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Martin Mulhaire (1936–2020) grew up in Eyrecourt, where his father Tommy, who played a number of instruments and led a band, was his musical mentor. He took up the B/C accordion when he was 12 and was All-Ireland champion by 17, by which time he was already beginning to compose a sizeable collection of reels and jigs, many of them now session standards. Recruited to the Tulla Céilí Band by Paddy Canny and P.J. Hayes, Martin was with the band for a tour of England, an All-Ireland championship at the Dungarvan fleadh, and a 1958 trip to New York, where the band played Carnegie Hall and recorded a Dublin Records LP, Echoes of Erin. The band went home to Ireland, but Martin stayed in New York, where he and his wife Carmel raised a family. Reels and jigs took a back seat for years while Martin worked as a carpenter during the day and played electric guitar on weekends with the Majestic Showband, a group that also included uilleann piper Matty Connolly on the electric bass.
For more information on Martin Mulhaire and his music see Mulhaire Music.com
![Back row: Antóin Mac Gabhann, fiddle ; Sean Quinn, fiddle ; Kevin Quinn, flute ; Felix Dolan ; Brian Quinn, accordion ; Paul Keating ; Louis Quinn Jnr, banjo. Front row: Martin Mulhaire ; Joe Reavy ; Ed Reavy Jnr ; John 'Colm' Mulligan / Unidentified photographer. New York, 2000. Image courtesy Sean Quinn. / Unidentified photographer|Martin Mulhaire / Unidentified photographer|Majestic Showband studio shot. The band included uilleann piper Mattie Connolly on electric bass and button accordionist Martin Mulhaire on electric guitar. Mattie Connolly, bass guitar ; Martin Mulhaire, guitar ; unidentified, drums ; undentified, singing ; unidentified, saxophone ; undentified, guitar / Unidentified photographer. Woodside, New York, 1960s.|Stalwarts of New York [Back row: Felix Dolan, piano ; Joe Madden, accordion ; Martin Mulhaire, accordion ; Larry Reynolds, fiddle. Front row: Mattie Connolly, uilleann pipes, Mike Rafferty, flute ; Monsignor Charlie Coen, concertina ; Mike Preston, flute ; Jimmy Kelly, drums] / Unidentified photographer. New York, 2000s. Image courtesy Joanie Madden.](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/images.itma.ie/newyork/quinndolanetal.jpg|https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/images.itma.ie/newyork/martinmulhaire.jpg|https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/images.itma.ie/newyork/majesticshowband.jpg|https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/images.itma.ie/newyork/stalwartsofny.jpg "Back row: Antóin Mac Gabhann, fiddle ; Sean Quinn, fiddle ; Kevin Quinn, flute ; Felix Dolan ; Brian Quinn, accordion ; Paul Keating ; Louis Quinn Jnr, banjo. Front row: Martin Mulhaire ; Joe Reavy ; Ed Reavy Jnr ; John 'Colm' Mulligan / Unidentified photographer. New York, 2000. Image courtesy Sean Quinn. / Unidentified photographer|Martin Mulhaire / Unidentified photographer|Majestic Showband studio shot. The band included uilleann piper Mattie Connolly on electric bass and button accordionist Martin Mulhaire on electric guitar. Mattie Connolly, bass guitar ; Martin Mulhaire, guitar ; unidentified, drums ; undentified, singing ; unidentified, saxophone ; undentified, guitar / Unidentified photographer. Woodside, New York, 1960s.|Stalwarts of New York [Back row: Felix Dolan, piano ; Joe Madden, accordion ; Martin Mulhaire, accordion ; Larry Reynolds, fiddle. Front row: Mattie Connolly, uilleann pipes, Mike Rafferty, flute ; Monsignor Charlie Coen, concertina ; Mike Preston, flute ; Jimmy Kelly, drums] / Unidentified photographer. New York, 2000s. Image courtesy Joanie Madden.")
