Photo Credit: Mollie McKay
Dark folk trio Saltaire have released their new single, ‘Slip Jigs & Jenny’s’, with the announcement of their highly anticipated debut EP, Only Moonlight, out on February 27th.
Saltaire will showcase at Your Roots Are Showing on Wednesday, January 14th at 11:30pm, and Tradfest Culture Ireland on Friday, the 23rd of January at 2:45pm.
Following their haunting debut original single ‘The Axe’, which earned RTÉ Radio 1 Recommends inclusion, and their compelling rendition of ‘Matty Groves’, new single ‘Slip Jigs & Jenny’s’ continues to frame Saltaire’s ascent as compelling new players in the contemporary Irish folk and trad scene.
With ‘The Axe’ and ‘Matty Groves’ introducing Saltaire as songwriters and folk collectors, ‘Slip Jigs & Jenny’s’ establishes the traditional instrumental dimension of what Saltaire has to offer. The track introduces Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz’s cello not only as an atmospheric and textural foundation to the Saltaire sound, but as a leading melody player in its own right. The entrance of other instruments taking over the melody (flute by Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, banjo by Ryan McAuley, piano by Catherine McHugh) atop a powerful and lush accompaniment foundation by Ian Kinsella and Conor Lyons on guitar/bouzouki/bodhran, opens up a mesmeric and multi-dimensional space for harmony and countermelody amongst all the players.
This set of tunes was developed in a patchwork fashion; Cullen-Verhauz, Kinsella and McAuley were performing together representing Ireland at the World Expo in Dubai in 2021, and the first two slip jigs (‘Fig For A Kiss’ and ‘The Foxhunter’) frequented their set list. These were also some of the first tunes that Cullen-Verhauz learned on the cello, and upon returning to Ireland, she brought them with her to gigs with Lyons and Ó’Ceannabháin, who built upon the set with with the third slipjig (‘Elizabeth Kelly’s Delight’). Lastly, concluding tune ‘Jenny’s Chickens’ resulted in the band beginning to refer to the set in sessions as ‘the slip jigs & jenny’s’.
Self-dubbed ‘a band of backers’, Saltaire’s music is a collective experience, expanding outward via close friendships with some of Ireland’s most talented musicians in the folk and Irish traditional space. Frequent collaborators Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Ryan McAuley and Catherine McHugh bring nuance and freshness to Saltaire’s carefully selected renditions and originals, steeped in tradition and moreover incredibly inventive.
On the collaborative nature that defines Saltaire, Cullen-Verhauz says, “As a cellist, new to the tradition and a bit of a blow-in, I’ve been really fortunate to have the support and encouragement of my closest friends, who also happen to be some of the most exciting talents in contemporary Irish music. Over the last nearly ten years living in Ireland, every friend in traditional music that has included me in a session, invited me to join them on stage or in the studio, or even shared some of their own favourite tracks and tunes from the archive to absorb and learn, has made an indelible impact on my life as a musician.
She continues, “I am so grateful to continue to be welcomed into the fold and educated by my friends. Playing with this particular group of heads feels like a particularly appropriate love/thank you letter to a greater community that has given me so much. Having the track open with the cello leading the melody is pretty nerve-wracking and vulnerable, but exciting nonetheless as I don’t know how many if any recordings exist with a cello melody line backed by the bouzouki.
The arrangement came together rather organically as each instrument layers, weaving over and under one another, building momentum that ebbs and flows from start to finish. We did some fine tuning in the studio, but most of the arrangement decisions happened instinctively playing the set over time. It’s great when a set marinates gradually, on and off stage, from the pub to the green room to the sitting room, and everywhere else in between”.
Taken from their highly anticipated debut EP Only Moonlight, ‘Slip Jigs & Jenny’s’ reflects Saltaire’s deep-rooted trad sensibilities, shaped by attentive, intricate arrangements and finely honed musicianship.
ABOUT SALTAIRE
Saltaire brings together three distinct musical voices, shaped by years of performing in acclaimed Irish traditional and folk bands and as sought-after session musicians. Comprised of singer/cellist Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz, guitarist Ian Kinsella and bodhrán/bouzouki player Conor Lyons, Saltaire creates a rich tapestry of sound, fusing Irish and American folk and trad styles.
Kaitlin, a performer with 2025 RTÉ Folk Award winners Natalie Ní Chasaide & Iarfhlaith Ó Domhnaill, has also played with the esteemed Frankie Gavin & De Dannan band alongside fellow Saltaire member Ian Kinsella. Conor Lyons, founding member of The Bonny Men, performs with both Cullen-Verhauz and Kinsella in Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin’s live band, with all members featuring on his debut solo album The Deepest Breath (awarded 4 stars by The Irish Times).
Their combined experience fueling a bold and dynamic sound, the band weave haunting, ethereal folk styles with rich storytelling to create original songs and reimagined folk ballads and traditional tunes. With the deep resonance of cello, the rhythmic pulse of bodhrán, and the melodic interplay of guitar and bouzouki, they craft a fresh yet dense folk sound that feels both timeless and nostalgic.
They have played to packed audiences in venues such as Whelan’s, The Duncairn, The Cobblestone and the Button Factory. Gracing the main stages of Vantastival, Wild Roots, Féile Binn Éadair, and the St. Patrick’s Day Festival Quarter at Collins Barracks, the trio have also showcased at Your Roots Are Showing – Ireland’s Folk Conference, Hooks&Reels events and World Unplugged concerts, which included a support slot for David Kitt in March 2023.
SINGLE CREDITS:
Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz: Cello
Ian Kinsella: Guitar
Conor Lyons: Bodhran, bouzouki
Ryan McAuley: Banjo
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin: Flute
Catherine McHugh: Piano
Alex Browick: Co-producer & engineer (Black Mountain Recording Studios)
Seán Mac Erlaine: Mastering engineer
Cover art: Rachel Kenny
Photography: Mollie McKay
ONLY MOONLIGHT EP TRACKLISTING
01 Aldborough Parade
02 Matty Groves
03 Slip Jigs & Jenny’s
04 Lungs
05 The Axe
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