singer and founding member of Déanta, is celebrated for her exquisite interpretations of Ulster song.
Neil Martin, acclaimed composer, cellist and uilleann piper, has taken Irish music to the world stage through his work with the West Ocean String Quartet and beyond.
Completing the line-up is Dónal O’Connor, a gifted fiddler, filmmaker and producer from a renowned Oriel musical family, whose career spans performance, recording and broadcasting, alongside his role as Artistic Director of Belfast TradFest.
In the decades to come, we’ll surely talk of having seen this man in the way others talk of Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix or John Coltrane.
Hayes has a sublime lyrical and melodic sensibility…Heartbreaking musical washes of the deepest melancholy and moments of sheer, sparkling exuberance.