A staple to the Irish Newfoundland music scene is being recognized with a lifetime achievement award.

The St. John’s-based group Rawlins Cross was announced as the 2023 recipient of the East Coast Music Awards Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this week.

The group has been bringing Celtic-rock music from this province all over the world since the early 1990s and has received multiple JUNO award nominations.

Dave Panting, who founded the group alongside his brother Geoff and friend Ian McKinnon, says they’re honoured to be recognized alongside their peers in the Canadian music industry.

He says when it comes to music on the east coast, there’s nothing quite like it.

One thing he’s learned over the years is that no matter what music artists on the east coast play, they always acknowledge their traditional roots. He says it’s something all local artists know is part of their background.