Irish & Celtic Music Interviews

Louise Bichan: Fiddle, Photographs, and a Very Spooky AlbumSome artists play music. Some make pictures. Louise Bichan does both, and she uses each one to tell stories, old and new.Orkney rootsLouise grew up in the Orkney islands, where music is part of everyday life. She started fiddle at age 7 after watching concerts at the Orkney Folk Festival, and she pestered her parents until they let her learn. She went on to Glasgow's session scene, performed with Orkney group Fara and singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni, and studied at the Glasgow School of Art. A scholarship then took her to Berklee College of Music in Boston. Today she is based in the USA.Music and picturesLouise graduated in 2011 with a degree in photography and has photographed folk acts like Lau, Talisk, and Siobhan Miller. Her two art forms first came together in Out of My Own Light, released in 2016. It tells the story of her grandmother, Margaret Bichan (née Tait), who traveled to Canada in 1950 to solve a dilemma of the heart. Louise retraced her steps and wrote music to go with her photographs. Her 2024 album The Lost Summer was long-listed for Album of the Year at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards.BinnorieHer third solo album, Binnorie, comes out October 30 on Adhyâropa Records. It grew out of her 2025 All Hallows' Eve tour of New England, which was so much fun that she took the band into the studio. It's rooted in the folklore of her native Orkney, with Samhain traditions, trowies, selkies, and murder ballads. Guests include Aoife O'Donovan, Rachel Sermanni, Kris Drever, and Brian Cromarty. Louise made the album's artwork herself.Her record release tour runs October 29 through November 8. Listen to the interview, then go hear Binnorie.

House of Hamill joins me for an interview on this week's Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. But as a patron, you get the full interview and you get to hear some of the bands and places that inspire the band.

In the summer of 2025, I led a Celtic Invasion Vacation to Wexford, Ireland. My trips are small and intimate and full of surprises, like this concert.We stopped off at our local grocery store on Tuesday to stock up. On the way out, I saw a flier on the local events wall. Tulua was playing on Thursday, just down the street from us in our little country cottage. Tulua was a band I found on Facebook and invited to play their music on the podcast.

Malin Lewis plays effervescent folk on a newly invented bagpipe! Malin lives in Scotland and is one of the few openly trans Celtic musiciansMalin Lewis plays effervescent folk on a newly invented bagpipe! Malin lives in Scotland and is one of the few openly trans Celtic musicians sharing their music. I am so excited to share this delightful interview with you.Find out more about Malin Lewis here.

Show #706 of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast features an interview with Amelia Hogan. She released her new album this month. Learn how Show #706 of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast features an interview with Amelia Hogan. She released her new album this month. Learn how she came to Celtic music and sean nos singing.