Dennis Cahill, one of the world’s finest guitarists in traditional Irish music, has died at the age of 68. A native of Chicago born to parents from the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland, Dennis was best known for playing alongside Irish fiddle player Martin Hayes and also as a member of The Gloaming.
The following statement was shared on his website today by Irish musician and friend Jimmy Keane:
Our dearest Dennis passed away peacefully on Monday evening, with his beloved Mary by his side as she has throughout his journey. Just moments before — we were comforting Dennis while The Lament for Limerick from Dennis’ album with Martin was on in the background — and as the track advanced to My Love is in America, Mary turned off the player, leaned over to hug and kiss Dennis one last time – and then he was gone…
Too heartbroken to write any more…
Play a tune today.
Sing a song.
Tell a corny joke.
Sip a whiskey.
Cherish a memory…
My loving condolences to Mary, Cliodhna, the Cahill family, and all of Dennis’ many friends…
Love you Dennis and rest gently in peace…
President Michael D. Higgins made the following statement
“It is with great sadness that those with a love of traditional Irish music across Ireland, his native Chicago and around the world will have heard of the death of Dennis Cahill.
Dennis brought a unique and innovative style to his guitar playing, while being deeply respectful of the essence of traditional Irish music. He will, of course, be best remembered for his collaborations with Martin Hayes both as a duo and within the group The Gloaming. Together they explored new musical territory and helped create a phenomenal interest in traditional music among a whole new generation of people both within Ireland and across the world.
I had the pleasure of hearing Dennis perform on many occasions and will always remember in particular the performance by The Gloaming as part of the concert ‘Ceiliúradh’, held in the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2014 as part of my State Visit.
On behalf of Sabina and myself, I would like to express my deepest sympathies to Dennis’s wife Mary, to his family and to all his friends and colleagues across the world.
Tá oidhreacht luachmhar cheoil fágtha ag Dennis do na glúinte atá le teacht. Suaimhneas síoraí dá anam uasal.”
In 2018 we interviewed Martin Hayes, who spoke about his early albums with Dennis, the first being The Lonesome Touch (1997)
“The Lonesome Touch [1997] with Dennis Cahill on guitar was this effort to expand and connect with other musical ideas coming from things that I was listening to. I was listening to Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny’s album Beyond the Missouri Sky and I was hearing this kind of spaciousness, openness and unhurried kind of music. I wondered if we could do an unhurried version of our music – it doesn’t always have to be hell for leather. After that people were saying to me that your live gigs are very different from your studio albums, so I decided to make a live album [Live In Seattle 1999] with Dennis. I think then for a number of years after that Dennis and I just stayed inside our safety zone and we maybe spent longer than we should have done before we made Welcome Here Again [2008]…”.
Here’s an early interview with the duo:
It was that unhurried pace and interaction that captured the ears and hearts of many as it did Bob Boilen, the producer of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, who had them on in 2013. His comments said it all:
Hayes has worked with many accompanying musicians, and some are equal partners, but with Dennis Cahill, you get delicate support. It’s a rhythm that keeps the tune in; that accents and colors it but never overtakes it. It’s brilliant restraint that serves the music and perfectly suits his partner. So with fresh ears, come join us in a rare treat with a familiar sound.
Set List: The Mountain Lark/Tom Doherty’s Reel, P. Joe’s Reel/The Obama Reel, and O’Carolan’s Farewell To Music.
The following year, we experienced the first album from The Gloaming, something Martin and Dennis could never have seen coming.
In Martin’s words from our earlier interview:
“The Gloaming happened accidentally. I was in New York and Iarla Ó Lionáird [sean-nós singer], who I’d been friendly with my whole life, talked about doing some gigs with me and Dennis or having us accompany him on a few songs, but I couldn’t see how it would work. I also around then did some studio jamming in New York with Thomas Bartlett, who I had known since he was a kid and a few of his musical friends. Towards the end of the evening, Thomas and I just played a few tunes by ourselves and I thought there’s something here that works with the way he plays piano. So I started thinking that might work with Thomas, myself, Dennis and Iarla but then thought it’ll just be fiddle playing the tune and so I’ll just drop Caoimhín into this and that became the formation of The Gloaming. We just booked a few gigs in Ireland, with a sold-out gig at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, and we had yet to play a note. We booked a studio to rehearse and put something together. I wasn’t sure how it would work but it came together mainly because the people in it had a like-mindedness about that more open and moody way of dealing with the music”.
The Gloaming went on to sell-out shows. As noted in the opening of our live review of their 014 Union Chapel concert:
“It may not be quite right to say that The Gloaming have a hotline straight to the heart of the London Irish community, but this is the second time in just a few short months that I’ve seen them play a Union Chapel show packed to capacity.” He later notes how “you could pick out the guitar playing of Dennis Cahill, a man for whom less is almost certainly more as he brings his own pin-point minimalism into the ensemble playing.” Following this, they went on to win the 2014 Meteor Choice Prize Winner for Irish Album of the Year.
Their Gloaming 2 album followed in 2016, a Folk Radio Featured Album of the Month, followed by Live at the NCH in 2018 and The Gloaming 3 in 2019, again, one of our Featured Albums of the Month.
In 2017, Dennis, alongside Martin Hayes, Doug Wieselman and Liz Knowles formed the Martin Hayes Quartet and released The Blue Room which the Irish Times called a head turner and a masterclass in interpretation.
He always played with grace and magic. Rest in Peace.
Dennis Cahill – June 16, 1954 – June 20, 2022