The Lost Valley Podcast
186 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 23 ratingsAn Irish podcast about 'Lost Worlds' in lore and literature
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Episodes
Contagion And Conspiracies: The Coronavirus (with James Lynch)
February 03, 2020 19:26 - 14 minutes - 16.6 MBWondering what all the hype is about? As the hype builds, Cian phones friend of the show and man of medicine James Lynch for a brief chat about the Coronavirus. Is it unique? Should we be scared? And are there any conspiracy theories about this one yet? (the answer to this last question is OF COURSE). Whether you're a sceptic or you've been prepping for the virus apocalypse for years, you'll pick up a few tips from this short episode of WIDE ATLANTIC WEIRD. Music by Kevin Gill and Cian Gill
A Winter Weird Fiction: What Was It? –by Fitz-James O’Brien
February 02, 2020 10:35 - 58 minutes - 67.1 MBWhile a winter gale rocks the Essex woods, Cian stokes the fire and cracks out a remarkable story written in the mid 19th Century by a fellow Corkman. Allow us to introduce to you the remarkable (and unjustly forgotten) Fitz-James O’Brien: immigrant, man of letters, toast of the literary scene of both London and New York, Civil War fighter, and writer of classic tales of the mysterious. Barely remembered now, this astonishing Irishman once wrote stories of early science fiction that bear com...
Disappearances In National Parks
January 21, 2020 20:37 - 28 minutes - 33.1 MBWhile driving across England, Cian reads some classic accounts of mysterious disappearances from wilderness areas and national parks in the US in an attempt to review the idea proposed by David Paulides that there are strange elements that link each of these cases. Full credit for this idea goes to Mr Paulides. From the forests and cafes of Southern England, Cian does his best to get lost, both physically and metaphorically as he goes down the rabbithole into a world of podcast-ready true cr...
What's In The Cards: Testing Extra-Sensory Perception Using Zener Cards
January 13, 2020 21:43 - 38 minutes - 44.4 MBCian quits the cabin and travels to London where he’s joined by Faye from Youtube’s The Ghost Trail and Ali from punk band The Scuts to test whether any of them really have any psychic ability using the (infamous) Zener cards. Yes, the ones from Ghostbusters. Invented by Karl Zener for JB Rhine back in the 1930s, Zener cards were instrumental in Rhine’s decades-long attempt to get proper scientific evidence for what he termed ‘extra sensory perception’, and get real scientific recognition fo...
What's In The Cards: Testing Extra-Sensory Perception Using Zener Cards (with Faye Sewell & Ali Keane)
January 13, 2020 21:43 - 38 minutes - 44.4 MBCian quits the cabin and travels to London where he’s joined by Faye from Youtube’s The Ghost Trail and Ali from punk band The Scuts to test whether any of them really have any psychic ability using the (infamous) Zener cards. Yes, the ones from Ghostbusters. Invented by Karl Zener for JB Rhine back in the 1930s, Zener cards were instrumental in Rhine’s decades-long attempt to get proper scientific evidence for what he termed ‘extra sensory perception’, and get real scientific recognition fo...
Forest Of Fear: The Dechmont Woods UFO Encounter
January 07, 2020 19:02 - 19 minutes - 22.4 MBCian leaves his Essex cabin in search of mystery: join our host on the first Wide Atlantic Weird road trip as he travels to Scotland to investigate the site of the famous Dechmont Woods encounter of 1979. This case has it all: a credible witness, a police investigation, and a sighting of craft and ‘creatures’ utterly unique in the UFO canon of alien greys and silver-suited Nordics. In all seriousness, it’s one of those classic ‘high strangeness’ cases that still baffles today, one so deeply...
Monsters Of The Week: A Retrospective of The X-Files
January 03, 2020 20:44 - 1 hour - 95.3 MBNOTE: If you have a low tolerance for banter, you can safely skip the first 20 mins. In the early 90s, when we didn’t really have much to worry about but didn’t appreciate it, our collective unconscious fears manifested in the form of The X-Files, a TV show that took inspiration from supposedly real paranormal encounters, and in turn helped to perpetuate the belief in UFOs and government-alien conspiracies. Join Cian and Chris ‘Carter’ Joyce for a spoileriffic investigation into three clas...
Monsters Of The Week: A Retrospective of The X-Files (with Chris Joyce)
January 03, 2020 20:44 - 1 hour - 95.3 MBNOTE: If you have a low tolerance for banter, you can safely skip the first 20 mins. In the early 90s, when we didn’t really have much to worry about but didn’t appreciate it, our collective unconscious fears manifested in the form of The X-Files, a TV show that took inspiration from supposedly real paranormal encounters, and in turn helped to perpetuate the belief in UFOs and government-alien conspiracies. Join Cian and Chris ‘Carter’ Joyce for a spoileriffic investigation into three clas...
Vegetable Horror: The Seed From The Sepulchre by Clark Ashton Smith
December 17, 2019 11:48 - 46 minutes - 53.3 MBCian digs out an old favourite from the days of pulp magazine adventure and horror: a short story by Clark Ashton Smith from 1933 about a trip down a South American river that goes very, very wrong. If you enjoy chaps in pith helmets going to forbidden lost cities and learning Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, if you like seriously disgusting body horror, and if you like Triffids and other kinds of vile, vicious vegetation that like to feast on man, then look no further! There's but a smidge...
The Ghost Trail: The Making Of A Youtube Show
December 10, 2019 17:26 - 57 minutes - 65.9 MBThings are getting about as festive as they ever do in the Wide Atlantic Weird cabin: the forest around is bare, and the fire is roaring. It’s the right time for some ghost stories, so Cian is joined by Faye from the Youtube show The Ghost Trail. They brew a batch of Columbian coffee and get comfortable. The Ghost Trail is all about visiting spooky locations and telling ghost stories, so it’s an ideal time to talk about it! Cian and Faye discuss the making of the series, as well as the stat...
The Ghost Trail: The Making Of A Youtube Show (with Faye Sewell)
December 10, 2019 17:26 - 57 minutes - 65.9 MBThings are getting about as festive as they ever do in the Wide Atlantic Weird cabin: the forest around is bare, and the fire is roaring. It’s the right time for some ghost stories, so Cian is joined by Faye from the Youtube show The Ghost Trail. They brew a batch of Columbian coffee and get comfortable. The Ghost Trail is all about visiting spooky locations and telling ghost stories, so it’s an ideal time to talk about it! Cian and Faye discuss the making of the series, as well as the stat...
All Those Who Wander: Unsettling Stories of Hiking And The Great Outdoors
September 02, 2019 21:46 - 35 minutes - 40.9 MBStories of hiking and camping in remote places frequently feature elements of isolation and horror. On a sunny day on the porch of the Wide Atlantic Weird cabin, Cian explores a few campfire-worthy examples. Are they true? Your host offers his 2 cents, but you can decide for yourself. Cian brings you a few of his favourite scary (non-supernatural) outdoor tales, mostly culled from the darkest corners of Reddit. Loneliness, isolation, creeps, cultists and serial killers feature in this coll...
The Coming Of The Greys: An Interrupted Journey
August 30, 2019 18:09 - 1 hour - 92.9 MBOn a brilliantly starry, starry night, Cian leaves the Wide Atlantic Weird cabin to wander through the woods, sit by the railway tracks, and phone his friend Chris ‘Spooky’ Joyce. They have an important conversation to resume: The Coming Of The Greys! Yes, the interrupted journey is un-interrupted (?) at last in this sort-of follow-up to The Coming Of The Greys: One From The Vaults! So where do those darned alien Greys come from anyway –and why are they so interested in probing us? (Hint: t...
The Coming Of The Greys: An Interrupted Journey (with Chris Joyce)
August 30, 2019 18:09 - 1 hour - 92.9 MBOn a brilliantly starry, starry night, Cian leaves the Wide Atlantic Weird cabin to wander through the woods, sit by the railway tracks, and phone his friend Chris ‘Spooky’ Joyce. They have an important conversation to resume: The Coming Of The Greys! Yes, the interrupted journey is un-interrupted (?) at last in this sort-of follow-up to The Coming Of The Greys: One From The Vaults! So where do those darned alien Greys come from anyway –and why are they so interested in probing us? (Hint: t...
Fake News In Science: Tabloid Lies About Wildlife (with Neil Philips from UK Wildlife Podcast)
August 27, 2019 13:30 - 1 hour - 73.9 MBPoor public understanding of science is leading to an overall dumbing-down of decision-making around the world; environmental, political, and otherwise. So Cian leaves the cabin to visit ecologist Neil Philips in the woods to find out how sensationalist ‘journalism’ and fake news is affecting wildlife in the UK and abroad. Is hunting good for conservation? Are seagulls and foxes a menace to society? Why do we insist on demonising any and all non-domestic animals? Cian and Neil investigate v...
Fake News In Science: Tabloid Lies About Wildlife
August 27, 2019 13:30 - 1 hour - 73.9 MBPoor public understanding of science is leading to an overall dumbing-down of decision-making around the world; environmental, political, and otherwise. So Cian leaves the cabin to visit ecologist Neil Philips in the woods to find out how sensationalist ‘journalism’ and fake news is affecting wildlife in the UK and abroad. Is hunting good for conservation? Are seagulls and foxes a menace to society? Why do we insist on demonising any and all non-domestic animals? Cian and Neil investigate v...
Bigfoot Before 1958 Part 2: It's Evolution, Baby!
August 20, 2019 20:19 - 48 minutes - 56 MBCian thinks longingly of his days in the Pacific Northwest while sipping on a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale round the campfire at the Wide Atlantic Weird Cabin. Join him to learn of the wonder and mystery, the lies and intrigue, behind the 1958 Bluff Creek footprints – the case that kickstarted a legend. Is it true that prankster logging manager Ray Wallace really invented the Bigfoot myth using giant wooden feet? Did William Roe’s report of seeing a busty Bigfoot inspire cowboy Roger Patterson to ...
The Coming Of The Greys: One From The Vaults (with Chris Joyce)
August 11, 2019 09:49 - 1 hour - 101 MBWe all know what aliens look like – small grey guys with big heads, right? Over coffee with sometime co-host Mr Chris ‘Spooky’ Joyce, Cian plans an episode about the origin of the grey alien trope. It’s going to be called ‘The Coming Of The Grays’ – but wait, it seems that some time ago, in early 2017, Cian and Chris already recorded an episode for an older ‘cast on this topic! On a windy day at the cabin, when recording is not possible, Cian enters the vault and dusts off the tapes. We are...
The Coming Of The Greys: One From The Vaults
August 11, 2019 09:49 - 1 hour - 101 MBWe all know what aliens look like – small grey guys with big heads, right? Over coffee with sometime co-host Mr Chris ‘Spooky’ Joyce, Cian plans an episode about the origin of the grey alien trope. It’s going to be called ‘The Coming Of The Grays’ – but wait, it seems that some time ago, in early 2017, Cian and Chris already recorded an episode for an older ‘cast on this topic! On a windy day at the cabin, when recording is not possible, Cian enters the vault and dusts off the tapes. We are...
Sphere Itself: Getting Your Head Round The Flat Earth Theory (with James Lynch)
July 29, 2019 11:45 - 1 hour - 79.4 MBThe Flat Earth Theory – so obviously wrong, and bonkers, that it isn’t even worth talking about, right? While Cian enjoys a morning coffee on the porch of the Wide Atlantic Weird cabin, all-round man of science, engineering and medicine James Lynch calls to offer his expertise on this surprisingly important issue. After all, if such a basic ‘fact’ can be thrown into doubt, then so could just about any other scientific fact or theory! Our Flat Earth adventure becomes an exploration of fringe...
Sphere Itself: Getting Your Head Round The Flat Earth Theory
July 29, 2019 11:45 - 1 hour - 79.4 MBThe Flat Earth Theory – so obviously wrong, and bonkers, that it isn’t even worth talking about, right? While Cian enjoys a morning coffee on the porch of the Wide Atlantic Weird cabin, all-round man of science, engineering and medicine James Lynch calls to offer his expertise on this surprisingly important issue. After all, if such a basic ‘fact’ can be thrown into doubt, then so could just about any other scientific fact or theory! Our Flat Earth adventure becomes an exploration of fringe...
Bigfoot Before 1958 Part 1: The Prehistory Of A Legend
June 27, 2019 20:01 - 36 minutes - 41.4 MBIn 1958, enormous footprints found near Bluff Creek, California made Bigfoot a worldwide phenomenon, elevating the mystery primate to cryptozoological superstardom. But believers have always maintained that ideas about Sasquatch predate this key year, both in the legends of Native Americans and in the reports of white settlers. In this episode of Wide Atlantic Weird, Cian relocates to his cabin in the woods for summer and cracks open a bevy of Bigfoot reports that predate 1958 to find out j...
Monsters Of Britain: Plesiosaurs and Alien Big Cats
May 28, 2019 17:28 - 1 hour - 81.7 MBCian is joined by naturalist and wildlife photographer Neil Philips to discuss what makes British monsters different (and sometimes similar) from their international cousins (American monsters in particular). From the leafy woods surrounding the Wide Atlantic Weird bunker, they discuss the history of Nessie sightings, the Owlman of Mawnan, the Canvey Island Monster, and the incredibly bizarre Alien Big Cats phenomenon. It seems that even when these creatures ARE literally real, as some myst...
Monsters Of Britain: Plesiosaurs and Alien Big Cats (with Neil Philips from UK Wildlife Podcast)
May 28, 2019 17:28 - 1 hour - 81.7 MBCian is joined by naturalist and wildlife photographer Neil Philips to discuss what makes British monsters different (and sometimes similar) from their international cousins (American monsters in particular). From the leafy woods surrounding the Wide Atlantic Weird bunker, they discuss the history of Nessie sightings, the Owlman of Mawnan, the Canvey Island Monster, and the incredibly bizarre Alien Big Cats phenomenon. It seems that even when these creatures ARE literally real, as some myst...
Cryptids In Classic Fiction: The Desrick On Yandro by Manly Wade Wellman
May 13, 2019 21:41 - 46 minutes - 52.7 MBWhen it comes to the beasts that hide from man, nobody did backwoods Americana mystery creatures quite like Manly Wade Wellman. His character John the Balladeer was a guitar-slinging hobo who wandered the Appalachian mountains, encountering mythical creatures from North Carolina folklore. In this episode, Cian relaxes in the forest outside the Wide Atlantic Weird bunker and reads one of the best Silver John stories, The Desrick on Yandro. For anyone who enjoys monsters, folklore, and mid-20t...
Cryptids in Classic Fiction: The Horror-Horn by E. F. Benson
May 07, 2019 21:04 - 50 minutes - 57.4 MBWhen reports of the so-called 'Abominable Snowman' first filtered from the peaks of the Himalayas to Western Europe during the golden age of mountaineering, English writer of classic ghost stories E. F. Benson took the trendy new idea of the mysterious hairy mountain-dwelling apemen and wondered what might happen if they existed not only in remotest Asia, but in the Alps too. 'The Horror-Horn,' written in 1922, tells the tale of daring, winter sport-loving Englishmen who inadvertently come i...
Only A Paper Moon: The Inevitable Apollo Moon Landing Hoax Episode
April 29, 2019 17:32 - 1 hour - 92.7 MBSomehow the Wide Atlantic Weird Bunker has gotten itself blasted into Earth orbit, and from there, host Cian samples a fine session IPA and speaks with Apollo buff James Lynch about the technical details behind one of the original Big Three conspiracy theories: the Apollo Moon Landing Hoax. They dissect why people believe conspiracy theories in general, why the Apollo landing was ripe for a campaign of distrust, and what this meant for the time in which it happened. They discuss Bill Kaysing...
Only A Paper Moon: The Inevitable Apollo Moon Landing Hoax Episode (with James Lynch)
April 29, 2019 17:32 - 1 hour - 92.7 MBSomehow the Wide Atlantic Weird Bunker has gotten itself blasted into Earth orbit, and from there, host Cian samples a fine session IPA and speaks with Apollo buff James Lynch about the technical details behind one of the original Big Three conspiracy theories: the Apollo Moon Landing Hoax. They dissect why people believe conspiracy theories in general, why the Apollo landing was ripe for a campaign of distrust, and what this meant for the time in which it happened. They discuss Bill Kaysing...
The Yowie: Australia's Bigfoot, Or An Invented Cryptid?
April 04, 2019 17:44 - 36 minutes - 41.4 MBNOTE: the style and format of the show was very different back in these days! But we think you'll still enjoy it. Cian is fascinated by the origins of cyptids and mysterious animals. How do these beliefs get started? Often we’re sold the idea that a creature has been reported for centuries, or has its origins in local folklore. And sometimes it’s clear that a creature has actually been invented (or rebranded) relatively recently, and its supposed history is just a fiction. From the woods ou...
The Strange World of Post-Truth and the Death of Expertise
March 23, 2019 22:41 - 1 hour - 82.4 MBConspiracy theories, UFO folklore, fringe beliefs - they all have something in common, and it's something worrying. A thread of anti-intellectualism runs through them all. Cian decides to find out what's really going on and enlists the help of his brother Donal, PHd student and lecturer in Political Science, to get to the bottom of several important mysteries. Why is conspiracy thinking more rampant than ever? Why is this a danger to the very fabric of democracy? How is all this related to T...
The Strange World of Post-Truth and the Death of Expertise (with Dónal Gill)
March 23, 2019 22:41 - 1 hour - 82.4 MBConspiracy theories, UFO folklore, fringe beliefs - they all have something in common, and it's something worrying. A thread of anti-intellectualism runs through them all. Cian decides to find out what's really going on and enlists the help of his brother Donal, PHd student and lecturer in Political Science, to get to the bottom of several important mysteries. Why is conspiracy thinking more rampant than ever? Why is this a danger to the very fabric of democracy? How is all this related to T...
Send In The Clowns: The 2016 Creepy Clown Panic
March 12, 2019 22:57 - 33 minutes - 38.6 MBNOTE: the style and format of the show was very different back in these days! But we think you'll still enjoy it. The bizarre episode of mass hysteria known as the 2016 Clown Panic gets centre stage in this episode as Cian downs a can of Brooklyn lager in the bunker and gets down to investigating a modern case of an anomalous phenomenon. THE 2016 CLOWN PANIC: Cian remembers following this case as it happened. Has time given us any insights? Was this a flash-in-the-pan case of mass hysteria...
The Ballad of Alex Jones and Joe Rogan
March 09, 2019 23:47 - 26 minutes - 30.2 MBCian downs a Theakston's Old Peculiar and gets a little serious in this episode about conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his frenemy and all-round bro Joe Rogan. See, conspiracy theories are no longer a silly fringe interest that we can afford to dismiss. They are mainstream, and are having serious effects on world politics. So we might as well understand them. And what better place to start than with the hilarious feud between Alex Jones and Joe Rogan? Alex Jones is a despicable human be...
The First UFO: The Kenneth Arnold Sighting
February 10, 2019 17:45 - 56 minutes - 64.8 MBNOTE: the style and format of the show was very different back in these days! But we think you'll still enjoy it. Join Cian by the fire to discuss paranormal and unexplained topics in this spooky episode of Wide Atlantic Weird. Oh, and have a fine ale at hand too! THE FIRST UFO: In 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold saw nine, shiny, disc-shaped somethings flying in formation over Mount Ranier in Washington State, and the world was never the same again. Over 70 years later, people are still arguin...
The Strange Case of British Bigfoot
February 02, 2019 17:31 - 36 minutes - 41.8 MBNOTE: The format and style of the show was VERY different back at the start! We still think you'll enjoy it though. In this paranormal-themed episode, Cian sits by the fire with a strong coffee and tries to get to grip with a bizarre and little-known phenomenon. (NOTE: this episode was recorded under the original podcast title Off The Wagon.) BRITISH BIGFOOT: Did you even know this was a thing? Not content with being master of the forests of the Pacific Northwest, Bigfoot has been reported...
The Cult Movies of Neil Breen
January 01, 2019 21:44 - 2 hours - 139 MB(NOTE: Wide Atlantic Weird was originally called Off The Wagon, and featured, among other things, episodes about bad movies. There may be future episodes about bad movies too) The movies of cult filmmaker Neil Breen are so bad they're hallucinogenic. Hypnotic, even. Cian and Ali can't get enough of them. In this 'cast they discuss all four of Breen's movies. To feed his ego, Breen always casts himself as a super-powerful, flawless hero. Sometimes he's a genius hacker, sometimes a successf...