Martin Hayes
Martin Hayes, one of the most revered fiddlers of our time, returns to Festival for a special performance at the Grand Opera House.
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.
In 2023, Martin released the album Peggy’s Dream with the Common Ground Ensemble, which received a 5-star review in the Irish Times.
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.