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Randal's bio - download
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Reviews - download
Stage setup - download

Discography:
  • “Oyster Light" - 2010 Solo Fingerstyle Guitar
  • "Dig With It” – 2009 with Dave Marshall (Foxglove Records)
  • “Fingal” – 2007 w/ Daithi Sproule, James Keane (New Folk Records)
  • “Masters of the Irish Guitar” – 2006 Shanachie Rec.(compilation)
  • “Katy Bar the Door” – 2006 (Foxglove Records)
  • “House to House” – 2005 (with Roger Landes) (Foxglove Records)
  • "Overland" - 2004 (with Dáithí Sproule) (Foxglove Records)
  • "The Salmon's Leap" - 2000 (Foxglove Records)
  • "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)
  • “Steam” – 2002 with John Williams (Green Linnet Records)
  • "John Williams" - 1995 with John Williams (Green Linnet Records)
  • "Martin Hayes" - 1993 with Martin Hayes (Green Linnet Records)

Randal Bays

Randal Bays Photo 1

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Randal Bays - biography

"A commanding presence on the fiddle." - The Irish Times

His playing has power and passion... simply a joy to listen to.” - Dirty Linen Magazine


Randal Bays is a self-taught US-born musician who's been playing Irish fiddle for more than thirty years; he's now widely recognized as a master of that complex, ancient art, in particular the traditional styles of Co. Clare and Co. Galway. He's "among the best Irish style fiddlers of his generation", according to Fiddler Magazine. Randal has toured and recorded with many of the great Irish musicians of the day, including James Keane and Daithi Sproule (in the band FINGAL), James Kelly, Martin Hayes, Michéal O'Domhnaill and many more. He also has a string of great independent recordings to his credit, including his live CD "House to House" (with Roger Landes), which was picked by the Irish Times as one of the "top five traditional recordings of 2005".

Randal Bays is also famed as a fingerstyle guitarist, having recorded two seminal albums with Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, also with contributions to the “Masters of the Irish Guitar” CD on Shanachie Records. Randal recently released his first album of solo guitar work, “Oyster Light”.

Randal has performed all over the US, Europe and Canada, and is in great demand as a teacher of Irish fiddle. He co-founded and served for ten years as Artistic Director of the Friday Harbor Irish Music Week, and is now Program Director of the Cascadia Irish Music Week on Whidey Island, Washington.


Selected Performances and music camps:

Catskills Irish Arts Week – East Durham, NY

San Francisco Celtic Music and Arts Festival – San Francisco, CA

Willie Clancy Festival and Summer School – Co. Clare, Ireland

Festival des Musiques-Vivantes – Ris-Orangis, France

Chicago Celtic Festival – Chicago, IL

Gaelic Roots Festival – Boston, MA

Lotus Fest World Music Festival – Bloomington, IN

Augusta Heritage Week – Elkins, WV

Winnipeg Irish Festival – Winnipeg, MB

Austin Celtic Fest – Austin TX

Chicago Celtic Heritage Festival – Chicago IL

Milwaukee Irish Fest – Milwaukee WI

Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp – Colorado

Young Irish Musicians Weekend – St. Paul MN

O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat – Dallas TX

Zoukfest Music Festival – Taos NM

Friday Harbor Irish Music Week – Friday Harbor WA