Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill take instrumental Irish music to new heights while staying close to the old turf. Rather than charging through Celtic airs at breakneck speed like many fiddlers, Hayes, who grew up in rural County Clare, prefers to tease out the soul of the music. His long sets of tunes can run over 15 minutes, gathering pace, slowing down, building back up, playing with moods, always meticulously accompanied by long-time musical partner Cahill on guitar. They were in Vancouver last fall as members of Irish folk supergroup the Gloaming and return as a duo to St. James Hall on Sunday (May 3).