Griogair Labhruidh (born 24 October 1982) is a

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist from Gartocharn with strong roots in the Gaelic tradition of

Ballachulish The village of Ballachulish ( or , from Scottish Gaelic ) in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred on former slate quarries, and now primarily serves tourists in the area. Name The name Ballachulish (from Scottish Gaelic, ''Baile a' Chao ...

in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

. After many years recording the Gaelic traditions of his local area, Gaelic became his dominant language and he is one of the few musicians who can speak and perform in a mainland Gaelic dialect, rather than the standard Hebridean Gaelic. Well-versed in the ceòl mòr piping tradition of his native district, Labhruidh is a member of the Afro-Celt Sound System and has also produced Gaelic music in non-traditional genres, such as

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

. In 2014, Labhruidh, who sings in a sean-nós style, became the main vocalist for the Gaelic supergroup Dàimh. He was Gaelic Singer of the Year at the

MG Alba Gaelic Media Service (), operating as MG ALBA, is a statutory organisation created by the UK Parliament and funded by Scottish Ministers via Ofcom as a result of the Communications Act 2003, which gave it a remit to "secure that a wide and ...

Trad Music Awards of 2015. He contributed a chapter to the book ''Dhá Leagan Déag: Léargais Nua ar an Sean-Nós''. Labhruidh was a Ph.D. candidate at the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...

; his dissertation "challenges the influences of cultural colonisation upon the Gaelic singing tradition of Scotland". In addition, he runs a croft in the Ballachulish area of the Scottish Highlands.

References

External links

official Website

Labhriudh's official YouTube channel

Profile on BBC Music

Èolas Soundcloud

Scotland Outdoors interview, BBC Radio Scotland
1982 births Living people 21st-century Scottish poets 21st-century British male writers 21st-century Scottish Gaelic poets Scottish Gaelic singers Scottish bagpipe players Afro Celt Sound System members People from West Dunbartonshire Uilleann pipers from Scotland {{Scotland-musician-stub