Catherine Ashcroft (born 8 April 1988) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

musician (

Irish Folk Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...

). She was born in Halifax.

Career

She is a self-taught musician who plays the

Uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from their ...

and

whistles Whistling without the use of an artificial whistle is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. The a ...

. In 2008 Ashcroft recorded her first CD "Take Flight and Follow" at ''Stenkrith Studios'' in

Kirkby Stephen Kirkby Stephen () is a market town and civil parish in Cumbria, North West England. Historically part of Westmorland, it lies on the A685, surrounded by sparsely populated hill country, about from the nearest larger towns: Kendal and Penrith. ...

. Here she met

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

's singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist

Maurice Dickson Colonel Maurice Rhynd Dickson (2 January 1882 – 10 January 1940) was a Scottish sportsman who represented his country in both cricket and rugby union. Education Dickson was educated at Marlborough College and went on to read for his ba ...

. The pair soon formed the duo "Mochara" (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

for "my friend") and have since performed

Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerab ...

throughout Britain and Europe. Together Ashcroft and Dickson have published three albums: "In Your Blood" in 2010, "Spirits and Dreamers" in 2013 and "Live at the Island" in 2015. Ashcroft participated in

Riverdance ''Riverdance'' is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions Jean ...

's China tour in 2017/2018.Catherine Ashcroft: Biography
''catherineashcroft.co.uk.'' Retrieved 2018-12-30.

References

External links

* Living people 21st-century English musicians Irish folk musicians 21st-century English women musicians Celtic folk musicians 1988 births {{UK-musician-stub