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Devil’s Bridge: Ghosts & Folklore of Wales podcast
EP17 The Devil’s Bridge Did Satan really build a bridge in Wales – the notorious Devil’s Bridge – in exchange for the soul of an old Welsh woman? Find out in the real story behind the folk tale from haunted Wales. In this episode of the GHOSTS & FOLKLORE podcast, join Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales/ Paranormal Wales etc.) for a journey in search of Satan himself who, it is claimed, built a bridge over a great chasm in exchange for the soul of an old Welsh widow. Dare you cross the Devil’s Bridge? This story is one of Wales’ most popular folk tales, and while it might…
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Illustrated Tales of Wales, a new book of Welsh folklore, myths and legends from Mark Rees
Cover reveal and publication date for new book of Welsh folklore, myths and legends I’m very pleased to announce that my new book, Illustrated Tales of Wales, has a cover and a release date. The book was originally due to be published in August 2020 but, as well all now know, 2020 hasn’t quite gone the way anyone expected. The release date was bumped back until the end of 2020, and then the start of the next year, but I can now confirm that – fingers crossed! – it will be hitting the shelves of all good bookshops on June 15, 2021. To whet your appetite, here’s a sneak preview…
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Ghosts & Folklore from Wales podcast now available on Amazon Music
Amazon Music users can now listen to the Ghosts & Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees podcast on all of their devices. The Ghosts of Folklore of Wales podcast can now be streamed and downloaded on Amazon Music. That means you’ve now got even more places to listen to the world’s first podcast dedicated to Welsh ghosts and folklore! It has long been available to users of other popular platforms such as Spotify, Apple, YouTube and Google (full list here), but now you can just ask Amazon to play some spooky Ghosts of Wales yarns and it will do just that. Best of all, it’s just in time for Halloween…
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Ghost Train from the Future: Ghosts & Folklore podcast EP16
The 16th episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast “Ghost Train from the Future” is live…. NOW! This episode is dedicated to ghost trains, and recalls a unique real-life account in which a ghost train from the future popped up in the Welsh countryside. It also allows me to bemoan the fact that ghost trains – the ones you can ride on, not the supernatural ones! – are disappearing from our funfairs. The eerie account itself is an unusual little story I discovered in the Victorian archives, and sounds a bit like a cross between Back to the Future and Night of the Demon. Now there’s a film…
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Halloween on the Ghosts & Folklore of Wales podcast: celebrate the Welsh Nos Calan Gaeaf
Join Mark Rees for five special episodes of the Ghosts & Folklore podcast to count down to Halloween Autumn is my favourite time of year, and Halloween (or Nos Calan Gaeaf, as we say here in Wales) is my favourite holiday. As such, I’ve been racking my brain to think of a suitably over-the-top way to celebrate the occasion on the Ghosts of Folklore of Wales podcast. An hour-long special, maybe? Wales’ “most haunted” places to visit? What about a special guest or two? They all sounded like good ideas, but something wasn’t quite right. Also, as somebody who specialises (ha!) in weird and wonderful subjects, Halloween is one of…
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The Dark History of Beer; or, How a Welsh witch invented mead: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees podcast EP15
Join me for a journey in search of the Welsh enchantress who brewed beer in her cauldron, the Gothic folklore surrounding alcohol at funerals, and other macabre traditions from “weird” Wales Welcome to the 15th episode of my “curious” Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast – the “dark history of beer”! It’s all about alcohol and folklore, and I really feel like I’ve captured some of the energy and spontaneity from my Ghosts of Wales – Live! events on this episode of the podcast. As I’m sure regular listeners have noticed, I don’t script my episodes (ha, I think that’s obvious!), but I usually have a rough roadmap in my…
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Paranormal Wales book launch coming to the Ghosts & Folklore podcast this Halloween
You can’t stop a “Ghosts of Wales” paranormal party! My new book PARANORMAL WALES was published in March, and the plan was to have a book launch soon after to celebrate. Sadly, as we now know, March 2020 wasn’t the best of times to plan a paranormal party. Or any other kind of public event, for that matter. Just days after a box crammed full of of author copies landed on my doorstep, the Prime Minister announced that the UK would be put into lockdown. Life, as we knew it, came to a halt. “Refusing to accept defeat, I’ve instead decided to get with the times and host an online…
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The Realm of Faerie: The secret origin of the fairy folk of Wales: Ghosts and Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees podcast EP14
The world is full of magical tales about fairies, but have you ever wondered where they come from? Welcome to the 14th episode of my “curious” Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, which is dedicated to the realm of faerie! Following a rather grim and gritty episode last time out, I decided to lighten the mood with the most mood-lightening subject I could think of… fairies. Yes, this episode is dedicated to the fair folk, with Wirt Sikes – the pioneering Victorian writer who travelled from America to Wales and recorded countless accounts of their mischievous exploits – serving as our guide. Sikes has long been one of my folkloric…
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The Ghost of a Murderer Stalks Abroad: Ghosts & Folklore with Mark Rees podcast EP13
The “ghost of a murderer stalks abroad” in the 13th episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, which is live…. NOW! Can the ghost of a murderer really return from beyond the grave to haunt their former home and neighbours? That appeared to be the case in Swansea at the end of the Victorian era, and in episode 13 of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast I delve into the archives in search of the facts surrounding a haunting dubbed the “Wraith of a Murderer” by the press. “Was this paranormal activity really the work of a restless spirit, or was something else going on in the…
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A special bonus episode of the Ghosts & Folklore podcast for Haunted Happening
The 12th episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast is live NOW, and it’s a special bonus episode recorded for Haunted Happening! Ever hear about the ghost of a “headless Jesu” who was seen by a man of the cloth charging along a dark Welsh road at night at the helm of a carriage pulled by spectral horses? No? What about the pesky poltergeists which were scaring a married couple in their new home, and even “some holy ladies” nearby? In this special bonus episode of Ghosts & Folklore of Wales recorded especially for the Haunted Happening event, I look back at three curious real-life ghost stories published…
