{"id":110560,"date":"2019-11-12T14:44:34","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T14:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.tg4.ie\/?page_id=110560"},"modified":"2019-11-13T11:08:54","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T11:08:54","slug":"mayos-laoise-kelly-to-be-awarded-traditional-irish-musics-highest-honour","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dev.tg4.ie\/en\/information\/press\/press-releases\/2019-2\/mayos-laoise-kelly-to-be-awarded-traditional-irish-musics-highest-honour\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayo’s Laoise Kelly to be Awarded Traditional Irish Music\u2019s highest honour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Women lead the way in this year’s Gradam Ceoil TG4 accolades, as ‘Musician of the Year’, ‘Young Musician of the Year’ and ‘Composer of the Year’ are awarded to highly-talented female musicians.
\nHarper Laoise Kelly from Westport, Co. Mayo is announced as TG4’s\u00a0‘Musician of the Year’<\/strong>, and is one of the youngest recipients of the main award to date. Laoise will be awarded the title at TG4’s Gradam Ceoil gala concert which will take place in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall next February.\u00a0 She is one of Ireland\u2019s most significant harpers of her generation and uses a style of playing combining the techniques of fingerpads in the bass and fingernails in the melody on a thirty-four gut strung Paddy Cafferky harp.\u00a0Laoise was a founding member of the traditional group Bumblebees, who recorded two albums,\u00a0Bumblebees\u00a0<\/em>(1997) and\u00a0Buzzin<\/em>\u00a0(1999) and who toured extensively across Ireland, the UK, Europe, the US and Canada. She was also a founding member of Fiddletree, a folk group from the US, Ireland, Cape Breton and Scotland, who all play instruments made from the same tree and who have released two albums,\u00a0The Fiddletree<\/em>\u00a0(2011) and\u00a0The Unfathomable Menagerie<\/em>\u00a0(2013).<\/span><\/p>\n

Fiddle and Cello player, Sharon Howley, from Kilfenora, Co. Clare has been selected as this year’s\u00a0Young Musician of the Year.<\/strong>\u00a0 Sharon was immersed in traditional music from a young age with a rich musical lineage; her father sings and plays and both her grandfathers, Micky McCormack and Michael Slattery sang and played music. Her wider relations include the Mulqueeney\u2019s and McCormack\u2019s who played with the older formations of the Kilfenora Ceil\u00ed Band.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lillis \u00d3 Laoire, two time winner of the premier sean-n\u00f3s singing competition Corn U\u00ed Riada in 1991 and again in 1994 is to be awarded the title of\u00a0Singer of the Year<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The other award recipients are\u00a0Lifetime Achievement Award<\/strong>\u00a0to S\u00e9amus Connolly,\u00a0Outstanding Contribution Award<\/strong>\u00a0to Nenagh’s Ned Kelly and\u00a0Composer of the Year<\/strong>\u00a0to Josephine Marsh.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
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\nNuacht TG4 will broadcast live tonight at 7pm from the official launch of Gradam Ceoil TG4 2020.\u00a0 Gradam Ceoil TG4 is 23 years in existence, an awards ceremony that recognises and celebrates the cream of Irish traditional music.<\/span><\/p>\n

The full list of\u00a0TG4 Gradam Ceoil 2020<\/strong>\u00a0recipients reads as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n