Fiddle player Tommy Peoples has been named as the winner of Musician of the Year Award in the TnaG Traditional Music Awards. The award was given for his outstanding contribution to Irish traditional music.
The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, and ceannasai of Teilifis na Gaeilge, Mr Cathal Goan, were the guest speakers at the announcement of the awards at the Harcourt Hotel in Dublin last night.
The awards, which are presented in association with the Irish Music Rights Organisation, will be presented at a ceremony and concert in the Black Box in performance space in Galway on October 26th.
A native of Killycally, near St Johnston in Co Donegal, Tommy Peoples began playing the fiddle at the age of seven and came to prominence nationally and internationally during the mid-1970s through his live performances with The Bothy Band.
He will receive a cheque for £4,000 and a specially commissioned piece of sculpture from a leading Irish artist.
A new Young Musician of the Year Award has been given to 23-year-old flute player June Ni Chormaic from Ballintogher, Co Sligo. She also will receive a piece of sculpture and a cheque for £1,000.
