Martin Hayes

But right now, they're my favorite, called The Gloaming.

They have a fiddle player, Martin Hayes, who I think is fantastic.

And they are, yeah, trad and current and beautiful.

They're a newer band?

Indeed, so far, the Irish Embassy has supported three events with Irish authors, a joint Irish-Slovenian stand-up comedy event, and hosted an exhibition of Ireland's cultural heritage, forgive my pronunciation, along the Ljubljana River.

And later in the year, the President has been invited to a Presidency concert, that's our Irish Presidency of the European Union, with renowned Irish fiddler Martin Hayes on the 5th of November.

And it will be an evening that you won't forget.

Parallel with that celebration and marking Ireland's presidency of the European Union, a number of other events are also taking place in Ireland, including the pairing of Slovenia with Roscommon, involving visits by both ambassadors to the county in November.

Helado Tropical plays their lush, expansive electro-pop live in our studio.

[upbeat music] At the opposite end of the sonic spectrum and an ocean away, you'll find the acoustic sounds of Martin Hayes, one of the great Irish fiddlers of our time, who plays Irish folk music while under the influence of jazz and minimalism.

Martin Hayes and guitarist Kyle Sanna play a medley of traditional Irish folk music for us as well.

I'm John Schaefer, and this is Soundcheck.

This is Soundcheck, a production of WNYC in New York and NewSounds.org. I'm John Schaefer.

Fabi Reyna, who records as Reina Tropical, Roberto Carlos Lange, who records as Helado Negro.

Together they are Helado Tropical.

And we'll pick up on that theme of the ocean and hear another live performance, and then later, another duo, the great Irish fiddler Martin Hayes with guitarist Kyle Sanna, all coming up on Soundcheck.

Oof.

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Live in Seattle.

It's a Irish fiddler and guitar player-

Mm-hmm

And, uh, that was the end of a great, great day indeed.

And, uh, the following day, we got up and went into town and, uh, bumped into Tommy McCarthy, who was there to do a gig with his sisters, and I met him in the street and, uh, he told us where the gig was, and we went, we walked in there and then bumped into Martin Hayes in the street, and we had a nice chat.

I asked him if he was setting up busking.

Uh, he did laugh.

Well, he does own, well, he used to own Fletcher, but he sadly died there in July, and, uh, they had a big session for him in memory of him, and I was delighted to take part in all of that.

And thanks to all of the musicians who did turn up and showed their appreciation of Vin- Vinny and his work.

And after that, um, managed to walk up to the Moat Theater to catch the great Martin Hayes in concert.

Martin was joined by, um, I didn't get his first name, but he's one of the Donnellans, and, uh, it reminded me so much that Martin Hayes's father, Peadór, and his, the other guy's father, grandfather, I think, Francie Donnellan, played together for years and years and years in the Tuatha Dé Danann band, and they played the sweetest of music.

Yeah.

Because The Gloaming had, um, Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, and Dennis Cahill, or Dennis Cahill as he's known in the States.

Um, and Thomas Bartlett, I think, isn't it? Um, and it's, it's beautiful music.

My God.