Posthumous award for NI singer-songwriter Bap Kennedy

Bap’s wife Brenda will pick up the Oh Yeah Legend Award during the NI Music Prize which will be live streamed on YouTube on November 12.

She said: “So many people who love Bap, at home and abroad, are going to be delighted.

“Bap is a legend for so many reasons: for his remarkable achievements, his great musical legacy, the legendary life he led, and for all that he quietly overcame.”

Bap (otherwise known as Martin) Kennedy was greatly loved in his hometown of Belfast and highly respected in Nashville, New York, London and beyond.

He started out with the band Energy Orchard before going solo. He worked with artists such as Van Morrison, Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith, Shane MacGowan and Mark Knopfler.

His albums include Domestic Blues, Lonely Street, The Big Picture, Howl On, The Sailor’s Revenge, Let’s Start Again and Reckless Heart. He had a huge affection for artists such as Hank Williams and Elvis, but he developed a unique style of his own, marked by wry humour, Celtic melancholy and a resonant sense of place.

Following a cancer diagnosis in 2016, Bap started a series of powerful blog entries. People found Bap’s blog very moving and it was shared widely in all parts of the world.

In his final months, Bap revealed publicly for the first time that he had a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome, and talked candidly about the part this condition had played in his life and career.

Brenda said: “As a west Belfast teenager, Bap was determined to ‘lead an interesting life’ and he did that alright.

“His music took him all round the world and earned him the admiration and affection of musicians and fans alike. But to me, Bap was a legend above all for the lovely, warm, genuine man that he was.”

She thanked Oh Yeah Belfast and everyone who has appreciated and supported Bap’s music over the years.

The Oh Yeah Legend Award is in association with Marie Curie will be made to Brenda by Ralph McLean of BBC Radio Ulster during the NI Music Prize.

Conor O’Kane from Marie Curie, Belfast said: “It is wonderful for Marie Curie to be included in the celebration of Bap Kennedy’s exceptional talent.

“Marie Curie’s ability to care for people with terminal illness, like Bap, depends on voluntary donations.

In this a very difficult year for everyone, we very much appreciate the association with the Legend award and are grateful to anyone that can donate in support of our work across the whole of Northern Ireland.”