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Afew weeks ago, when The Herald surveyed Scotland's arts scene in the wake of devolution, respondents were asked to name the most inspiring event of the past 10 years.
For those whose interests lie in traditional music, the obvious choice by a mile in terms of national and international significance was Celtic Connections. This annual feast of traditional and tradition-derived music, given no chance of survival at birth, has grown into a phenomenon.
Born into a country where, despite a groundswell of youthful interest, traditional music was, and remains, marginalised by the media, and held during a month, January, when tourists were as likely to visit Glasgow as were alligators to swim up the Clyde, Celtic Connections is arguably the success story of recent Scottish arts history. It has become a success - like another, very much smaller, event in a different location and area of music, the Islay Jazz Festival - by being bigger than any of its ingredients. In other words, the event itself is the star of the show.
This was brought home at the press launch for Celtic Connections 10 on Wednesday. For this landmark instalment, unless the organisers are holding out on us, there is to be no blow-out, no ambitious, commissioned pageant on...