Mark Rees Journalist and Author

Ghost stories for Christmas and the Mari Lwyd: December on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast

Ghost stories for Christmas are a long-standing tradition, but unlike the chilling tales of Charles Dickens and M.R. James, the festive accounts on this podcast are not works of fiction – these are real-life ghost stories! December on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast also saw the return of everyone’s favourite yuletide visitor, the horse-skulled Mari Lwyd, a look at the never-ending Christmas parties in Victorian Wales, and even a few accounts of spirits of the living – the shades of those yet to shuffle off this mortal coil. Merry Christmas/ Nadolig llawen!

Halloween ghost hunt, Welsh jack-o’-lanterns and headless spirits: October on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast

October on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast was all about Halloween – or Nos Calan Gaeaf, as we call it in Wales. There were tales of the first Welsh jack-o’-lantern, the Ladi Wen (a headless white lady) and the Hwch Ddu Gwta (a monstrous black pig) who come to steal your soul, and for the first time ever, a “live” ghost hunt at one of Wales’ “most haunted” places.

Guy Fawkes Night: the folklore, traditions, history and ghosts of Bonfire Night, and how Noson Guto Ffowc was celebrated in Wales

Guy Fawkes Night special on the Ghosts and Folklore podcast: Can the ancient druids of Wales really lay claim to inventing the traditions of the 5th of November AND July the 4th? Explore the curious customs of Bonfire Night, or Noson Guto Ffowc as we say in Wales, on this special episode of the podcast.

Ghosts of Wales podcast Halloween special: Ghosts of Wales Live goes online to ghost hunt in Wales’ “most haunted” places

Ghosts of Wales podcast Halloween special: Mark Rees launches his new book Paranormal Wales with a special online edition of the annual Ghosts of Wales Live event on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast. Join him and special guests as they explore some of Wales’ “most haunted” places, and go ghost hunting on the spookiest night of the year.

Spooky Halloween Folklore and Traditions of Wales: Ghosts & Folklore of Wales podcast Halloween special

Join Mark Rees (author of Ghosts of Wales/ Paranormal Wales etc.) for a journey in search of the curious, and at times macabre history and folklore of Nos Calan Gaeaf, the Welsh Halloween.