Praised by the Irish Times as a musician with an “insatiable appetite for adventure”, the Irish fiddler is founder of the musical supergroup The Gloaming, as well as The Common Ground Ensemble, and the Martin Hayes Quartet. He is Artistic Director of Masters of Tradition, an annual festival in Cork, and a co-curator for the Marble Sessions at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, Ireland.

Martin has performed in venues such as the Barbican, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Philharmonie Cologne, Philharmonie de Paris, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, and Usher Hall Edinburgh. In 2023 Martin performed at The Kennedy Centre in Washington in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Northern Ireland's Good Friday Agreement. He has created collaborations in the classical, folk and contemporary music worlds such as Bill Frisell, Ricky Scaggs, Jordi Savall, Brooklyn Rider and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra. He has performed on stage with musicians such as Sting and Paul Simon and has recorded with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project.

Recent and future highlights include a tour of the UK and Ireland with The Common Ground Ensemble, to cities including Dublin, Edinburgh, and London; an appearance at The Auckland Arts festival in New Zealand; a concert at the Fundacion Juan Marche in Madrid, Spain; a concert at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, and appearances at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, Ireland. In 2023, Martin released his first recording entitled "Peggy's Dream" with the Common Ground Ensemble which received a 5-star review in the Irish Times.

Growing up in a musical family in rural county Clare, Ireland, in a remote mountainous locality with a rich music tradition, instilled in him a deep love, understanding and connection to traditional music.