Nominees

Born out of an impromptu appearance at the opening concert at Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, a sensational grouping of musicians have come together to form a very special band.

Altan's Ciaran Tourish and Dermot Byrne team up with flute-player Mike McGoldrick, bodhrán maestro John Joe Kelly and Dublin born guitarist John Doyle.

The fiddle and accordion virtuosity of Tourish and Byrne combining with the remarkable flute playing of McGoldrick and all underpinned by a sensational rhythm section, as well as John Doyle's great vocals, make Moonlighting the most exciting band to appear in the traditional scene for a very long time

"Together, this quintet created an electrical storm that hasn't been witnessed since the flute/fiddle/guitar heyday of The Bothy Band." Siobhán Long, Irish Times