RUNA, a Philadelphia, PA-based contemporary Celtic vocal and instrumental ensemble whose repertoire features traditional and more recently composed music from Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the Untied States and includes both high-energy and more graceful acoustic melodies, was named both Top Group and Top Traditional Group in a Pub, Festival or Concert. Keith Harkin, a singer-songwriter from County Derry, Northern Ireland, who also is a principal singer with the popular vocal group Celtic Thunder, won two awards for Top Solo Performer in Concert and Top Solo Performer in a Pub Venue.

“We are unbelievably excited and honored to be recognized with so many incredible artists,” said Shannon Lambert-Ryan, who fronts RUNA with her rich, vibrant vocals. “We are so grateful to all of our fans (our spectacular RUNAtics) for their unending support and for voting for us,” she continued, expressing thanks also to the Irish Music Association for its support of Irish music and culture. The five-member group, which previously won an award for Best Song in the World Traditional category in the 12th annual Independent Music Awards, is set to release its fourth album this spring.

Phil Coulter, a popular musician, songwriter and producer, who also hails from Derry, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award., while the Tommy Makem Award went to The Dubliners, an Irish folk band that played its final concerts last month, following a career that spanned more than 50 years.

A complete list of Irish Music Award recipients follows:
Top Solo Performer in Concert: Keith Harkin
Top Solo Performer in a Pub Venue: Keith Harkin
Top Duo in Pub, Festival, and Concert: Ryan Kelly & Neil Byrne
Top Group: RUNA
Best New Irish Music Artist(s): Gothard Sisters
Top Celtic Rock Band: The Fighting Jamesons
Best Irish Tenor (individual): Emmet Cahill
Best Female Vocalist (individual/traditional): Meav
Best Sean-nos Singer: Brid Ni Mhaoilchiaran
Top Traditional Performance Show: The Chieftains
Top Traditional Group – In Festival, Pub & Concert: RUNA
Tommy Makem Award: The Dubliners
Top Harpist: Moya Brennan
Top Uilleann Piper: Kieran O’Hare
Top Fiddle/Violin: Cora Smyth
Top Button Accordion: Danny O’Mahony
Lifetime Achievement Award: Phil Coulter

The Irish Music Association produces, promotes and perpetuates Irish music through sponsored events, festivals, concerts, pub shows, and an annual network production, according to its website.

Fay “had a serious face but would have the rest of us in stitches,” Maloney told Irish newspapers. The Belfast Telegraph quoted him as saying: “As a player, he was fantastic. For instance, the theme music for Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, the first fiddle you hear is Martin. That’s the kind of magical music he leaves behind.” It was The Chieftains’ work on the soundtrack to that 1975 film that helped catapult the group to international stardom. Fay stopped performing with The Chieftains just over a decade ago, having reduced his touring commitments in 2001 before retiring the following year.

On The Chieftains’ official website, his former bandmates posted the following message shortly after his death was announced: “Martin’s memory and music will be with The Chieftains always. He will be dearly missed.”

A self-taught banjo player, who reportedly mastered the instrument by age 12, McKenna joined Ronnie Drew, who had one of the most recognizable voices in Irish folk music, and other friends playing some famously raucous informal sessions on Friday nights at O’Donoghue’s Pub in Dublin’s Merrion Row in 1962 . These sessions, which customarily packed the small pub, marked both the start of the Irish ballad revival and the birth of The Dubliners.

Initially known as The Ronnie Drew Folk Group, The Dubliners’ original members also included Luke Kelly and Ciarin Bourke. Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in February, the group, which toured internationally and released more than 30 albums, was, perhaps, best known for its bawdy 1967 Irish hit single “Seven Drunken Nights,” as well as renditions of such rousing folk songs as “Black Velvet Band,” “Finnegan’s Wake,” “McAlpine’s Fusiliers” and “The Wild Rover.” Based on Child Ballad #273, “Seven Drunken Nights” contained risqué lyrics that initially caused it to be banned from radio play in Ireland. The Dubliners’ latest release was a two CD set, The Dubliners – A Time to Remember, recorded live in Vienna in September 2009.

Although McKenna had diabetes, was blind in one eye, and had experienced some difficulty walking following a stroke, he continued to perform with the group.

Noted Irish musician Mick Moloney credits McKenna with being single-handedly responsible for making the GDAE-tuned tenor banjo the standard banjo in Irish music, while Michael D. Higgins, Ireland’s president, hailed McKenna for having “made a major contribution to music and song,” noting that “His influence on and generosity to other instrumentalists was immense.” He’s been immortalized in Andy Irvine’s song “O’Donoghue’s, which describes the Irish traditional scene of the 1960s that was centered there.

(Here’s a link to a video of Barney McKenna playing the banjo in concert, accompanied by Eammon Campbell on guitar: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scawc6Q9heI)

Although the tenor banjo was his primary instrument – and he also can be heard playing it on recordings by Boys of the Lough, the Chieftains, Christy Moore, and The Pogues — McKenna also was adept on the mandolin and melodeon. He also sang comical songs, sea shanties and other crowd favorites on occasion and was noted for the tall tales and funny yarns – often illogical anecdotes that became known as “Barneyisms” – that he shared with audiences during The Dubliners’ concerts.

“The band, his family and friends would like to thank everyone for their kind words and support,” McKenna’s bandmates declared in a prepared statement posted on its website. “Words cannot describe how we all feel. He was one in a million. The greatest tenor banjo player of his generation. Barney spent his life traveling the world playing Irish music. He loved it. The world loved him. May he rest in peace.”

With four nominations each, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Gunning were the top nominees vying for awards during the seventh annual awards celebration. Cockburn, a prolific singer-songwriter and recipient of 13 Juno Awards, received awards for Contemporary Album of the Year for his 31st studio release (Small Source of Comfort) and Solo Artist of the Year. Gunning was named Traditional Singer of the Year and New/Emerging Artist of the Year. Quebecois trio Genticorum received awards for Traditional Album of the Year (Nagez Rameurs) and Ensemble of the Year. Toronto’s Suzie Vinnick, who released Me ‘n’ Mabel earlier this year, was named Contemporary Singer of the Year, while the Good Lovelies, a harmonic Ontario-based trio, received the evening’s first award as Vocal Group of the Year for its shimmering third album, Let The Rain Fall. Mark Howard and David Travers-Smith shared the award for Producer of the Year for their work on Bright Morning Stars, the latest album by The Wailin’ Jennys.

The Creaking Tree String Quartet, an innovative, old-timey and bluegrass-inspired ensemble, was named Instrumental Group of the Year, while Jayme Stone captured Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year. Molly Thomason was named Young Performer of the Year. Singer-songwriter Lynn Miles, traditional Quebecois folksinger Alexandre Poulin, and Eagle & Hawk band founding member Vince Fontaine were honored as English, French and Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year, respectively. Turkish-influenced group Minor Empire was honored as World Group Artist of the Year, while JUNO Award-winning vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia was named World Solo Artist of the Year. The Pushing the Boundaries award was bestowed on Geoff Berner, whose Victory Party album fuses Eastern European klezmer influences with punk-rock attitude. Benoit Archambault’s CD Les pourquoi was named Children’s Album of the Year.

The inaugural Unsung Hero Award, recognizing exceptional contribution to the promotion, preservation and presentation of Canadian folk, roots and world music, was presented to Jane Harbury. A Toronto-based publicist whose involvement in the music industry dates back more than 40 years, she has worked with such artists as the Chieftains, David Francey, Penny Lang, Tom Rush and Ken Whiteley.

A complete list of Canadian Folk Music Award winners follows:

Traditional Album of the Year
Genticorum – Nagez Rameurs

Contemporary Album of the Year
Bruce Cockburn – Small Source of Comfort

Children’s Album of the Year
Benoît Archambault – Les pourquoi

Traditional Singer of the Year
Dave Gunning – a tribute to John Allan Cameron

Contemporary Singer of the Year
Suzie Vinnick – Me ‘n’ Mabel

Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year
Jayme Stone – Room of Wonders

Instrumental Group of the Year
The Creaking Tree String Quartet – Sundogs

Vocal Group of the Year
Good Lovelies – Let The Rain Fall

Ensemble of the Year
Genticorum – Nagez Rameurs

Solo Artist of the Year
Bruce Cockburn – Small Source of Comfort

English Songwriter of the Year
Lynn Miles – Fall for Beauty

French Songwriter of the Year
Alexandre Poulin – Une lumière allumée

Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year
Vince Fontaine – Songs for Turtle Island

World Artist of the Year – Solo
Kiran Ahluwalia – aam zameen : common ground

World Artist of the Year – Group
Minor Empire – Second Nature

New/Emerging Artist of the Year
Dave Gunning – a tribute to John Allan Cameron

Producer of the Year
Mark Howard & David Travers-Smith – Bright Morning Stars (The Wailin’ Jennys)

Pushing the Boundaries
Geoff Berner – Victory Party

Young Performer of the Year
Molly Thomason – Beauty Queen

Unsung Hero
Jane Harbury

Established in 2005, the Canadian Folk Music Awards (www.canadianfolkmusicawards.ca) celebrates and promotes the breadth and depth of folk music in Canada.