“Hey Mary (Play a Song for Me)” - Robin James Hurt
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Robin James Hurt has always been a master of stitching stories into sound, and with “Hey Mary (Play a Song for Me)” he’s turned his gaze toward one of Dublin’s unsung heroes—the kind of street legend who makes Grafton Street more than just a shopping thoroughfare, but a living, breathing stage. Máire Begley’s name might not be familiar to everyone outside of Ireland, but if you’ve ever walked past Bewley’s Café and felt the air lift with her music, you know exactly why Hurt felt compelled to capture her spirit in song.
What he’s crafted is no sombre ballad or stiff tribute—it’s a joyous, jangling celebration. From the first chiming guitar lines, the track bursts with warmth, powered by a rhythm section that snaps and shuffles like a polka running headlong into power-pop. Hurt’s decision to lean on a 12-string gives the tune that unmistakable shimmer, and Graham Carey’s drumming keeps it all surging forward with an energy that calls to mind Stewart Copeland’s restless precision in The Police. It’s both earthy and electric, grounded in tradition but hungry for the open air.
The lyrics, penned by Tony Floyd Kenna, strike just the right note: simple, heartfelt, and full of admiration. They don’t weigh the song down; instead, they let the melody and spirit of Máire’s legacy shine through. You can hear why Hurt says the tune “poured out of me”—it has that unforced, lived-in quality of something that already existed, waiting to be found. And when he sings it live, the crowd’s instant connection makes sense. The song feels like a busking performance: spontaneous, communal, fleeting but unforgettable.
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
What makes “Hey Mary” so effective is its balance of nostalgia and immediacy. Yes, it tips its hat to Dublin’s street music traditions, but it also feels alive, modern, and celebratory rather than sepia-toned. Hurt recorded the entire thing at his own home studio, The Flux Capacitor, on a vintage eight-track cassette recorder—and that choice matters. The track hums with analog warmth, every strum and strike landing with a tactile richness that digital gloss could never replicate.
This isn’t just a song about Máire Begley. It’s about the people who make music not for fame, but for connection. It’s about the way a street corner can become sacred ground, how a passing moment can lodge itself in your memory forever. Hurt captures that alchemy—the everyday magic of music as a bridge between strangers—and distills it into three and a half minutes of ringing, heartfelt joy.
With “Hey Mary (Play a Song for Me),” Robin James Hurt reminds us why he’s one of Ireland’s most vital voices: rooted in tradition, but unafraid to shake it up, amplify it, and send it dancing back into the streets where it belongs.
“Hey Mary” is available now on all major streaming platforms
