Celtic Connections has 'strong year' at box office

The festival brought musicians from all over the world to Glasgow

Celtic Connections has drawn to a close with another strong year at the box office, according to organisers.

Ticket sales for the winter music festival topped 100,000 for the fourth year running, grossing more than £1m.

Sell out concerts held across Glasgow included Sir Tom Jones and Rosanne Cash as well as home grown acts such as Justin Currie and The Waterboys.

Meanwhile, Orcadian fiddle player Kristan Harvey was named BBC Radio Scotland young musician of the year.

She and the other five finalists will now take part in a recording session and a Scottish tour.

Celtic Connections saw about 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, take place in Glasgow over 18 days.

Sir Tom Jones flew in from Los Angeles especially for an exclusive performance.

Glasgow band Love and Money reunited for one night after 16 years, soul singers Mavis Staples and Bettye Lavette took to the stage, and stars including James Grant and Josh Rouse paid tribute to Bob Dylan in the year of his 70th birthday.

Donald Shaw, Celtic Connections artistic director, said it had been the most ambitious and diverse programme in the festival's 18 year history.

"Each January we strive to bring exciting new sounds to Glasgow whilst also honouring the musical traditions which are at the heart of the festival, and we've seen some world class performances over the past 18 days," he said.

"As well as featuring an array of international acts, we've celebrated the vibrancy of the Scottish folk scene - it's been a fantastic 18th year."

Celtic Connections 2012 will run from Thursday 20 January to Sunday 6 February.