Donal Lunny has said that receiving the prestigious lifetime achievement award at the annual Irish Folk Awards "means so much to me - the recognition of a lifetime making music".
The folk musician received the accolade at the Irish Folk Awards on Wednesday night, a celebration of the very best in folk music in Ireland.
In between rehearsals at Vicar Street, friends and fellow musicians spoke about their respect and affection for this pioneer of Irish folk music over the decades.
"He has kept the flame alive… protecting music for generations, and people will be listening to his music for years to come," Damian Dempsey said backstage.
President Michael D Higgins also attended the celebrations on Wednesday night.
Lunny played with both the Donal Lunny Trio and his new band Darkhorse, featuring special guests including Zoe Conway and Pauline Scanlon.
American folk hero Mary Chapin Carpenter squeezed in a visit to Dublin to perform.
She is heading to Glasgow on Thursday for the start of a tour, but was determined to be here as "this is my community", she said.
She paid tribute to Lunny, saying that his contribution "over the years to the growth and flourishing of the folk music tradition" was something that "I hold so dear."
"Donal Lunny deserves this award for his amazing career and work with musicians," she added
When asked how he was feeling about the ceremony, Lunny said that it was going to be a very special evening, and he felt so privileged to be surrounded by so many friends from his music world.
"We are going to give it a good rattle!’ he joked.
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