His next solo album, "Handful of Earth" (1981) became, he said, his most successful in terms of acclaim and sales. It was "Melody Maker"'s folk album of the year in 1981, and in 1989 was voted album of the decade by "Folk Roots" magazine (now "fRoots") in both readers' and critics' polls. The album contained a strong set of traditional and contemporary songs, including several which have remained part of Gaughan's core repertoire, such as Robert Burns's lyrical "Now Westlin Winds", the feisty "Erin Go Bragh", Phil & June Colclough's evocative "Song For Ireland" and his own reworking of the traditional "Both Sides The Tweed", which calls for Scottish independence without sacrificing friendship with the rest of the UK.