Voting is underway for the 2011 Irish Music Awards, sponsored by the Irish Music Association. Go to http://www.irishmusicawards.com to see the nominees, click on Nominate/Vote at the top of the page, click on the IMA Forum link, and cast your votes. Non-members use the Public Voting thread; members use the Paid Members Voting thread. All voters will need to register in the forum.
For Best New Irish Music Artist(s), I invite you to give serious consideration to the group Fieldstone, which I heard for the first time this past summer at the Dayton Celtic Festival. They displayed superb musicianship, a versatile repertoire, exhaustive knowledge of the genre, and the sense of fun and friendliness that is embodied in Irish Traditional Music. Listen to them at http://www.fieldstonemusic.com/Listen.html and http://www.fieldstonemusic.com/One_More_Mile.html. Be sure to take in the vocal Fair and Tender Ladies. You can find links to more of their work at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Titchner-Scott/186890874688368?sk=wall. These are talented folks, and the entire ITM community should have the opportunity to get to know them.