Born and raised in Dublin, Shay’s first instrument was the drum kit. His dad was a drummer and it was inevitable his sense of rhythm would be passed on. While still in school Shay played in various bands playing drums and bass guitar and it was during these early days that he then started playing guitar and developed a keen interest in folk music. This interest led him to start a folk group “General Humbert” with Mary Black as lead singer. The group recorded two successful albums in 1976 and 1982 and undertook extended tours of Ireland, UK and Europe. Shay went on to join “The Buskers” (former home of The Fureys & Davey Arthur) between 1983 and 1992, playing in many venues and festivals including the Edinburgh Folk Festival. In 1992 Shay joined The Dublin City Ramblers in which he played bass and sang until 2002, recording several albums.
Upon leaving the Dublin City Ramblers, he went back to college to study Sound Engineering, Music Production and Technology while continuing to play locally as a session musician. Shay has toured extensively in the US and Europe and in 2016 he appeared on a number of tours with the Dublin Legends replacing Eamonn Campbell who took time out due to ill health. He continues to play music especially with Irish folk and ballad music to the fore. Shay is an experienced and accomplished acoustic guitarist and vocalist having worked with other bands including Frances Black, The Buskers, The Wolfe Tones, The Furey Brothers, The Jolly Beggar Men & The Sons of Erin.