The Gloaming

"The music of the Emerald Isle may have spread far and wide, but there is little that will be performed that sounds like The Gloaming." The New Yorker

The Gloaming is a collaboration between five musicians named Martin Hayes (violin, fiddle), Thomas Bartlett aka Doveman (piano), Iarla Ó Lionaird (vocals), Dennis Cahill (guitar) and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (hardanger fiddle.) The members range in age from 30 something to 50 something, live in America and Ireland, and each one has won individual renown as a master musician.

In early 2011, the five musicians first met in a studio an hour northwest of Dublin to explore their collaboration. Newly christened The Gloaming, they went on their first Irish tour, including a sold out debut show at The National Concert Hall, Dublin. Ireland's prime minister was in attendance that night to give a sense of the excitement surrounding their formation.

The Gloaming's work is based on traditional Irish forms, the basic grammar of which is known as a "reel."Into these traditional structures, they introduce deep wells of personality and experience; lyrics drawn from the history of Irish literature; and playing that is executed with the authority of virtuosos. The result is haunting and emotionally charged, and unclouded by sheen or hokey sentimentality. It sounds ancient without a hint of nostalgia.