On Wednesday 17 September, Mark Rees will present an extended online version of his talk, The Sublime Landscapes of Dracula, as part of the Derby Dracula Project’s Dracula: Lunchtime Bites series. The event is free, but you must book in advance. In May, Mark delivered this talk at the inaugural Dracula Returns to Derby conference,…
Author Mark Rees gives the lowdown on Neath Port Talbot’s most spooky places. (This article was originally published in South West Wales Without a Car in 2024) Margam Castle is considered to be one of the ‘most haunted’ places in Britain. Its supposedly paranormal residents include a white lady who haunts the stairs at night,…
Bring the past to life this Halloween 2025 with Mark Rees, cultural historian and professional storyteller with more than 20 years of experience. From the ancient history of Halloween to the chilling real-life Ghosts of Wales, his Halloween talks are perfect for libraries, festivals, theatres and corporate events. Mark’s Halloween 2025 talks are designed to…
Julie Finch, Hay Festival’s CEO, speaks to MARK REES about the literary festival’s highlights this year. (This interview was originally published in the Western Mail, May 2024) From Glastonbury to Hay When Stormzy and Dua Lipa were announced to appear at last year’s Hay Festival, it must have raised a few eyebrows. Acts more traditionally…
Ahead of her appearance at Hay Festival Winter Weekend, author Sarah Clegg speaks to MARK REES about her new book documenting winter’s spookiest stories and traditions. (This interview was originally published in the Western Mail, November 2024) Monsters of Christmas – From Krampus to the Mari Lwyd Picture the scene: It’s a brisk New Year’s…
Celebrated painter Glenys Cour MBE has been a central part of Wales’s artistic life since the 1940s. MARK REES caught up with her in her Mumbles home. (This interview was first published in The Bay magazine, Winter 2023) In the late 1940s, when Glenys Cour set foot in war-scarred Swansea, little could she have known…
Is the ghost of a global opera superstar haunting her private Welsh castle? Or is something even stranger at work at Craig-y-Nos? What happens when the world’s greatest diva builds a fairytale home in the Swansea valley… and never quite leaves? Can a song recorded over a century ago still stir the spirits? And what…
What kind of uncanny creature leaps onto a corpse and rides in a hearse? What on earth are graveyard dogs? Is it a ghost? A supernatural omen? Or something stranger still? 👻🕯️ In this week’s episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, author and folklorist Mark Rees dives deep into the unexplained with…
Who knocks at midnight—and what do they want? Are these uncanny visitors of the night bringing gifts or a curse? When a knock came at midnight, the family inside had no idea the supernatural visitors weren’t just visiting—they were hunting. A seemingly generous call from the Tylwyth Teg—the fairy folk of Welsh folklore—soon unravels into…
