As far as Andy M. Stewart can tell, once the Irish and Scots start singing, differences melt away in the music.

"Certainly there's a great deal of brotherhood amongst the community of Celtic musicians," said Mr. Stewart, a legendary Scottish folksinger and songwriter.

That brotherhood takes to the stage Thursday night at Mullaney's Harp and Fiddle in the Strip District. When musicians from Pittsburgh's Irish music scene learned that Mr. Stewart, who has a wide following on both sides of the Atlantic, had been unable to work for a year after spinal surgery back home in Britain, they decided to do something.

"Andy M. Stewart Recognition Night," a $10 donation affair headlined by some of the region's top Irish acts, including Terry Griffith, Mike Gallagher, Guaranteed Irish and Dave Hanner of the Corbin-Hanner Band, kicks off at 5 p.m.

Mr. Stewart, forbidden by doctors to leave his home near Edinburgh, Scotland, over the past year, plans to board a plane and attend.

Pittsburgh's first settlers came primarily from the Scots-Irish stock that crossed the mountains in the mid-18th century, bringing with them the music that morphed into bluegrass, country and Appalachian folk. One of the signal instruments, the dulcimer, became popular because its monotonous "drone" string resembled the sound of the bagpipes that settlers could not always bring with them.

Mr. Stewart's blend of genres drew a surprising following in both Pittsburgh and the Washington, D.C. area.

"All the musicians I know have at least two or maybe a half-dozen of his songs they've learned. He writes in the tradition and he speaks very directly," said Bruce Foley, guitarist and singer with the group Guaranteed Irish. Mr. Foley, along with radio host Diane Byrnes, came up with the concert idea.

"Andy is a songwriter that is very popular worldwide, but in the local Pittsburgh community he's just inspired a lot of the local musicians," said Rick Jackson, a Mt. Lebanon businessman who produced a compact disc of area musicians recording Mr. Stewart's songs.

When Mr. Stewart learned about the tribute, he agreed to come, Mr. Jackson said, "but at first he was very shy about it."

Will Stewart take the stage with the performers Thursday?

"I wouldn't be surprised," Mr. Stewart said. "It'll be a fun night."