Distinguished trad trio at home with recording

Martin Hayes, Peadar Ó Riada and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh reunite for second album Triúr Arís,says Nicki ffrench Davis

MARTIN Hayes talks fondly of returning to the studio with Peadar Ó Riada and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. The ‘studio’ was the haven of the Ó Riada home in Cúil Aodha, and the three illustrious musicians share bonds of friendship and admiration. In 2010, they released their first album together, a collection of Ó Riada’s compositions, Triúr sa Draighean, to critical acclaim.

In December, 2011 they returned to An Draighean, the house named after the blackthorn, to record a follow-up. “There’s a room there called Seán’s Room, or also the library,” Hayes says, referring to Ó Riada’s father, the composer and cultural catalyst Seán Ó Riada. “It’s full of books on history, psychology, music, world religions, philosophy, with instruments galore and a roaring open fire. There’s not a lot of room in there for anything else. It’s full of history and warmth and it turns out the acoustics are very good too. We’d just sit and play, looking out the window at the trees.”