Randal Bays is an American born, Irish style fiddler and guitarist who brings power and passion to the old tradition. He’s well known on both sides of the Atlantic for his fiery fiddling and his devotion to the traditional style of playing. He has a special love for the fiddle traditions of Counties Clare and Galway, where he’s spent many a night playing tunes with the masters of that intricate music. Randal has recorded and toured in the US, Ireland and Europe with such musicians as Martin Hayes, James Keane and Daithí Sproule (Fingal), James Kelly and many more. In 2021 he received the Irish Artist in America Achievement Award from O’Flaherty Irish Music in Texas. Randal lives in the Seattle area and is the Artistic Director of Cascadia Irish Music Week. As Fiddler Magazine says, “Randal Bays is one of the finest Irish fiddlers one could ever hope to hear.”

Randal is also famed as a fingerstyle guitarist. He recorded two seminal albums with Irish fiddler Martin Hayes in the early ’90s (Martin Hayes and Under the Moon) and later contributed two tracks to the Masters of the Irish Guitar CD on Shanachie Records. In 2012 Randal finally released his first album of solo guitar work, Oyster Light.

Watch: Randal Bays live at Jack Straw with Susan Waters and Clint Dye

Artist Support Program 2023: Recordings of live ‘house show’ style performances of Irish music.

Artist Support Program 2014: Record an album of the traditional Irish style music that’s been played and created in the Pacific NW over the last few decades.

Artist Support Program 2007: Record new compositions based on traditional American folk music, Irish and Celtic music.

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