Brandon says latest award in Ireland is recognition for band's hard work
Caithness entertainer Brandon McPhee says his latest musical accolade in Ireland is recognition for the hard work put in by himself and his band members.
The 26-year-old was named as Traditional Entertainer of the Year at the Hot Country TV Awards 2023 held at the Hillgrove Hotel in Monaghan.
The trophy – Brandon's sixth Hot Country award – was presented on stage by Karen Quinn of Galway Irish Crystal.
"It was a packed house – it was really good," Brandon said.
"It's always great to take the award back over to Scotland, and especially Caithness. It highlights all the hard work that we've all been putting in – not just myself but Robert Cameron and Manson Grant and the entire band as well."
Hot Country TV is Europe’s longest-running country music show, founded by Cork-based Hugh O'Brien.
The Monaghan event was part of a busy week of engagements in Ireland for Brandon and his band which also included appearances in Banteer, Enniskillen and Antrim. They are due back in Ireland next month for a tribute concert.
Meanwhile, Brandon, Manson and Robert are playing five dates in England and Scotland this week as a trio. After performing at Thropton in Northumberland on Wednesday and Coldstream in the Scottish Borders on Thursday, they will be at Lennoxtown, near Glasgow, on Friday before heading to the north-east for concerts in Keith (Saturday) and Oldmeldrum (Sunday).
"Then we're back in the recording studio and getting prepared for later on in the year," Brandon explained. "I've been writing a lot of my own material and we've been recording it as we go along.
"It's nice that we have access to the recording studio at Pan Records [near Wick] because you can record your ideas in the early stages and then build on those ideas and add backing. We just keep at it and enjoying it."
He added: "We're hoping to have a show in Caithness around August which will be the first show in Caithness since Christmas time."
In April 2022, Brandon received the Shand Morino Accordion Player of the Year accolade at that year's Hot Country TV Awards held in County Cavan.
Then, in October, he was presented with the Hot Country award for Outstanding Contribution to Music at a show in Cork.
