The Aran Islands lie in Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland. They're made up of Inis Mór, Inis Mearn, and Inis Oírr. People have likely lived on the islands since c. 3000 BCE. Late Bronze Age and Iron Age ruins scatter the islands, alongside old churches and holy wells.

After the era of saints and pilgrimages, Elizabeth I unlawfully seized ownership of the islands in 1565 and in 1588, she sold them to the Lynch family. Oliver Cromwell took them back and passed them to his supporters. Absentee English landlords owned the islands until 1922.

They boast such fascinating sights as the Wormhole, believed to be the home of a giant serpent, and the remains of the ancient forts. The Aran Islands are also the home of the world-famous Aran sweaters!

Let's find out more about saints, ancient forts, and knitting lore in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!

Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/aran-islands-folklore/

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Hello, friends!

Our October theme for the podcast is (unsurprisingly) the supernatural. So I wanted to dedicate at least one episode to people's supernatural encounters, rather than focusing on what's in books or newspapers!

You can remain anonymous if you want, but if you choose to submit a story, I will need to know a few things about the encounter, like when and where it happened.

It doesn't have to just be ghosts, either! It can be anything you deem to be supernatural. I'll be reading the most fascinating or strangest ones on the podcast!

I'm not going to debunk anything, either - we're simply sharing the supernatural or weird things that have happened to us!

Click here to tell me about your encounter: https://forms.gle/hpcscensrDzVcKLk7

Ynys Enlli in north Wales is also known as Bardsey Island, and it's been a pilgrimage destination since the 6th century.

The island lies at the north end of Cardigan Bay, just off the tip of the Llŷn peninsula. Archaeological evidence shows human habitation on the island for at least four millennia.

But where does it get its mysterious name of the Isle of 20,000 Saints? How is it linked with King Arthur and Merlin? And could it be the true location of Avalon? Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!

Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/bardsey-island/

Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/

Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595

Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore

Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick

Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop

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