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Local Legends - Wales
We interview acclaimed authors, folklorists, storytellers and historians with unique perspectives on the thirteen historic counties of Wales, as part of Series 7.
Local Legends 43:
Milly Jackdaw
In Series 7's first episode of Local Legends, Eleanor is joined around the campfire by storyteller, theatre maker and ecologist Milly Jackdaw.
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Milly's fascinating career has seen her telling stories on the banks of wild lakes, at festivals and in theatres, and in some of the places most connected to the stories themselves.
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With a background in theatre, Milly brings a particular theatrical flair to her storytelling. She toured with Purple Broccoli Theatre Co for nearly a decade, bringing performances with core environmental themes to diverse venues, all the while developing her passion for solo storytelling.
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At the heart of it all is Milly’s deep love of the natural world, a primary theme of all her work. She’s studied field ecology, animal communication and plant spirit communication, and is a trustee for the charity Cambrian Wildwood.
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A fascinating chat about the life and work of an inspiring storyteller, the county of Cardiganshire, and tales such as the birth of Taliesin and Myrddin’s Pig, with a true Local Legend: Milly Jackdaw.
Local Legends 44:
Chris Baglin
Martin is joined around the campfire by storyteller, magician and puppeteer Chris Baglin.
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Chris performs as 'Professor Llusern' and 'Cyfarwydd Cymru', with the second being his bardic name, meaning 'the storyteller of Wales'.
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Chris performs at castles, heritage centres and fetes across north Wales and beyond, and for the past several years he has been the regular storyteller at Conwy Castle and a half dozen other places, too.
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When not performing, Chris travels across the country and abroad as a drama adjudicator for various festivals, and organises events for Welsh Language promotion organisation.
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He is also a script writer and voice over artist, is a lead Creative Schools practitioner (an Arts Council Wales project), and he, too, has a storytelling podcast.
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For now, though, let's listen in to a conversation with The Storyteller of Wales about his life, career, and this week’s Three Ravens historic county, Denbighshire.
Local Legends 49:
Christine Watkins
Eleanor is joined around the campfire by storyteller priestess Christine Watkins to talk all about her home county of Monmouthshire.
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Christine was born in Monmouthshire, where her family has deep roots. She has been crafting words for speaking live or in broadcast since 1980 - stories of belonging and apartness, discovery and creation.
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She's the author of Gwent Folk Tales and the host of the podcast Around Goes The Rambler, in which she walks Monmouthshire over the course of a year and a day.
Local Legends 50:
Michael Harvey
For our 50th Local Legends interview episode, we've rustled up author and award-winning storyteller Michael Harvey, and made him talk about the extremely dreamy Welsh county of Radnorshire.
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Michael is a Welsh storyteller and author with more than 25 years of experience. Gongs include a Major Creative Wales Award and a British Award for Storytelling Excellence.
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He is known for telling traditional stories from Celtic and Welsh oral traditions, and, for a time, worked at the Bleddfa Centre in Radnorshire - the historic Welsh county that has been our focus on Three Ravens this week.
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Speaking with Michael for this episode was a genuine pleasure, and it’s a conversation which ranges, including discussions of stories from and about Radnorshire to a lot more besides, encompassing Welsh history and folk customs to life at the Bleddfa Week of Storytelling.
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Maybe this conversation will prompt the universe to conspire to bring it back.
Local Legends 51:
Deborah Winter
Eleanor talks to the wonderful storyteller Deborah Winter about her home county of Pembrokeshire, a land of mermaids, pirates and the cry of the raven...
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Deborah has gained a widespread reputation as an oral storyteller, and performs at festivals and arts events across the UK, including Aberystwyth Storytelling Festival, End of the Road Festival, On Land’s Edge, Swansea Fringe, Llangwm Literary Festival and many more.
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In 2021, Deborah was joint winner of the Esyllt Harker Prize for women storytellers in Wales, with musician Ailsa Mair Fox. The prize celebrates the talent and contributions of female storytellers in Wales, and as part of it Deborah received a commission to support the creation of her show Secrets and Silences, which was performed at Beyond the Border International Storytelling Festival in 2023 to a standing ovation.
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It’s a great chat, which spans Deborah’s life and career, and her deep love of her home county of Pembrokeshire, its history, folklore and stories.
Local Legends 52:
Mhara Starling
Martin has a good long chat with the truly brilliant Mhara Starling!
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Mhara is a prominent figure in modern Welsh witchcraft.
Born and raised on the Isle of Anglesey, she is a native Welsh speaker who brings an authentic, culturally grounded perspective to her practice and teachings.
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A dedicated Swynwraig (Welsh Witch) and coven leader with a passion for sharing the magic and lore of her homeland, she is perhaps most famous via her work on social media, particularly TikTok, where her videos on Welsh magic and folklore have earned millions of views and a large, international audience.
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Her books include Welsh Witchcraft: A Guide to the Spirits, Lore, and Magic of Wales and Welsh Fairies. Her books and workshops aim to guide readers and practitioners through the intricate blend of Christian and Pagan influences in Welsh mysticism, emphasizing the significance of language, cultural identity, and sacred sites.
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Mhara is also a celebrated public speaker, leading classes, gatherings, and workshops both online and in person, serving as a leading figure in the revival and sharing of Welsh spiritual heritage.
Local Legends 53: Horatio Clare
Eleanor chats with the brilliant writer Horatio Clare about land and legend.
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Although Horatio has had a really versatile career, he’s probably best known for his award winning nature and travel writing, and the beauty of his descriptions of place.
Luckily for us, he also grew up on a farm in the Brecon Beacons, so was deeply steeped in the mythology and stories of the natural world around him.
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Author of Myths and Legends of the Brecon Beacons and Myths and Legends of Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd, Horatio is also an ambassador for the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Scheme.
Local Legends 54:
Russ Williams
On this episode of Local Legends Martin's flagged over Griff, the trusty Ford Fiesta, belonging to travel writer and folklorist Russ Williams.
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Author of the WTF blog and Where The Folk: A Welsh Folklore Road Trip, Russ trained as a journalist, had a jaunt overseas in Australia, and felt hiraeth calling him.
He's now based in Cardiff, but North Wales will forever be home.
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Which is very handy for us, as he doesn't just know Caernarfonshire's folk tales and character - he has been to these places, spoken to local people, and, in some cases, even washed dishes in haunted pubs.
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A charming conversationalist, Russ has armfuls of tales for you in this episode, plus we also talk about Welsh Nationalism, whether Caernarfon or Conwy castle is better, what the heck is going in in Bangor, a plenty more besides.
Local Legends 55: Cath Little
Eleanor chats with the brilliant author, storyteller, and champion of Cardiff, Cath Little!
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Cath is especially interested in re-imagining tales from The Mabinogion. She shares her stories all over the place: in libraries, museums, castles, cafes, fields and schools, not least because schools and education are very important to Cath. She was a secondary school English teacher, a teacher of English abroad in Italy and Egypt, and later a Steiner Waldorf Early Years teacher.
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Stories are the thread which run through her long and varied career, and she’s also the author of Glamorgan Folk Tales for Children, illustrated by Peter Stevenson.
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Cath performs at festivals across Britain and Ireland, and somehow also finds time to run the Cardiff Storytelling Circle and their seasonal concerts Tales for the Turning Year, and tell stories at Oasis, a Cardiff-based charity for refugees and asylum seekers.
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Otherwise, settle in for a lovely chat about favourite local tales, spots which inspire Cath, puppets, ghostly knights, children using skulls to play football, and so much more!
Local Legends 56:
David Rowe
Martin chats with the author of The A-Z of Curious Flintshire, local historian David Rowe.
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Born and raised in Tyneside, David’s love affair with Flintshire started fairly innocuously at first, as he explains in this conversation, but before long it had become clear he was addicted.
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While having a wife and family, and working for long periods overseas, including in Scandinavia and the Middle East, David set to studying, and researching, and became such a fixture of Flintshire's Local Historical that some people think he actually knows everything there is to know about the place.
He has written three books, has completed so many acts of service, and his work is genuinely inspiring. When it came to this county there was nobody else we wanted to speak to. Thank goodness that, at almost 80 years old, David was willing to carve out some time - and what an interview!