Martin Hayes, fiddle
Cormac McCarthy, piano
Kate Ellis, cello
Kyle Sanna, guitar
Brian Donnellan, bouzouki, harmonium & concertina

Martin Hayes & The Common Ground Ensemble perform at NCH to mark the release of their debut album 'Peggy’s Dream' on Friday 24 March 2023.

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 possess a wealth of talent spanning trad Irish music, improvisation, arrangement, jazz, avant-garde and cutting edge contemporary classical.

Rooted in the classical, folk and contemporary worlds, he founded the seminal Irish-American supergroup The Gloaming, whose self-titled debut album won the Meteor Choice Music Prize for Best Irish Album. Their global touring has included more than a dozen shows at Dublin’s National Concert Hall as well as performances at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Barbican. Hayes has collaborated with everyone from Bill Frisell and Yo-Yo Ma to Sting and Paul Simon. Hayes' long-term creative partnership with Dennis Cahill also saw the duo perform for President Obama at the White House.