Launch Concert - Cathal Hayden, Seamie O'Dowd and Stephen Hayden

Cathal Hayden from Pomeroy Co. Tyrone is one of the biggest names on the traditional music circuit to-day. His recordings, whether solo or in collaboration with the acclaimed Four Men and a Dog or Maritin O’Connor Trio, and more recently with Christy Moore, have become standard bearers for emerging musicians over the last twenty years. Described as one the foremost fiddle and Banjo players of his generation, his long-awaited debut banjo CD ‘Hooked on Banjo’ was launched at the Brantry Fleadh 2016 to great acclaim. Siobhan Long from the Irish Times described it as ‘a force to be reckoned with, complex and elegant in equal measure and a very fine snapshot of a musician in full swing’. Christy Moore shares a similar opinion - ‘a beautiful album with tunes carefully chosen to form a perfect mixture of old and new’

Stephen Hayden, brother of Cathal, is regarded as one of the finest fiddle players of his generation. He first rose to fame as the fiddle player in energetic trad band Upstairs in a Tent, over 20 years ago. In more recent times Stephen has performed as a guest with bands such as the Mairtin O’Connor Trio and Four men and a dog, before coming a full-time member of the ’Dogs’

Séamie O’Dowd: Rooted deeply in the traditional music of his native Sligo, Séamie has added his talents to many genres of acoustic and electric music. His father Joe was a renowned traditional fiddler and the younger O’Dowd toured world-wide for several years with Sligo’s finest, Dervish. With Cathy Jordan and Rick Epping, the multi-instrumentalist is a member of the popular genre-crossing trio, The Unwanted, and currently is the guitarist and vocalist with the Martin O'Connor Trio, amongst many other collaborations. Seamie is a much sought-after accompanist.