Irish fiddler Martin Hayes will perform at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford on March 15, 2026.

Submitted

Usher in St. Patrick’s Day with legendary Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, appearing in his only Connecticut performance at the University of Saint Joseph’s Hoffman Auditorium on Sunday, March 15 at 3 p.m.

A former West Hartford resident, Hayes returns to Connecticut for one exclusive solo concert. Distinguished by The Irish Post as “the most important Irish musician of his generation,” this is a rare opportunity to experience this world-class artist performing solo in an intimate concert setting. As The Irish Examiner noted, a Hayes performance is “as close to a spiritual experience as music can be … food for the soul.”

“I’m thrilled to continue the tradition of presenting top-tier cultural events at USJ’s Hoffman Auditorium to bring our campus community and the public together around the arts and humanities,” says Aidan Levy, an assistant professor of English at USJ who is co-organizing the concert. “A Martin Hayes performance is a can’t-miss event – he’ll be at Carnegie Hall on St. Patrick’s Day, but he’s starting his U.S. tour right here in West Hartford, which he once called home. So in a way, this concert is not just an opportunity to celebrate the best of Irish culture – it’s also a homecoming.”

The performance will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, at Hoffman Auditorium, University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Ave., West Hartford, CT 06117.

Full price tickets are $40, the senior/veteran discount is $30, non-USJ student tickets are $20. All tickets are general admission/seating. The venue is wheelchair-accessible. It should be a fantastic afternoon of Irish music.

About Martin Hayes

Martin Hayes is widely regarded as one of the most significant talents to emerge in the world of Irish traditional music. His soulful interpretations of traditional Irish music are recognized the world over for their exquisite musicality and irresistible rhythm. He toured and recorded with guitarist Dennis Cahill for over twenty years, performing for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities at the White House and House of Representatives in 2011. He has collaborated with extraordinary musicians in the classical, folk, and contemporary music worlds, including Sting, Paul Simon, Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, Bill Frisell, Ricky Skaggs, Jordi Savall, Brooklyn Rider, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, and many of the greatest traditional Irish musicians. He is the artistic director of Masters of Tradition, an annual festival in Bantry, Co. Cork, and a co-curator for the Marble Sessions at the Kilkenny Arts Festival.

Hayes has been recognized as Gradam Ceoil Musician of the Year by TG4, Person of the Year by the American Irish Historical Society in New York City, and is recipient of the annual Spirit of Ireland award from the Irish Arts Center NY. He was the first musician to win the BBC Instrumentalist of the Year award and the first to win the RTE Folk Instrumentalist of the Year. He received an Honorary Doctor of Music from the University of Galway.

Hayes founded the Irish-American supergroup The Gloaming, which tours internationally and received the prestigious Meteor Prize in 2014 for their debut album. He was the recipient of six All-Ireland championships before the age of nineteen and spent his youth in County Clare playing in his late father P.J. Hayes’ Tulla Ceili Band, which has now been together for more than 70 years.

Opening Act

An opening set will feature a solo performance by former Connecticut Official State Troubadour Tom Callinan paying tribute to New Ross, County Wexford, Hartford’s Irish sister city, as well as an Irish traditional music ensemble led by fiddler Jeanne Freeman, director of the Connecticut Academy of Irish Music, with past All-Ireland button accordion champion Damien Connolly, Claudine Langille on mandolin, and Flynn Cohen(of the John Whelan band) on guitar.

This concert is generously supported by the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation.

For any questions, please contact Aidan Levy at [email protected].

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