Witch hunt victims project among Trad Awards winners
A haunting homage to the victims of centuries-old witch hunts, the founder of an island music festival who has bowed out after 25 years and a venue in one of Scotland’s most remote wilderness areas have been honoured at the nation’s “Folk Oscars”.
Rachel Newton and Lauren Maccoll were named composers of the year at the Scots Trad Music Awards for Heal & Harrow – which was inspired by the witch trials in Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.
They released an album and toured the country with a multi-media live show inspired by specially-commissioned stories from author Mairi Kidd on some of the real-life women who were executed.
The awards ceremony in Dundee saw Caroline Maclennan, who stood down after the 25th anniversary edition of the Hebridean Celtic Festival this summer, recognised for services to traditional music, as it was also named Scotland’s best live event.
Knoydart Community Hall, a favourite with trad bands who have to make a seven-mile sea crossing, was named best venue, ahead of Perth Concert Hall, The Tolbooth, in Stirling, and the Universal Hall, in Findhorn.
Hebridean band Skerryvore were named scotland’ s best live band at the ceremony, which returned to the Caird Hall.
Other contenders had included Elephant Sessions, who won the coveted album of the year prize with “For The Night” and also performed at the event, along with the groups Fara, Trip and awardwinning fiddler Eryn Rae.
The event – sponsored by Gaelic media service MG Alba – was broadcast live on the BBC Alba channel as a full-scale ceremony was able to best aged for the first time since 2019.
Heading West, Don Coutts’ documentary following the band Shooglenifty in the aftermath of the death of fiddler and frontman Angus Grant, picked up the media award months after premiering at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Other big winners included Skye electronica outfit Valtos, named best up-and-coming act, Gaelic singer of the year Ruairidh Gray and Scots singer of the year Beth Malcolm.
Breabach were crowned Scottish best folk band, while Megan Henderson, singer and multi-instrumentalist with the group, was crowned musician of the year.
Capercaillie’s fiddler Charlie Mckerron was named best music tutor, while the band’s singer, Karen Matheson, who performed at the memorial service for Queen Elizabeth in Edinburgh, was among those inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame.
Singer, writer and activist Dr Anne Lorne Gillies was honoured for services to the Gaelic language. Author Anne Donovan was honoured for services to Scots.
Caroline Maclennan was honoured with the Hamish Henderson Services to Traditional Music Award.
Dave Francis, director of Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland, which sponsors the Hamish Henderson Award, said: “The award goes to individuals who have made a major contributionto traditional music over a lifetime. caroline mac len nan has made not only a significant contribution to traditional music but to the economy and profile of Lewis.”