Scottish musician who fought two-year battle with brain tumour honoured for album

Bodhrán player Eamonn Nugent was post-humously recognised for The Waiting Room, an album he released earlier this year to raise money for brain tumour charities.

Members of the Bellshill-born musician’s family collected the award on his behalf at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards ceremony at the Inverness Leisure complex on Saturday night.

Nugent first developed an interest in Scottish and Irish traditional music after attending weekly music classes at the St Patrick Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann group in Coatbridge, in Lanarkshire, as a young child.

Nugent, who studied orthoptics at Glasgow Caledonian University, became a well-known figure in the city's trad music scene.

He lived latterly in Galway, in Ireland, where he met his future wife Sarah, whom he married in the summer. Nugent, who worked in Galway as a senior orthoptist, could regularly be found playing traditional music in the city’s pubs music venues.

The musician, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November 2022, posted a number of videos on his Instagram account, discussing the impact it had had on his life and stressing the importance of getting symptoms checked out.

Irish accordion star Sharon Shannon was among the musicians to pay tribute to Nugent, who died just two days after it was announced The Waiting Room would be in the running for best album at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards.

Shannon said: "Eammon was a lovely warm person and he was so loved by all his friends in Galway. He was a gorgeous person and a fantastic musician."

Paying tribute to Nugent, Glasgow-based accordion player Paddy Callaghan said: "He floated the idea of releasing an album of music from tracks he had previously recorded and a few new ones and asked if I’d give my blessing to use a track he had recorded with me in previous years.

"He recorded the new tracks in Galway and released the album The Waiting Room, with all proceeds being donated to two charities, Brain Tumour Research UK and Brain Tumour Ireland. The album was released in March and quickly sold out of all physical copies."

Other winners at the annual awards, which are also known as Na Trads, included the trailblazing Skye "folk-electronica" band Niteworks, whose albums and live shows had championed Gaelic song.

The group, who recently performed their final shows after 17 years together, were named best live act and were also honoured for services to the Gaelic language at the event.

Long-running folk-rock outfit Skipinnish picked up the event of the year prize for a 25th-anniversary show staged at Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, and Eden Court, in Inverness, was named venue of the year.

Emma MacLeod, a double Royal National Mòd gold medallist from the Isle of Scalpay, was named Gaelic singer of the year, while Perthshire singer-songwriter Beth Malcolm was crowned Scots singer of the year.

Glasgow-born Paul McKenna's band was named best folk group, Skerryvore singer Alec Dalglish, from Livingston, in West Lothian, was crowned best composer and new Skye outfit Falasgair won the best up-and-coming artist prize.