MARTIN HAYES and Dennis Cahill may be one of, if not the greatest, partnership in Irish trad. The duo, going strong since meeting in Chicago in the 1980s, return to Galway this month to play the Róisín Dubh.
A measure of the respect Clare born fiddler Hayes is held in was summed up by The Irish Times: "In years to come, we’ll surely talk of having seen this man in the way others talk of Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix."
Hayes' brilliance is his ability, through masterful violin playing, to combine a deep respect for trad's past, with an acknowledgement that it must progress if it is to survive. His influences include Arvo Pärt, John Coltrane, and his father Joe Hayes, renowned founder/leader of the Tulla Ceili Band. He has also worked with Irish music supergroup The Gloaming.
Irish-American Dennis Cahill is a master guitarist who studied at Chicago's prestigious Music College before becoming an active member of the local music scene. In addition to working with Hayes, Cahill has performed with fiddlers Liz Carroll, Eileen Ivers, and Kevin Burke. He is also a respected producer and photographer.
Hayes and Cahill play the Róisín Dubh on Sunday September 16 at 8pm. Tickets are via www.roisindubh.net; OMG@Zhivago, Shop Street; and The Róisín Dubh.
