In the debut episode of Roots of the Past, host Dilwyn Mac Amhraín (a.k.a. Dilwyn_The_Bard) pulls back the curtain on his unlikely journey from Derbyshire journalism student to apprentice of a secretive Welsh-Irish Druidic tradition that claims to predate the 1700s Druid Revival. With wit and humility, Dilwyn recounts his first meeting with Fenra—a man who seemed equal parts Gandalf and Tesco regular—and the jaw-dropping moment that shattered his scepticism: witnessing a mysterious “energy ball” that defied everything he thought he knew about reality.
This episode is part origin story, part investigation, and part musical experiment. Dilwyn shares how his years of training with Fenra introduced him to an unbroken oral lineage of Druidic wisdom, far removed from modern Neo-Druidry. Listeners get a taste of the tradition’s secrecy, the twenty-year path to becoming a Druid, and the blend of ancient ritual with modern life—including original AI-generated music that channels the spirit of the bards (and occasionally confuses the ancestors).
With humour, journal readings, and a few self-deprecating jokes about mystical beards, Dilwyn invites listeners to question what’s real, what’s possible, and how forgotten traditions might still shape us today. Whether you’re a sceptic, a seeker, or just here for the bard-core tunes, this first episode sets the tone for a podcast where the old ways aren’t just remembered—they’re still alive, hiding in plain sight (sometimes behind a Tesco Express)
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