1988 was a year characterised by solid, rather than spectacular achievements. On the live front came Ario Guthrie, Joe Ely, Peter and Lorin Rowan, but pride of place must go to the home-grown splendour of Arcady, a band for the future if ever I saw one. The icing on the cake was provided by two Scotsmen, Eric Bogle and Dick Gaughan, who proved, in their very own very different ways that passion is no ordinary word. Bogle excelled in the Wexford Inn while Gaughan’s performance at the Belfast Festival was a genuine tour-de-force.

Record-wise the Celtic muse dominated by turntable, with albums from sources as diverse as The Fureys, The Waterboys, Patrick Street, Dolores Keane, The Proclaimers and June Tabor providing the greatest inspiration. Three albums deserve particular mention: Andy Leek’s ‘Say Something’ proved that ecleticism can work while Patti Austin’s ‘The Real Me’ was as satisfying an exploration of one’s roots as you would wish to find – but for me, like many others, Enya’s ‘Watermark’ was undoubtedly the Album Of The Year. Its lush instrumental folds and beautiful breathy vocals are the perfect combination, in a year dominated by the adenoidal excesses of the dreaded Kylie and her ilk.

In the yet-to-make-it department the future looks bright for my former school charges, Missing Link, but those of you who fancy a good outside bet should keep your eyes on Jonah, a Belfast band with great promise. As to disappointments, they were many – but my major gripe has to be the shameful failure of most Irish record companies to take seriously the promotion of any ethnic product. Dolores Keane’s success with her new album shows that hard work does pay off, so why, despite their obvious quality and export sales potential, are such albums ignored here at the highest level?