Griogair Labhruidh (born 24 October 1982) [1] is a Scottish Gaelic singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist from Gartocharn with strong roots in the Gaelic tradition of Ballachulish in the Scottish Highlands. [2] [3] After many years recording the Gaelic traditions of his local area, Gaelic became his dominant language and he is one of the few musicians who can speak and perform in a mainland Gaelic dialect, rather than the standard Hebridean Gaelic. [4] Well-versed in the ceòl mòr piping tradition of his native district, Labhruidh is a member of the Afro-Celt Sound System and has also produced Gaelic music in non-traditional genres, such as hip-hop. [5] In 2014, Labhruidh, who sings in a sean-nós style, [6] became the main vocalist for the Gaelic supergroup Dàimh. [5] He was Gaelic Singer of the Year at the MG Alba Trad Music Awards of 2015. [7] He contributed a chapter to the book Dhá Leagan Déag: Léargais Nua ar an Sean-Nós. [6]
Labhruidh was a Ph.D. candidate at the National University of Ireland; his dissertation "challenges the influences of cultural colonisation upon the Gaelic singing tradition of Scotland". [8] In addition, he runs a croft in the Ballachulish area of the Scottish Highlands. [2] [9]
Julie Fowlis is a Scottish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic.
The Scots Trad Music Awards or Na Trads were founded in 2003 by Simon Thoumire to celebrate Scotland's traditional music in all its forms and create a high profile opportunity to bring the music and music industry into the spotlight of media and public attention. Nominations are made by the public and in 2019 over 100,000 public votes were expected across 18 categories.
Blazin' Fiddles are a contemporary Scottish fiddle band from the Highlands and Islands. They formed in 1998 to showcase Scotland's distinct regional fiddle styles. The band have a number of awards, including; the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards Live Act of the Year, Album of the Year and Folk Band of the Year. Their records are released on their own indie Blazin' Records label. They have been described as "...the LED Zepplin of the Folk World."
Fèisean nan Gàidheal is the National Association of Scottish Gaelic Arts Youth Tuition Festivals. Established in 1988, it is the support organisation for the Fèisean which are local Gaelic Arts tuition festivals. The current Chief Executive Officer is Arthur Cormack.
Fiona J. Mackenzie is a Scottish Gaelic traditional singer from Dingwall, Highland Scotland, and has toured and performed throughout Europe and North America. In 2005, she won the An Comunn Gàidhealach Gold Medal at the Royal National Mòd in Stornoway.
The Paul McKenna Band are a five piece folk musical group from Glasgow, Scotland.
Mary Ann Kennedy, is a Scottish musician, singer, choral director, composer, radio and television presenter, and music producer.
Joy Dunlop is a Scottish broadcaster, singer, step dancer and educator from the village of Connel in Argyll, who now lives in Glasgow, Scotland. Singing predominantly in Scottish Gaelic, she performs folk music, song and dance in a contemporary style rooted in the tradition. She is a weather presenter for BBC Scotland and BBC ALBA and formerly a volunteer radio presenter with Oban FM
Kathleen MacInnes, or Caitlin NicAonghais in Scottish Gaelic, is a Scottish singer, who performs primarily in Scottish Gaelic. She is a native of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and lives in Glasgow with her partner and three sons. In 2010, she appeared on the soundtrack to the Ridley Scott film Robin Hood.
Niteworks is an Electronic Celtic fusion band from the Isle of Skye. The band are known for writing new songs in Gaelic and melding the bagpipes and Gaelic song forms such as puirt a beul with techno and house beats.
Skerryvore is a Scottish Celtic rock band formed in Tiree, Argyll and Bute in 2004. The band was formed by brothers Daniel and Martin Gillespie. The band is named after the Skerryvore lighthouse which lies 12 miles (19 km) off the coast of Tiree. The band currently resides in Glasgow. The band have released six studio albums, a compilation, and a live album. Now based in and around Glasgow, Scotland, Skerryvore have toured around Europe, as well as in United States, the Middle East, and China. Their earlier work was inspired by the music of their native Scotland. Later artistic influences include rock, pop, jazz, Cajun, and country.
Tim Edey is an English multi-instrumentalist and composer who grew up in Broadstairs, Kent and is now based in Perthshire, Scotland. In 2012 he was Musician of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and, with Brendan Power, Best Duo. He was awarded "Musician of the Year" in the 2020 MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards.
Craig Irving is a multi-award-winning Scottish musician from Inverness, Scotland.
Ainsley Hamill is a Scottish singer and songwriter from the village of Cardross, who performs traditional songs in English, Scots, and Gaelic. She studied music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she obtained a First Class Honours Degree in Scottish Music, with Gaelic Song as her principal study. She was tutored by Kenna Campbell and Màiri MacInnes. Ainsley won the Silver Pendant at The Royal National Mòd held in Paisley in October 2013. She has competed in a number of Mòd competitions and made it to the final of the An Comunn Gàidhealach Gold Medal competition in 2014, and 2015. Ainsley was also a BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician finalist in 2014/15, and nominated for Gaelic Singer of the Year at the 2015 MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.
Talisk are a Scottish folk band composed of Mohsen Amini, Benedict Morris, and Charlie Galloway. The band rose to prominence after winning the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards "Folk Band of the Year" category in 2017.
Peat and Diesel are a three-piece band from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, comprising Calum “Boydie” MacLeod, Innes Scott and Uilly Macleod. The band formed over Saturday sessions at the band members' homes in Stornoway, and grew in popularity through exposure on social media. The band's songs mostly concern a humorous take on island life, and are predominantly in English, although they include some Gaelic words and phrases.
The BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician competition has run annually since 2001. It exists to encourage young musicians to keep their tradition alive and to provide performance opportunities, tools and advice to help contestants make a career in traditional music. Former winners include Hannah Rarity, Mohsen Amini, Robyn Stapleton, Shona Mooney and Emily Smith.
Sian is a Scottish all-female traditional band who are known for their Gaelic vocal harmonies and celebrating Gaelic songs composed by women. They formed to raise the prominence of work by female Gaelic bards, which might not have received much attention or credit otherwise.
Iona Fyfe is a Scottish singer from Huntly, Aberdeenshire known for singing Scots folk songs and ballads. In 2016, she was a semi-finalist of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and, in 2017 and 2021, was a finalist of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician award. In 2018, she won "Scots Singer of the Year" at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards. In 2019, she won "Young Scots Speaker o the Year" at the inaugural Scots Language Awards, winning "Scots Performer o the Year" in the 2020 Awards, and "Scots Speaker o the Year" in the 2021 Awards. She has advocated for official recognition of the Scots language, successfully petitioning Spotify to add Scots to their list of languages.