Cathal Hayden

Cathal Hayden
Background information
Born1963 (age 60–61)
Rock, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
GenresIrish traditional music
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Fiddle, tenor banjo
Years active1970–present

Cathal Sean Hayden is a Northern Irish musician, acclaimed for his skilled style of Irish fiddle and tenor (four-stringed) banjo. He was born on 13 July 1963, in the village of the Rock, County Tyrone[1] (outside Pomeroy), an area immersed in traditional music.

The third of eight children, Hayden was born into an environment steeped in traditional Irish music; his father and both of his grandfathers all played the fiddle, with his father playing tenor banjo as well, inspiring Hayden as a boy to learn both instruments. Additionally, his mother was a pianist, often accompanying traditional musicians. As a young man, Hayden competed in the Fleadh Cheoil ([ˌfʲlʲaː ˈçoːlʲ]; English: "music festival"), Ireland's yearly international music competition-festival, winning the category of All-Ireland Champion on both banjo and fiddle. He is an original member of the group Four Men and a Dog, whose debut album, Barking Mad (1991), won Folk Roots' Best New Album award the year of its release.

Discography

  • Handed Down (1988)
  • Barking Mad (1991)
  • Shifting Gravel (1993)
  • Doctor A's Secret Remedies (1995)
  • Long Roads (1996)
  • Cathal Hayden (1999)
  • Maybe Tonight (2002)
  • Live in Belfast (2007)
  • Hooked on Banjo (2016)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Trad/Roots: How Tyrone musician Cathal Hayden got Hooked on Banjo". The Irish News. Retrieved 4 July 2020.

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