Eleanor shanley receives danish folk prize award
Eleanor Shanley has been presented with the Danish Folk Prize Award when she was in Denmark to perform at The Skagen Festival alongside De Dannan.
Skagen Festival nominates and hands out the Folk Music Award - a tradition that musicians, as well as festival organisers and festival guests look forward to, since 1995. In the 20 years since, Eleanor is only the second Irish artist to be given this prestigious honour.
The main reason that the choice fell on the Irish skylark this year is that she, throughout her career, has helped keep the folk music tradition alive. Eleanor visited the festival for the first time in 1998 and has over the years been an esteemed artist at the festival. She has susequently gained a large audience in Denmark.
Since her initial appearance Eleanor Shanley has repeatedly been on tour in Denmark, giving the audience a unique experience of the Irish musical tradition in all it's facets. Eleanor is a great ambassador and an inspiration for the Irish folk music scene that she represents in the most exquisite way.
Eleanor said: 'This is such an honour, since my first performance at the Skagen Festival in 1998, I have loved each return visit to the festival and each tour in the country. To be given the honour of The Skagen Festival's 'Folk Music Prize 2015', thrills me greatly, but also makes me proud of my relationship with the country and its folk music fans.'
Eleanor continued: 'What makes the award even more special is that I am only the second Irish artist since its inception in 1995 to be given the honour, alongside the wonderful Dubliners.'
Eleanor was also presented with an award by Leitrim Co Council for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts in 2013, and in 2014 was Leitrim Person of the Year. Eleanor is currently part of the Leitrim Music Residence programme.
She is without doubt one of Ireland’s foremost female singers over the two and a half decades, with her unique talents crossing many genres and her accolades and appearances have been well documented.
On 25th September, Eleanor releases her long anticipated new album, 'Forever Young'. To celebrate its release together with the Forever Young autumn and winter tour, the first radio single from the album is 'Gorgeous And Bright' written by Thom Moore and featuring some stunning musicians including Donogh Hennessy (guitar), Paul Kelly (mandolin, fiddle), Eamonn De Barra (keys, whistle), Martin Brunsden (double bass), Jim Higgins (drums) and Frankie Lane (backing vocals).
'Gorgeous And Bright' in its first week at radio, at the end of June, went straight onto the RTE Radio 1 playlist together with many other independent radio station play lists around the country.
Eleanor's 'Forever Young' autumn / winter tour 2015' will commence on Friday 16th October in Ramor Theatre, Virginia, Co Cavan and continue through December.
With a voice as effortless and pure as this lady is blessed with its no surprise she is still as popular in 2015 as she was in the 1990s having worked with everyone from Ronnie Drew, De Danann, The Dubliners, Sharon Shannon, Donal Lunny, to U2 and too many more both at home and internationally.
Renowned for her unique interpretation of Irish and Roots songs, Eleanor Shanley has been at the top of her profession since her first appearance with De Danann in 1990. She recorded two critically acclaimed albums with them 'A Jacket of Batteries' and 'Half Set in Harlem'. While a member of De Danann she toured Europe, Australia, China, Japan and the USA as well as taking part in several tours of Ireland.