Sunday 31st July | 7.00pm | Cathedral Christ the King N91EF82
Tickets: €32.50 

Martin Hayes is one of the world’s most celebrated fiddle players and an influential figure in Irish traditional music. With the Common Ground Ensemble, Hayes has created an ensemble with its roots in traditional Irish music – the common ground of their name but possesses a wealth of talent spanning trad Irish music, improvisation, arrangement, jazz, avant-garde and cutting edge contemporary classical. The line-up emerged to encompass Cormac McCarthy (piano, ‘Cottage Evolution’), Kate Ellis (cello, Artistic Director of Crash Ensemble), Kyle Sanna (guitar, a collaborator with Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile) and Brian Donnellan (bouzouki / harmonium / concertina, and, like Hayes, an alumnus of The Tulla Céilí Band). Finding what’s new, challenging and progressive in the tradition has been a hallmark of Hayes’ career even though the foundations of his music remain firmly rooted in the music of East Co Clare. Hayes was born and raised in a locality filled with music and his father, P.J. Hayes, and uncle, Paddy Canny were both renowned fiddle players and founder members of The Tulla Céilí Band – the same group that both Hayes Jr. and Brian Donnellan have played in. The Common Ground Ensemble is the latest stage in Martin Hayes’ life-long musical journey – one that will continue to evolve for years to come.