Folkways: The Folklore of Britain and Ireland
Folkways 39 episodes Oct 31, 2026
Folkways explores the folklore of Britain and Ireland, moving through music, psychogeography, and folkloric encounters such as what to do if the devil follows you to church. Each episode also includes a mini-almanac for the month ahead. The show takes a long, strange trip through local traditions and strange stories, with no guarantee of getting home in time for dinner.
Episodes
(S5E5) ⚰️ THE DEAD DON'T REST: The Highgate Vampire (Halloween Special)
In the shadows of London's historic Highgate Cemetery, something sinister was said to be lurking...🤝 Become a valued Friend of Folkways: https://bit.ly/34awiDB 🎧 Music by @big.big.sky: https://spoti.fi/47jvok6 ☕️ Buy me a coffee: https://bit.ly/3dxssVw 💌 Get in contact folkwayschannel@gmail.com 👋 @folkwayspodcast
(S5E4) 🌲 VALLEY OF THE FAIRIES: The Folklore of Ardennes Forest
Deep in Belgium's Ardennes lies a world of fascinating fairy folklore. Discover the Valley of the Fairies and its connection to Marcel - Chouffe's famous Gnome.🤝 Become a valued Friend of Folkways: https://bit.ly/34awiDB🎧 Music by @big.big.sky: https://spoti.fi/47jvok6☕️ Buy me a coffee: https://bit.ly/3dxssVw💌 Get in contact folkwayschannel@gmail
(S5E3) 🌹 LOST ENGLAND: The forgotten Stories and History (with Past and Curious)
England is full of history… but so much has been forgotten. In this video I sit down with Jack from Past and Curious to talk sin-eating, the first English fairy story, the pagan texts of the Anglo Saxons... all the way to a fascinating conspiracy Jack may have uncovered related to Gawain and the Green Knight. It's all here!* I recommend watching the accompanying video as oppose to just listeni
(S5E2) 🔥 SUMMER IS ICUMEN IN: May Day and Beltane
Let's look at May Day and Beltane traditions across Britain and Ireland, from ancient fires to seasonal folk customs.🤝 Become a valued Friend of Folkways: https://bit.ly/34awiDB🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky: https://spoti.fi/47jvok6☕️ Buy me a coffee: https://bit.ly/3dxssVw💌 Get in contact folkwayschannel@gmail.com👋 @folkwayspodcastSOURCES:Carm
(S5E1) 🏰 ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY: The Secrets of St Michael's Mount
Walk across the sea with me. From legends of angels and giants, to a mysterious ley line known as 'the dragon line'... to a bizarre discovery made inside the chapel... let's explore the history and folklore of Cornwall’s most iconic landmark. 💎 BONUS! Full interview with guide Anna Berska on the history of the mount: https://bit.ly/4pCdulQ🤝 Become a valued Friend of Folkways
(S4E10) ⚡️ WORSHIP THE OLD GODS: Nordic Paganism (with Fiona Aedgar)
Something different! The show has talked a great deal about deity and ancestral veneration in the past tense, with the aim of understanding it within a historical context. But what about those with a living practice today? How does it work? Here is just one example, looking at Nordic Paganism (other examples likely to come the future!) So... with the intention to banish some winter blues, enjoy th
(S4E9) 🍂 HAUNTED LANDS: The occult mystery of the Sussex Downs
Let's explore a mystery that has hovered over the Downs since the 1970s. We visit Chanctonbury and Cissbury Ring, then head into the notorious Clapham Woods...💎 BONUS! Queen of the Witches: https://bit.ly/4x1kgUP🤝 Become a valued Friend of Folkways: https://bit.ly/34awiDB🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky: https://spoti.fi/47jvok6📺 Folkways Youtube
(S4E8) 🐈 GATE TO HELL: The Cave of the Cats (Halloween)
🐈 Let's take a seasonally-appropriate trip to a mysterious cave in County Roscommon, said to be Ireland's 'gateway to hell', and also the origin of Halloween...We meet Queen Maeve, monstrous cats, the Morrigan, and of course... the sidhe!📍 Oweynagat, Co. Roscommon, IrelandFeaturing the texts:Táin Bó Cúailnge (1. Queen Medb's Revenge)Fled Bricrenn / Bricriu's Feast(2. The Ca
(S4E7) 🇮🇪 STONE AND SIDHE: Irish Fairies with Thomas Sheridan
Folkways welcomes back esteemed guest Thomas Sheridan! 🍻Today we talk about the Irish Sidhe, and the stone circles and hills associated with them.The circle on a roundabout mentioned is The Abbeyquarter stone circle, Sligo.Featuring Darby O' Gill and the Little People, 1959. A place called Knocknasheega features in the film, which is likely based on the hill Knocknashee (Irish: Cnoc na Sí), co
(S4E6) ⚡️ BETWEEN: Boundaries and Thresholds
‘Jesters, clowns, shamans and poets belong to this border realm...’ An extract of the introduction to Boundaries and Thresholds, by Hilda Davidson.📖 Boundaries and Thresholds from The Folklore SocietyDavidson, H.E., Stroud, Thimble Press (1993), Boundaries and Thresholds, Papers from a Colloquium of The Katharine Briggs Club🌟 Related episode: (S2E5) Places Between Places🤝 Become a valued
(S4E5) 🏴 MYSTERIOUS ISLE: Norah Fornario's Trip to Iona
In 1929 an occultist was drawn to the Scottish Isle of Iona, her eerie story contributing to the island's already substantial mythos. 🌀💎 Enjoy no less than 3 bonus sections created for this episode!Norah and the FairiesDion Fortune talk on the Green Ray, 1933 Are The Fairies The Dead?🤝 Become a valued Friend of Folkways: https://bit.ly/34awiDB🎧 Soundtrack especially scored
(S4E4) 🍷 Christmas Ghost Stories with Thomas Sheridan
I sit down for the ultimate winter chat with Thomas Sheridan! We discuss everything from Alternative Folklore, Winter liminality, James Joyce, Irish Christmas traditions, The Snowman... to the symbolic murdering of the year! Not under any circumstances to be missed! 🚫Featuring the end of John Huston's The Dead, 1987 🌟 Related episodes: (S4E3) SOLSTICE: The Real Story of Yule (referenced
(S4E3) 🎄🌞 SOLSTICE: The Real Story of Yule (BBC R4, 1985)
Please enjoy the original stunning radio play 'Solstice' by Alison Mcleay, first broadcast Sat 21st Dec 1985, 10.30pm on BBC Radio 4.
Original blurb: 'It is now the Winter Solstice, the night when the sun dies and is reborn: a night of magic, which has more to do with our traditional Christmas celebrations than people might like to admit. Just for tonight, the Shaman lives...'
With the voices of
🔮 LIMINAL LOVE DIVINATIONS: October 2024 Almanac
Due to the lateness of this episode (extreme tech issues), please enjoy a juicy extra-long section on Halloween 🎃
So... what does romance have to do with All Hallows / Samhain / Calan Gaeaf? ♥️ Find out in this month's broadcast!
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(S4E2) 🦉 INTO THE TREES: The Strange Case of Mawnan, Cornwall (Part 2)
🦉 Today the podcast takes a very different approach to last episode, as we head through the trees on a bit of a Cornish epic.
We meet different characters amongst the graves, including Tony Doc Shiels, Leonora Carrington... and Ithell Colquhoun!
But will they be able to help us...?
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🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky: https://spoti.f
(S4E1) 🌲 INTO THE TREES: The Strange Case of Mawnan, Cornwall (Part 1)
🎈 Welcome to Season 4! Today we're plunging into one of the strangest stories in contemporary British folklore... Monsters in the woods at Mawnan, Cornwall.
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(S3E8) 🎶 PORTALS: The Fairy Music of Loch Sween
Let's head to Loch Sween, Argyll, Scotland, as we linger by a patch of rocks, rumoured to be an entrance to the Otherworld...
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🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky: https://spoti.fi/47jvok6
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(BONUS) 💌 Postal Address + FOF Winter Competition Winners 2023
Write to me!
Plus the Friends of Folkways Winter Solstice Competition Winners. 💌 Merry Christmas!
🎄 Some more festive offerings... 🎄
❄️ THE ANCESTORS (are watching) https://bit.ly/3RTt1xx
❄️ A SLEIGH RIDE THROUGH CHRISTMAS https://bit.ly/3GUn7H6
❄️ SOLSTICE: The Real Story of Yule https://bit.ly/47cjfft
❄️ GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS https://bit.ly/3vbdq4C
(S3E7) 🔗 THE ANCESTORS (Are Watching) | Christmas | Yule
This Yule, come in from the cold, warm your feet by the fire, grab a mulled wine if you like, as it’s time to consider The Ancestors. 🔥
Plus we talk Anglo Saxon Christmas, the Winter Solstice, JRR Tolkien, and more in December's Almanac. 📅
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🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky: https://spoti.fi/47jvok6
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(S3E6) 🌀 BACK, AGAIN: The Kersey Slip (Halloween special)
What happened in Kersey, Suffolk, October of 1957? Find out in this atmospheric episode for Samhain. 🍂 Plus, the latest almanac!
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🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky: https://spoti.fi/47jvok6
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👋 Con
(S3E5) 🍎 FIRST FRUITS: Lughnasadh and Lammas (Part 2)
In this episode we continue our look at the folk traditions surrounding the early harvest feast. This time we look at the fairs of Tailtiu or Carmen; plus we play 'an hour in the hay', and mull over the significance of that very first loaf.
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🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky: https://spoti.fi/47jvok6
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(S3E4) 🌾 FIRST FRUITS: Lughnasadh and Lammas (Part 1)
A look at the folk traditions surrounding the early August feast that opens the harvest, also known at Lugh's Funeral Games.
Stay tuned for part 2, coming this week.
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💌 Get i
(S3E3) 📍 SPIRIT OF THE PLACE
🤝 Become a valued Friend of Folkways🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky📺 Folkways Youtube☕️ Buy me a coffee💌 Get in contact folkwayschannel@gmail.com👋 Connect with Folkways on Instagram or Twitter @folkwayschannel
(S3E2) 🏴 GHOSTS OF GLAMORGAN
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(S3E1) ⌛️ THE OTHERWORLD, Part 5: Out Of Time
Welcome to Season 3! Today we're exploring time-slips and their link to the Otherworld...
Featured:
Niamh and Oisín (Ireland)
King Herla (England)
Shon ap Shenkin / Sion ap Siencyn (Wales)
The lad from Scorrybreac (Scotland)
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🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky
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(BONUS) ❄️ Icebreak Meditation
❄️🌞 Enjoy Icebreak in full https://bit.ly/3ljU2NO ❄️🌞
🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky
📺 Folkways Youtube
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(S2E7) 🎁 THE OTHERWORLD, Part 4: Gifts from the Gods
Welcome to the next episode in our series The Otherworld. Part 4: Gifts from the Gods. 🎁✨
Today we delve into some of the mystical presents that have been imparted from 'beyond the veil', including a fairy flag and stories of music and artistry.
This one's for all the dreamers out there...
✍️ Full episode script + show notes
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🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big
(S2E6) 🍒 THE OTHERWORLD, Part 3: Cherry of Zennor
Welcome to the next episode in our series The Otherworld. Part 3: The Adventures of Cherry of Zennor.
✍️ Full episode script + show notes
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🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky
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| LINKS + SOURCES |
(S2E5) ✨ THE OTHERWORLD, Part 2: Places Between Places
Welcome to the second episode in our series The Otherworld, where we take a cautious step into liminal spaces.✍️ Full episode script + show notes🤝 Become a valued Friend of Folkways 🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky📺 Folkways Youtube☕️ Buy me a coffee💌 Get in contact folkwayschannel@gmail.com👋 Connect with Folkways on Instagram or Twitter @folkwayschannel| LINKS + SOURCES |Davidson, Hilda 'Bounda
(S2E4) ☠️ THE OTHERWORLD, Part 1: Dead Can Dance
What is the connection between the dead, fairies and the otherworld? Let's explore some of the main themes in this first part of The Otherworld series.
✍️ Full episode script + show notes
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🎧 Soundtrack by @big.big.sky
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(S2E3) FOLKLORE (WHY BOTHER?) Part 1: The Land
Welcome to the first episode in our unique series Folklore (Why Bother?) Part 1: The Land
Men who eat Ringforts https://bit.ly/3KysPxT
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(S2E2) 🔔 THE BELLS OF MINSMERE, Part 2
The show returns with the second instalment of atmospheric folk tale The Bells of Minsmere.
Also included is April's mini-almanac, where we wash white lions in the tower of London, buy some striped paint, as well as beg for eggs at our neighbours' doors.
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(S2E1) 🔔 THE BELLS OF MINSMERE, Part 1
A warm welcome to the first episode of Season 2, where we're heading deep into the marshes for the Bells of Minsmere.
Also included is March's mini-almanac, where we muse the Spring Equinox, do some 'shriving' and learn the true origin of Mothering Sunday.
Soundtrack to The Bells of Minsmere by Big Big Sky https://spoti.fi/3hwjFG4
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(S1E7) 🦌 A SLEIGH RIDE THROUGH CHRISTMAS: The Solstice to Santa
It's Christmas Eve! Wrap up warm, pour yourself a mulled cider and hop on board as tonight we take a sleigh ride through Christmas. We're visiting Newgrange for the Winter Solstice, dropping by on a Roman Saturnalia, as well as encountering the Holly King and that jolly Saint Nick.
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If you have any thoughts on today’s show
(S1E6) 💧 STILL WATERS RUN DEEP, Part 3: Reflections
The final instalment in our popular mini-series Still Waters Run Deep. Today we hike through both Snowdonia and the Otherworld as we discover further tales of the Gwragedd Annwn, or, the ladies of the lakes.
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(S1E5) 💧 STILL WATERS RUN DEEP, Part 2: The Lady of Llyn y Fan Fach concludes
We’re returning to our exploration of the the Ladies of the Lakes as we rejoin Rhiwallon in the Brecon Beacons, as the dramatisation of the lady of Llyn y Fan Fach concludes. The second episode in a three-part mini-series.
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(S1E4) 💧 STILL WATERS RUN DEEP, Part 1: Ladies of the Lakes
Today we’re getting out our hiking boots and heading into the mountains to dive into the world of the Gwragedd Annwn: the water women of the Welsh lakes. We start with the most famous lake lady of all - the keeper of Excalibur in the legends of King Arthur - before finding ourselves in the Brecon Beacons for the story of Rhiwallon and the Lady of Llyn y Fan Fach. The first of a three-part min
(S1E3) 🌾 EAST ANGLIAN LANDSCAPE + LORE: Interview with Rob Jones of Black Dog Zine
We’re talking to Rob Jones of Black Dog Zine - a striking new publication looking at East Anglian landscape and lore. We talk cities that fell in the sea, black dogs, white dogs and green children. Plus our relationship with the landscape around us, experimental music scenes, “deep touristing” and the lingering touch of MR James. Not to be missed!
☕️ If you enjoyed, feel f
(S1E2) 🔥 MIDSUMMER, Part 2: Burn Baby Burn! Love, Bonfires and Botany.
Welcome to the show's second episode on Midsummer! We're taking a deep-dive into the customs surrounding the Summer Solstice - from fires on the hill tops of Ireland, dreaming of your future lover, to the occult past of St John's Wort.
☕️ If you enjoyed, feel free to buy me a coffee
💌 If you have any thoughts on today’s show, please get in contact folkwayschannel@gmail.com
🤝 Conn
(S1E1) 🌞 MIDSUMMER, Part 1: The Summer Solstice, Sun Worship and Standing Stones that Dance.
Welcome to our maiden voyage! This is the first of 2 episodes on the folklore of Midsummer - that period celebrated between 19 - 25 June, with Midsummer's Day traditionally falling on the 24. We'll be providing context for sun worship in the modern age, pausing for a moment to smell the damn roses, and issuing a warning about stone circles that come alive and dance on Old Midsommers Eve... &
