The Haar
A fresh, boundary-pushing take on traditional songs.
‘We need more music like this; spontaneous, alive and affecting’ – FRUK
The Haar introduces the formidable singing talent of All-Ireland Scór na nÓg winner Molly Donnery combined with three of the most exciting instrumentalists on the folk and traditional music scene in Cormàc Byrne (Show of Hands/Seth Lakeman/FATEA Instrumentalist of the Year), Adam Summerhayes (Zum/Red Priest/Dodo Street), and Murray Grainger (Piers Adams/Miranda Sykes/Martin Allcock) – both of the FATEA award-winning The Ciderhouse Rebellion.
The origins of the band go back to a chance meeting between Adam, Cormac and Molly at a session at the Craiceann Bodhrán Festival. This resulted in an improvised performance recorded by the shipwreck of the Plassey on the west coast of Ireland. It was to become typical of the unique ‘live reactive composition’ that characterises their music. With the addition of master accordionist Grainger, they entered the studio at the end of 2019 to record their first album.
Their self-titled debut, released in June 2020, is a collection of traditional Irish songs tackling love, poverty and oppression. It was heralded as “a splendid balance of swirling instrumental magic and beautifully sung narratives” by Folk Radio UK and garnered attention from Mike Harding who described it as “absolutely amazing”.
The latest album, entitled Where Old Ghosts Meet received multiple rave reviews and has paved the way for outstanding festival appearances at Shrewsbury, Beardy Folk, and at other prestigious stages.
‘A sweeping panorama of Irish traditional music and song’ – Songlines
‘The Haar conjuring magic that had long been hidden in plain sight, responding melodically in a mesmerising impromptu arc of artistry’ – Irish Music Magazine
‘Very rarely does an album appear unheralded and threaten to make a major impact. The Haar is one of those rarities’ – Folking