Bellanaleck's Cathal McConnell has been named as this year's Traditional Singer of the Year in Irish language television station TG4's Gradam Ceoil, an awards ceremony and concert seeking to honour the great figures in Irish traditional music.

Cathal is a traditional singer with an extensive repertoire that includes long ballads, serious and humorous songs. He is the latest in a long line of flute players. His father, Sandy McConnell, played tin whistle and accordion and had a large repertoire of songs and stories.

It was only natural that Cathal started to play whistle and flute and that he absorbed the singing tradition of his native place, greatly encouraged by his father and Peter Flanagan, a local teacher. Other influences from the area include stalwarts like John Joe Maguire, Big John McManus, Tommy Maguire, Tommy Gunn, Eddie Duffy and Mick Hoy.

In 1962, Mc Connell won the All-Ireland championship on both flute and tin-whistle. In 1967 he was a founder member of The Boys of the Lough with Robin Morton and Tommy Gunn. In addition to his many recordings with the group which totalled more than 19, Cathal has appeared on various albums.

In 1970 Topic released Lough Erne's Shore, a solo album of songs, flute and whistle. In 1976 Topic released An Irish Jubilee, an album of Cathal and Robin Morton, first issued by Mercier Press in Cork. He has also recorded and toured with Len Graham who guested on the 1980 Boys of the Lough album Regrouped. His inimitable style is also evident in his other solo recording Long Expectant Comes At Last released in 2000.

A TG4 spokesperson said: "Overall, Cathal McConnell is a great exponent of traditional song; a singer whose enthusiastic renditions continue to inspire and capture audiences all over the world. He has been described as the last of the great originals in Irish music. In short to be in his company is to be in the presence of a true culture-bearer and an inspiring carrier of songs." Cathal will be presented with this award at a gala event in the Wexford Opera House next month, March 27. This year's Gradam recipients range over a wide spectrum of talents. Others to be honoured include current and former members of world-renowned traditional groups (The Chieftains and The Boys of the Lough), Connemara-based piper, an acclaimed young fiddler from Donegal, the co-founder of the famed Willie Clancy Summer School and two members of a West Cork musical dynasty.

An independent Panel of Adjudicators selects recipients of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil. This year's Gala Awards Ceremony and Concert will be hosted by Dáithí Ó Sé. The winners will be joined by a host of special guests in a concert that will be recorded and broadcast on TG4 on Easter Sunday, April 4.

Ardstiúrthóir TG4, Pól Ó Gallchóir says that the Gradam Ceoil honours great figures in Irish traditional music during their lifetime. "We are proud to be fulfilling our role as the television home of traditional music," he said.