The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
RENOWNED East Clare fiddle player Martin Hayes, has published an eagerly-awaited memoir detailing his remarkable musical journey. Described as “profoundly moving,” the book is entitled Shared Notes. It traces Martin’s early days learning music from his legendary father P Joe, through his meteoric rise in traditional music circles, to his modern-day collatorations and the founding of Irish-American trad sensation, The Gloaming . Now one of Ireland’s most treasured traditional musicians, Martin, who lives in Spain, was born in Maghera. As he grew up, life revolved around the famous Tulla Céilí Band, co-founded by his father in 1946. The household was steeped in musical tradition. In a 1960s kitchen with no refrigerator, where the food came straight from the family farm, a session could start at any moment. Ireland’s greatest traditional musicians regularly turned up unannounced and were welcomed in. At the age of 13, Martin won his first of six All-Ireland Fiddle Championships. In later years, he was named TG4’s Gradam …
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