The Haar

Biography

The Haar is an Anglo-Irish folk band that emerged from a chance meeting at the Craiceann Bodhrán Festival on Inis Oírr, an island off the Irish coast. The band's origin story is rooted in spontaneity: vocalist Molly Donnery silenced a crowded Connemara pub with her gentle, whispery voice, which caught the attention of fiddle player Adam Summerhayes and bodhrán player Cormac Byrne. At sunset the following day, the three musicians met at the shipwreck of the Plassey on the wild Atlantic shoreline and performed an improvised traditional song with no rehearsal or arrangement. Accordionist Murray Grainger completed the lineup when he met Molly for the first time in the studio to record their debut album. The band's name derives from the haar—a sea mist that rolls in from the Irish and North Seas, characterized as fleeting, intangible, and unexpectedly clearing to reveal precious sunlight, a metaphor for their improvisational approach to music.

The Haar specializes in traditional Irish songs addressing themes of love, poverty, and oppression, performed through what they call 'live reactive composition'—an improvised space where each musician's talents flourish while Molly's vocals emerge with stunning clarity. Their eponymous debut album was released in 2020, followed by their second album 'Where Old Ghosts Meet' in 2022, which presented eight traditional Irish songs with the band's distinctive treatment. Known for taking familiar tunes and transforming them into something breathtakingly fresh and ambitious, the band creates ever-changing musical soundscapes through spontaneous, made-in-the-moment renditions. As of early 2026, they were recording their third album for release in early 2026. The band has earned critical acclaim for their boundary-pushing approach to traditional music, with reviewers praising their 'splendid balance of swirling instrumental magic and beautifully sung narratives.'

Fun Facts

• The Haar's origin story involves a spontaneous meeting at the Craiceann Bodhrán Festival on Inis Oírr, where Molly Donnery's unaccompanied singing in a crowded pub created an awed silence that impressed Adam Summerhayes and Cormac Byrne, leading them to meet at the historic shipwreck of the Plassey the next day.
• The band's name is inspired by the haar—a sea mist phenomenon that rolls in from the Irish and North Seas—chosen because it metaphorically represents their musical approach: fleeting, intangible, suddenly overwhelming, and then unexpectedly clearing.
• All tracks on The Haar's albums are first and only versions, recorded without rehearsal or predetermined arrangements; the music flows spontaneously from the band's first notes together, making each recording a unique, unrepeatable moment.
• Molly Donnery is an All-Ireland Scór na nÓg winner, and the band's three instrumentalists are each recognized as leaders in their fields: Cormac Byrne won FATEA Magazine's Instrumentalist of the Year in 2019, and Adam Summerhayes has been praised by fROOTS magazine as 'a Paganini of the traditional violin.'

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Molly Donnery - Lead vocalist and founding member; All-Ireland Scór na nÓg winner whose gentle, whispery voice is central to the band's sound (The Haar (2020), Where Old Ghosts Meet (2022), third album (2026)) [2018-present]
• Adam Summerhayes - Fiddle player and founding member; described as 'a Paganini of the traditional violin' by fROOTS magazine (The Haar (2020), Where Old Ghosts Meet (2022), third album (2026)) [2018-present]
• Cormac Byrne - Bodhrán player and founding member; FATEA Magazine Instrumentalist of the Year 2019 (The Haar (2020), Where Old Ghosts Meet (2022), third album (2026)) [2018-present]
• Murray Grainger - Accordion and vibrandoneon player; completed the band's lineup in the studio; previously collaborated with Adam Summerhayes as The Ciderhouse Rebellion (The Haar (2020), Where Old Ghosts Meet (2022), third album (2026); The Ciderhouse Rebellion (prior collaboration)) [2018-present]

External Links

• Spotify