The Haar
18.50 -
The Haar brings the fresh talent of traditional Irish singer Molly Donnery combined with three of the most exciting instrumentalists on the folk and traditional music circuit: Cormac Byrne (Instrumentalist of the Year 2019, FATEA Magazine Music Awards), Adam Summerhayes (‘a Paganini of the traditional violin’ fROOTS) and Murray Grainger (‘Gorgeous stuff’ BBC Radio 3).
The band has its origins in a chance meeting between Adam, Cormac and Molly at a trad session at Craiceann Bodhrán Festival, Inis Oírr, resulting in an improvised live performance recorded by the shipwreck of the Plassey on the wild Atlantic seafront. It was to become typical of the unique ‘live reactive composition’ that characterises their music. With the addition of master accordionist Grainger, they entered the studio at the end of 2019 to record their debut album ’The Haar’ with no plans or arrangements, guided only by the live musical landscapes they created -
“This is not a dyed-
“The Haar conjuring magic that had long been hidden in plain sight, responding melodically in a mesmerising impromptu arc of artistry.” Irish Music Magazine
Mike Harding said: “I think it’s an absolutely amazing album. Full of great traditional music, just sung and played brilliantly.”
2019: The Haar
2022: Where Old Ghosts Meet
Mike Harding said: “I think it’s an absolutely amazing album. Full of great traditional music, just sung and played brilliantly.”
“We need more music like this; spontaneous, alive and affecting, The Haar will take you on a journey and have you appreciating the purest of life’s pleasures. Wonderful stuff.” Folk Radio UK.
Featuring not one but two FATEA Instrumentalists of the Year Award winners, The Haar take a familiar tune and turn it into something fresh that mysteriously feels as if you have known it forever.
As the band themselves say: “We let our imaginations run free with these old favourites,” and the result is breathtaking and ambitious.
“This is not a dyed-
Four musicians, each at the pinnacle of their respective fields, whose spontaneity thrives on the trust they put in each other to create their unique and “splendid balance of swirling instrumental magic and beautifully sung narratives” (Folk Radio UK).