Former Chieftains tin whistle player Sean Potts from Dublin has won a Lifetime Achievement Award in this year’s TG4 Traditional Music awards. Before helping to found The Chieftains in 1962 he was a member of Sean O Riada’s influential Ceoltoiri Cualann group.

He retired from The Chieftains in 1979. He has since served as chairman on Na Piobairi Uilleann (the Pipers Club), of which he is now honorary president. He comes from a prominent Dublin music family. His father John was an uileann piper and his uncle was the innovative fiddle player Tommy Potts and his son Sean Og Potts is a piper.
Connemara-based piper Seán McKiernan has been awarded this year’s Gradam Ceoil. Born in Boston of Connemara and Leitrim stock, Seán moved to Connemara as a young man and is widely regarded as one of the great masters of the uilleann pipes.
This year’s Gradam recipients range over a wide spectrum of talents. Others to be honoured  include the co-founder of the famed Willie Clancy Summer School, an acclaimed young fiddler from Donegal and two members of a West Cork musical dynasty. The Singer Award went to Cathal McConnell, founder member of The Boys of the Lough.

The full list of TG4 Gradam Ceoil 2010 is:

·Gradam Ceoil – Seán McKiernan
·Ceoltóir Óg na bliana (Young Musician) – Aidan O’Donnell
·Gradam Saoil (Hall of Fame) – Seán Potts
·Cumadóir (Composer) – John and Finbarr Dwyer
·Amhránaí na Bliana (Singer) – Cathal McConnell
·Gradam na gCeoltóirí (Musicians’ Award) – Muiris Ó Rócháin
This year’s awards will be presented at a televised Gala Awards Ceremony and Concert that will take place in the Wexford Opera House on Saturday 27th March where the winners will be joined by a host of special guests in a concert that will be presented by Dáithí Ó Sé and will be recorded and broadcast on TG4 on Easter Sunday 4th April at 9.30pm.