Irish singer-songwriter Niall Toner was awarded the 2012 European Bluegrass Personality of the Year Award by the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA) in March. An award ceremony took place during a concert on Saturday, March 16, as part of the 5th European Bluegrass Summit at the Hotel Pyramida Auditorium in Prague. more...

Irish bluegrass songsmith, Niall (Neil) Toner, has released his first U.S. album,Onwards and Upwards, on Pinecastle Records. Growing up in Ireland, a childhood friend of Toner's introduced him to the music of Bill Monroe, and from then on he was hooked on bluegrass music. Through the years he has befriended, and written songs  for bluegrass musicians who have visited Ireland in addition to being Ireland's bluegrass ambassador. He even has his own radio show, Roots Freeway, which is broadcast on Ireland's national radio station, RTE Radio One. With Toner being a lifelong songwriter,Onwards and Upwards is full of stories from his masterful pen. In preparation for the album, Toner wrote or co-wrote each tune on the album. He collaborated with Keith Sewell on four tunes with Sewell also producing the album. The deluxe booklet included with the CD version includes Toner's own accounts of writing each song as well as photographs from the studio sessions. more...

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Pinecastle Records is pleased to announce that it has signed Irish bluegrass artist, Niall Toner, to its roster. Niall will soon release a new single in his native Ireland, a song called "Tomorrow," taken from his upcoming Pinecastle release. This will be a new album of original material, due in the fall of 2012, in conjunction with a U.S. tour. Niall’s most recent release in the U.S. was The Sounds of the Blackstairs Mountains, featuring his tribute to the father of bluegrass, "William Smith Monroe,"which is still receiving extensive airplay on bluegrass radio. more...