Randal Bays & Aine Meenaghan


Randal Bays ~ Fiddle and Guitar	Aine Meenaghan ~ Sean-nos singer (bio)

Randal Bays ~ Fiddle and Guitar

"Bays is a rare beast, a master of both the fiddle and the guitar." Cork (Ireland) Examiner

"Bays' touch on the fiddle is warm and sure, and his love of the music is unmistakable." Irish Music Magazine (Dublin, Ireland)

"His technical command of the instrument, sure feel for traditional Irish style and superb choice of material make for one of the best American-produced Irish fiddle recordings of the CD era." The Irish Voice - New York

The Cork Examiner, Ireland's second largest newspaper, called Randal Bays "a rare beast, a master of both the fiddle and the guitar", and Fiddler Magazine said he is "among the best Irish fiddlers of his generation." This self-taught American musician has earned the highest critical praise for his recordings and concerts, and is recognized on both sides of the Atlantic as a multi-instrumentalist of uncommon talent.

Randal Bays has long been known as one of Seattle's finest fiddlers, but he first gained international recognition - as a guitarist - for his recordings with the brilliant Irish fiddler Martin Hayes. Randal's accompaniment to Hayes' superb East Clare fiddle style helped make Hayes' debut CD a critical success, and eventually one of the most popular Irish traditional recordings of the decade.

Randal's grasp of the Irish fiddle style is unique among non-Irish musicians, a result of more than twenty years of fiddling, listening, and sharing many a late-night session with the finest traditional musicians. In his work-shops and private lessons, the focus is on helping non-Irish fiddlers internalize a sense of an authentic Irish style, making the music their own while nurturing respect and understanding for its roots in Irish culture.

Randal has performed all over the U.S., Europe and Canada, including appearances at major festivals such as the San Francisco Celtic Music and Arts Festival, the Festival Des Musiques-Vivantes in France, the Willie Clancy Summer School and Festival in Ireland, and many more. In addition to his work with Martin Hayes, Randal has recorded or performed with many great musicians, including James Kelly, John Williams, Kevin Burke and Mícheál O'Dómhnaill. He is also a noted album producer and composer, having created original scores for several award-winning films and documentaries. His first solo fiddle album, "Out of the Woods" is available on Foxglove Records.

Discography:

"Out of the Woods" - 1997 Solo album (Foxglove Records)
"Pigtown Fling" - 1996 with Joel Bernstein (Foxglove Records)
"Wind on the Water" - 1995 (Foxglove Records)
"Under the Moon" - 1995 with Martin Hayes (Green Linnet Records)
"John Williams" - 1995 with John Williams (Green Linnet Records)
"Martin Hayes" - 1993 with Martin Hayes (Green Linnet Records)
"The Traveller's Return" - 1990 with Nancy Curtin
"The Rashers" - 1988 with Joel Bernstein "Nancy Curtin" - 1985 with Nancy Curtin
"Celtic Music of the Northwest" - 1982 with Wildgeese

AINE MEENAGHAN ~ Sean-nos singer

"Aine Meenaghan is a performer of traditional song of exceptionally high standard." The Irish Times

Aine Meenaghan (pronounced "Awnya Meenahan") was born and raised in the heart of the Connemara Gaeltacht, or Irish Gaelic speaking area of western Ireland. Irish was her first language, and she began singing the traditional songs at an early age, learning from friends and relatives not only the repertoire but also the highly ornamented and expressive sean-nos, or old-style way of singing. Her first public performance came at the age of eight, then at age eleven she competed and took the first prize for singing in the prestigious Fleadh Ceol An Iathair, the yearly music gathering and competition on the west coast of Ireland. This led to other performances and competitions, and finally at age seventeen Aine was invited to appear on Ireland's popular "Late Late Show" television program. Her performance there brought her to the attention of the whole country, and she was soon appearing on other radio and television programs, and was asked to make an album by one of Ireland's top recording companies. This project was never released, and Aine eventually left Ireland to work in England then America, began raising a family, and put her singing on the back burner.

A few years ago, Aine made a recording of some of her songs, which led to requests for performances, and she's found her singing much in demand ever since. She has appeared at some of this country's biggest Irish and Celtic music festivals, including Washington D.C.'s Wolftrap Festival, the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the City of Chicago Irish Music Festival, and others. She has performed with a number of great musicians, including Martin Hayes, Randal Bays, and John Williams, and she was the recipient of a grant from the Illinois Arts Council to teach sean-nos singing and Irish language in the Chicago area.

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