Explore every episode of the podcast The Castalia podcast

Màiri Britton is a stepdancer, Gaelic singer and Gaelic cultural educator from Edinburgh, who now lives in Cape Breton. Isla and Màiri first met in Scotland many years ago and reconnected with each other during Isla’s time in Cape Breton. Find Isla’s music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia. 

Mairi Rankin is a fiddle player and step dancer who has grown up immersed in Cape Breton musical traditions. She has toured internationally as a member of the Cape Breton super-group Beòlach, the highly acclaimed Celtic folk band The Outside Track, and in her duo with cellist Eric Wright.

Find Isla’s music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia. 

Peter Corfield is a fiddle player and composer from Saint John, New Brunswick. Isla met him at a traditional music session when she travelled to New Brunswick to meet her 3rd and 4th cousins. Peter wrote a tune for her, ‘Isla Be Home for Christmas’, which Isla recorded on Track 13 of her album The Castalia. Find Isla’s music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia. 

Chrissy Crowley is a fiddle player from Margaree, Cape Breton. She performs both solo

and as a member of contemporary band Còig. Isla enjoyed playing tunes with

Chrissy every Wednesday night at the session at the Governor’s Pub in Sydney.

Find Isla’s music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia. 

Paul Cranford is a well-known fiddle player, composer and publisher in the Cape Breton traditional music scene. Isla played tunes with him every Thursday night at the Blue Mist session. She was honoured when he wrote her a strathspey, ‘Isla Ratcliff’, which she recorded on Track 6 of her album The Castalia, along with a reel that she wrote for him, ‘Ten Hugs for Paul Cranford’. Isla also recorded Paul’s tune ‘The Jello Bass’ as Track 2. Find Isla’s music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia.

Heather Sparling was Isla’s professor at Cape Breton University. Her research interests include Cape Breton dance traditions, Gaelic song in Nova Scotia, and the revitalisation of the Gaelic language through music. In this episode, she tells us about the history of stepdance, which features on four tracks of Isla’s album The Castalia. Find Isla’s music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia.

Annabelle Bugay is the stepdancer on Isla’s album The Castalia. Annabelle and Isla were both students at Cape Breton University. Isla recorded the tune that she wrote for Annabelle, ‘Tune for Annabelle’, as Track 4, accompanied by Annabelle stepdancing. Find Isla’s music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia.

Dawn and Margie Beaton are a fantastic fiddle-and-piano duo from Cape Breton. Isla met Margie on a drive from the Brook Village Square Dance to the Festival Club at Celtic Colours International Festival 2019, of which Dawn is the Artistic Director. Isla watched the online version of Celtic Colours in 2020, during the week that she spent writing her album. Find Isla’s music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia.

Kyle MacNeil was Isla’s fiddle teacher at Cape Breton University. He performs with The Barra MacNeils. He taught Isla the tune ‘Kilts on Fire’, which she recorded on Track 7 of her album The Castalia. Find Isla’s music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia.

In 2019, Scottish fiddle player Isla Ratcliff spent four wonderful months in Cape Breton, an island on Canada's rugged east coast with a rich traditional music culture. Isla fell in love with the music, the people and the place. Her experiences in Nova Scotia and neighbouring New Brunswick inspired her to release The Castalia, her debut album of traditional and self-composed fiddle music. In this podcast series to accompany the album, Isla introduces us to the people she met in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, some of whom were involved in the making of her album. Find Isla’s music at www.islaratcliff.com/the-castalia.