Robin James Hurt: Hey Mary
Robin James Hurt Finds the Heart of Dublin in “Hey Mary (Play a Song for Me)”
by Jack Rush
Robin James Hurt has always had a gift for turning lived moments into song, for stitching the pulse of ordinary life into music that feels timeless. With “Hey Mary (Play a Song for Me),” he shines a light on one of Dublin’s quiet icons—street musician Máire Begley—whose performances on Grafton Street have long been part of the city’s living soundtrack. For anyone who’s ever paused outside Bewley’s Café and heard her voice rising above the crowd, Hurt’s latest single feels instantly familiar, like a smile across the street from an old friend.
But this isn’t a solemn tribute or a misty-eyed elegy. “Hey Mary” bursts to life with jangling guitars, warm harmonies, and a rhythm section that snaps and shuffles with joyful abandon. The sound lands somewhere between folk-rock and vintage power-pop, with a 12-string shimmer that glows through the mix. Drummer Graham Carey anchors the track with a punchy, kinetic energy reminiscent of The Police’s Stewart Copeland—restless, precise, and alive. Hurt’s production choice to record on an eight-track cassette at his home studio, The Flux Capacitor, gives the track an intimate, analog charm that can’t be faked. Every strum, tap, and breath feels close enough to touch.
The lyrics, written by Dublin poet Tony Floyd Kenna, are simple yet luminous. They never weigh the song down with sentimentality; instead, they let Máire’s spirit breathe freely through Hurt’s melody. It’s music made in the same spirit as the woman who inspired it—unguarded, immediate, and full of connection. You can feel that authenticity in the way Hurt performs it live: it’s spontaneous, communal, and impossible not to be swept up in.
“Hey Mary (Play a Song for Me)” is one of the standout moments from Hurt’s new album, A Song, A Story Told — a deeply personal, handcrafted record out October 17, 2025. The album marks a new chapter for the acclaimed Irish-Scottish singer and guitarist, who’s shared stages with legends like Sinéad O’Connor, Ronnie Drew, and Finbar Furey. Here, he trades studio polish for raw honesty, recording on vintage cassette machines to capture something breathing and real.
Co-written with Kenna, A Song, A Story Told explores themes of home, loss, joy, and memory with equal heart. The title track is a tender lullaby from parent to child; “Room Full of Music” swings with irresistible groove; and “Hey Mary” anchors the collection as its radiant, street-lit centerpiece—a love song to music itself, and to the people who make it for love, not glory.
This record isn’t a product—it’s a passion project. It’s handmade, heartfelt, and steeped in the Irish storytelling tradition that Hurt embodies so naturally. With “Hey Mary (Play a Song for Me),” he reminds us that sometimes the most powerful songs are the ones that take us back to the street corner, where art, memory, and life blur together under the open sky.
Have a listen and connect with Robin James Hurt:
