A Musical Education

Martin Hayes is an internationally-renowned, virtuosic, traditional Irish fiddle-player. The Irish Times newspaper said of him that, 'In the decades to come, we’ll surely talk of having seen this man in the way others talk of Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix or John Coltrane.' In this series of The Essay, in conversation with Olivia O'Leary, one of Ireland's most respected journalists and presenters, he brings us on a deep dive into the world of the traditional Irish fiddle.

In this first episode, Martin describes how he learned to play as traditional musicians have for
centuries, by watching and imitating his father, PJ Hayes, his uncle by marriage, Paddy Canny, and other musicians. He contrasts different regional styles of playing - the staccato Donegal style and his own, more laid-back Clare style - and describes how he always in search of the draíocht (magic) or soulful nature of the music.

Music:

Lord Leitrim, performed by Martin Hayes
Rolling in the Barrel, from the album An Historic Recording of Irish Traditional Music from County Clare and East Galway, performed by Paddy Canny and PJ Hayes, accompanied by Peter O'Loughlin and Bridie Lafferty
The Morning Star, performed by Martin Hayes
The Wild Geese, performed by Martin Hayes

Presenter: Olivia O'Leary
Producer: Claire Cunningham
Executive Producer: Regan Hutchins
Sound Supervisor: Sean Byrne (Tinpot Productions)

Martin Hayes Turns The Tune is a Rockfinch production for BBC Radio 3.