Folk heroes Dervish emerged from Sligo in the ‘90s and have since built an empire of brilliance and magic with their trad music. Three decades after the inception of the band, Dervish will be honoured for their work with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

“We are thrilled and so delighted to be receiving this very special honour at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, particularly as this is the 30th anniversary of the band,” said member Shane Mitchell.

In their latest album, a celebration of their 30^th anniversary, the band collaborated with over a dozen other artists including Imelda May, Brendan Gleeson, Steve Earle, Andrea Corr, David Gray, Vince Gill, Rhiannon Giddens, Kate Rusby, Abigail Washburn and others. The Great Irish Songbook reached number one on the Amazon Folk Charts and number 16 on the iTunes Album Charts on its release.

Dervish has played shows across the globe alongside other world-renowned artists such as James Brown, The Buena Vista Social Club, Oasis, Sting, REM, and Beck.

The 20^th annual BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards will be broadcast live from 7-9pm on BBC Radio 2 and on BBC Sounds and will be produced by 7digital. The awards will be given out at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on Wednesday 16th October 2019.