Robin Morton (24 December 1939 – 1 October 2021) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

folk musician, song collector, broadcaster, record producer, band manager, and founder of the Temple Records label and the Kinmor publishing company.

Early life and education

Morton was born in

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of an ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

on 24 December 1939 and was drawn to music from an early age through his father's interest in jazz, which motivated him to teach himself to play the cornet. After leaving school, he taught mentally handicapped children for which he received training for a year in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, where he bought his first guitar. In 1962, he enrolled at Queens University in Belfast to study for a diploma in Social work, and began to attend folk clubs. After graduating, he obtained further qualification as a psychiatric social worker from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

. He then returned to Belfast and began working in child psychiatry. In late 1970, Morton moved to Scotland to study for a PhD at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, with a focus on the history of the treatment of madness, but he did not complete it.

Career

Morton founded the folk band Boys of the Lough in 1967 along with Tommy Gunn and

Cathal McConnell Cathal McConnell (born 1944) is a musician and singer best known as the mainstay of traditional band The Boys of the Lough, of which he was a founder member. His main instruments are the Irish flute and the tin whistle. Early life McConnell came ...

and left the band in 1979, after setting up a folk label called Temple Records in 1978. In 1980, he became manager of the Scottish folk group

Battlefield Band Battlefield Band were a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, none of the original founders remain in the band. The band is noted for t ...

and continued to manage and release material by the band until his death on 1 October 2021. Morton set up Temple US Records in the 1980s, as well as the publishing company Kinmor Publishing which produces music, and publishes books and sheet music. In 2006, the folk music magazine ''The Living Tradition'' covered Morton's life and career in an 11-page special published in their 66th issue.

Personal life

Morton was married to the glass engraver and musician Alison Kinnaird.

Discography

*''

The Boys of the Lough The Boys of the Lough is a Scottish-Irish Celtic music band active since the 1970s. Early years Their first album, called ''Boys of the Lough'' (1972) consisted of Aly Bain (fiddle), Cathal McConnell (flute), Dick Gaughan (vocals and guitar) and ...

'' (1973) *''Second Album'' (1973) *''Live at Passim's'' (1974) *''Lochaber No More'' (1976) *''The Piper's Broken Finger'' (1976) *''Good Friends ... Good Music'' (1977) *''Wish You Were Here'' (1978)

References

External links

Robin Morton Albums: songs, discography

Robin Morton at allmusic.com
* 1939 births 2021 deaths Irish folk musicians The Boys of the Lough members Topic Records artists Musicians from County Armagh People from Portadown {{ireland-musician-stub