Martin Hayes To Return To Australia In February 2026

Virtuosic Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, one of the most significant figures in Irish traditional music, will return to Australia in February 2026 for a national tour presented by Gaynor Crawford and Destroy All Lines.

Hayes is celebrated worldwide for his ability to draw the deepest emotion from Irish traditional music while opening it up to wider contemporary contexts.

His playing, described as soulful and searching, has redefined what Irish fiddle can be. The Irish Times wrote, “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.”

The Edinburgh Music Review called him “a master of phrasing, able to bring out the natural beauty of a tune … shaping and re-shaping its content, introducing an element of improvisation, and never losing sight of its form.”

Born in East County Clare, Hayes was raised on the sounds of Ireland’s folk traditions but has never allowed them to remain confined. His music reflects an acknowledgement of the past, coupled with a fearless curiosity that pushes tradition into new spaces.

For more than two decades, Hayes toured and recorded with the late guitarist Dennis Cahill, their duo becoming one of the most admired in traditional music. Together they brought Irish music to some of the most prestigious stages in the world, including a performance at the White House for President Barack Obama in 2011.

Hayes is also the founding force behind The Gloaming, the acclaimed supergroup whose debut album won the Meteor Prize in 2014. He has gone on to lead The Martin Hayes Quartet and The Common Ground Ensemble, each project showing different facets of his musical intelligence.

Throughout his career, Hayes has collaborated with an extraordinary range of artists across genres: Bill Frisell, Ricky Skaggs, Jordi Savall, Brooklyn Rider, the RTE Concert Orchestra, Sting, Paul Simon, and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project among them. His work has reached into theatre, dance, film, and television, carrying Irish music into new artistic territories.

For his 2026 Australian tour, Hayes will be joined by guitarist and composer Kyle Sanna. Based in New York, Sanna has been described by The New Yorker as a “first-rate” and “versatile” musician. His career spans traditional Irish music, jazz, and contemporary composition. He has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and some of the greatest living interpreters of Irish tradition.

Together, Hayes and Sanna create performances that strip away pretence, connecting melody with human spirit. Their concerts transform long-revered Irish tunes into profound emotional journeys, showing how music rooted in one small place can resonate universally.

Tour Dates – February 2026
Wed 18 February – Perth Festival
Thu 19 February – Perth Festival
Sat 21 February – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
Tue 24 February – Recital Centre, Melbourne
Wed 25 February – The Concourse, Chatswood, Sydney
Thu 26 February – Brisbane Powerhouse

Tickets on sale Thursday 4 September 2025 at 9am local time.

Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
 
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YOUTUBE and updated regularly. See things first SUBSCRIBE here: Noise11 on YouTube SUBSCRIBE
 

Tagged as: classical, fiddle, Ireland, Martin Hayes, violin