About Joy
Gaelic Singer | TV & Radio Presenter | Scottish Stepdancer | Educator | Event Host
Joy Dunlop’s singing career is the result of a life–long fascination with Scotland’s traditional music and has led her all over the world; from major Celtic festivals, to touring the UK, Europe, Canada, USA, China, Japan and New Zealand.
Through her singing, she showcases Gaelic music and song in a contemporary way that always remains true to its roots. Five times nominated as Gaelic Singer of the Year, she has also won both the coveted Royal National Mòd Gold Medal and the Oban Times Gold Medal and is the only person to be crowned both Traditional Singer of the Year & Traditional Dance Champion at the Pan Celtic Festival. She’s released three highly acclaimed solo albums, Caoir, Dùsgadh and Faileasan and also, Dithis; a duo album with her brother Andrew. Joy was also the driving force between ‘Gaelic/Gaeilge supergroup’, LAS and has featured on a range of collaborative albums.
A popular television & radio broadcaster, Joy is involved with a wide range of music, current affairs and light entertainment programmes. With her trademark poise and depth of knowledge, Joy’s warmth and enthusiasm have made her increasing in-demand in television and radio broadcasts alike; from presenting the weather on both BBC Scotland & BBC Alba, to fronting SpeakGaelic; a wide-ranging, multi-faceted learning brand, offering the most comprehensive approach to learning Scottish Gaelic in a generation. She also presents the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition and co-hosts Fonn, a bilingual BBC/RTE contemporary music radio programme. Joy is also the creator and co-host of the popular Scottish Gaelic and Irish podcast ‘A-nunn ’s Anall’.
A fluent Gaelic speaker, with an honours degree in Gaelic Language and Culture, Joy has taught Gaelic language and song courses across the globe and in her spare time, she also conducts the Alba Choir; Scotland’s first and only Eurovision entry, who participated in the 2019 Eurovision Choir of the Year finals in Gothenburg, Sweden.
