Blazing bows at Glór

THREE of the country’s most celebrated traditional Irish fiddle players – Tóla Custy, Cathal Hayden and Dezi Donnelly will take to the Glór stage for the First Friday gig on October 1.
With an an engine room second to none comprising Ed Boyd and John Joe Kelly, the gig promises to be a trad highlight of this year.
With a hoard of All-Ireland Fleadh titles between them, Cathal, Dezi and Tóla have been members of many, many traditional music groups and bands including, Four Men and a Dog, Arcady, Toss the Feathers, Stockton’s Wing, the Sharon Shannon Band, the Mike McGoldrick Big Band, Calico, Guidewires, the Alan Kelly Band, Gráda and Lúnasa to name just a few.
The name of Custy is synonymous with Clare fiddle music, and the fiddle playing of Tóla is one reason for that. From Toonagh, Tóla is one of the most well-known performers, composers and recording artists on the Irish music scene at present. An iconic album made with Cyril O’Donoghue in 1994, Setting Free, has become one of the much-loved duet albums of the past few decades.
Cathal Hayden from County Tyrone was born into a family with a deep musical background. His two solo albums, Handed Down in 1980 and Cathal Hayden in 1999 have become classics over the years. As a musician who has been involved in the release of many albums, Cathal remains happy in the knowledge that he has helped bring Irish traditional music to a worldwide stage, making it more popular than ever before. Through his virtuoso playing, he has become an ambassador for fiddle and banjo players for the country as a whole.
Manchester-based fiddle player and All-Ireland Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 1999, Dezi Donnelly stands apart from others of his generation. According to Paddy Glackin from the liner notes of Dezi’s solo album Familiar Footsteps, “His playing bears all the hallmarks of someone who has grown naturally with the music”. 
See www.glor.ie for further information and booking.