the hidden island

Content Advisory: This episode covers heavy topics related to World War II including violence, war, imprisonment, death, and more. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Imagine you're a young farm boy growing up in the quiet fishing village of Souris, PEI in 1939. Although you might not be accustomed to receiving much world news, but you know a World War has engulfed the entire globe. You've heard of Hitler and his tyrannical rise to power. Like many, you decide it's time to do your part and enlist alongside friends, family, and neighbours. When the time comes to march forward, you find yourself fighting a very different enemy than expected: the Japanese Empire.  In this episode, host Rafe Wright sits down with special guest Michael Palmer to explore the remarkable story of his father, George Palmer. What began as the journey of a young PEI farm boy became an extraordinary wartime experience, culminating in years spent as a prisoner of war during WWII.   Features guest interview: Michael Palmer   This season six episode of the hidden island podcast is kindly brought to you by our sponsors: Munn Architecture Inc., Confederation Centre of the Arts, Provincial Credit Union, and Liam Gauthier of RBC Dominion Securities Wealth Management.

You're about to hear FOUR spine-tingling tales of terror submitted by our listeners, and narrated by our pal and yours, the Grave Digger! Our host, Rafe Wright, and special guest Cameron MacDonald also explore the question: "What makes a good ghost story?" Features guest interview: Cameron MacDonald (AKA The Grave Digger) Special thanks to everyone who submitted a ghost story. We couldn't include them all in the final episode, but we enjoyed reading each and every one! This season six episode of the hidden island podcast is kindly brought to you by our sponsors: Munn Architecture Inc., Confederation Centre of the Arts, Provincial Credit Union, and PEI Mutual Insurance Company.

It's time for a little more of "the hidden island" podcast! We have one more bite-sized ghostly tale for you before our next full episode drops on Halloween.   Grab a flashlight and hide under the blankets - what you're about to hear is a second spine-tingling tale of terror submitted by one of our listeners, and narrated by our old buddy the Grave Digger!   Stay tuned later this week, we'll the next full episode on Halloween Saturday, October 31! The full episode will include four listener-submitted stories and an interview with Cameron MacDonald, AKA the Grave Digger (and many, many other characters!), where we explore the question: "What makes a good ghost story?" Season six of the hidden island podcast is kindly brought to you by our sponsors: Munn Architecture Inc., Confederation Centre of the Arts, Provincial Credit Union, PEI Mutual Insurance Company, Liam Gauthier of RBC Dominion Securities Wealth Management, and The Gray Group. 

Gather 'round the campfire, bundle up nice and warm - what you're about to hear is a chilling, spine-tingling tale submitted by one of our brave listeners, and narrated by our good friend the Grave Digger! Thank you to Jason Lund and The Island Paranormal Seekers for submitting their story. Stay tuned next week, we'll release one more haunting listener-submitted story on Monday, then check out the full episode on Halloween Saturday, October 31! The full episode will include four listener-submitted stories and an interview with Cameron MacDonald, AKA the Grave Digger (and many, many other characters!), where we explore the question: "What makes a good ghost story?" Season six of the hidden island podcast is kindly brought to you by our sponsors: Munn Architecture Inc., Confederation Centre of the Arts, Provincial Credit Union, PEI Mutual Insurance Company, Liam Gauthier of RBC Dominion Securities Wealth Management, and The Gray Group. 

Season 6, Episode 1, "Lost for Words: PEI's Forgotten Gaelic History." Special guest Rob MacDonald joins us to explore the Island's Gaelic roots, and the stories that have nearly been lost to time.   A lifelong Island history enthusiast and seventh-generation Islander, Rob taught PEI History and Scottish Gaelic at Colonel Gray High School for more than 30 years. He has led student trips to Scotland, welcomed Gaelic-speaking students from the Isle of Lewis to PEI, and spent decades sharing his passion for Island history with generations of students.   Now enjoying retirement in Clyde River, Rob still loves what he jokingly calls his "unofficial PhD in rambling on about the Island" and brings that wealth of knowledge and storytelling to this episode.   Tune in and discover a piece of PEI history you haven't heard before.   Season six of the hidden island podcast is kindly brought to you by our sponsors: Munn Architecture Inc., Confederation Centre of the Arts, Provincial Credit Union, and Liam Gauthier of RBC Dominion Securities Wealth Management.

Welcome back!  Join host Rafe Wright for an all-new season of the hidden island exploring the people, places, and stories that shape Prince Edward Island. With help from our wonderful suite of guests, let's journey through stories and legends together! This season, we'll... travel back to the 1700's when the Island's shores echoed with bagpipes and Gaelic songs; step inside PEI's most iconic lighthouses and the families, mysteries, and legends that keep them alight; recount some of the most chilling local ghost stories, where history and folklore blur; celebrate one of the Island's most remarkable artists and the legacy she left behind; move beyond our shores to the waters of the Pacific during World War II; and more! Whether you're a lifelong Island resident, a history buff, or simply someone who likes a good story, we've got you covered. This season of the hidden island podcast is proudly brought to you by our sponsors: Munn Architecture Inc., Confederation Centre of the Arts, Provincial Credit Union, PEI Mutual Insurance Company, Liam Gauthier with RBC Dominion Securities, and The Gray Group.  Visit https://www.peimuseum.ca/thehiddenisland for more information and a full list of episodes.

Join our guest, Dr. Josh MacFadyen, as well as podcast host Matthew McRae as they go subterranean into the world of Prince Edward Island's terrain! Director of the GeoREACH Lab at UPEI, MacFadyen shares a wealth of knowledge and know-how into the methods and beauty of laying out and mapping out the island's landscapes. Whether it's historical chartmakers you're interested in, modern methods of map-capturing or even some emerging and bleeding-edge methods and technologies in the world of mapping, you're bound to learn all about how our beloved Island takes shape - on paper - in our season finale episode of the Hidden Island Podcast! Josh is Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Geospatial Humanities at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada. His research focuses on energy transitions and traditional energy carriers in Canada, and he teaches Digital Humanities in the Applied Communication, Leadership, and Culture (ACLC) program in UPEI’s Faculty of Arts. His most recent monograph is titled Flax Americana: A History of the Fibre and Oil that Covered a Continent. He also published an edited collection in the same series titled Time and a Place: An Environmental History of Prince Edward Island (McGill-Queens and Island Studies Press, 2016). Josh has held postdoctoral positions at the Historical GIS Lab at the University of Saskatchewan and at NiCHE: Network in Canadian History & Environment at the University of Western Ontario. Most recently he was also an Assistant Professor and remains a Sustainability Scholar at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability.

PEI's rich history in architectural expression has captured the hearts of many - including but not limited to this week's guest! Joining hosts Matthew McRae and Lesley Caseley, housing enthusiast and creator of the Old Island Homes social media pages, Heather Harris, takes them on an enthusiast's tour through the captivating sights and constructs of PEI's most famous and interesting buildings, as well as outlining her own experiences with building restorations and her doting admiration for renowned historical architect, William C. Harris - no relation, of course! Heather Harris is an old house and heritage enthusiast who runs the Instagram and Facebook account “Old Island Homes”. Heather uses her account to share all things about historic houses and buildings on PEI, and she hopes to make information about these historic buildings accessible, interesting, and entertaining for her audience.

*Editor's Note: Apologies for the hissing noise, all! Other episodes in the season won't be like this, but this was indeed a hardware and environmental-related issue that struck our equipment at the time of recording and was not caught. There's still some fantastic conversations to be had here, so thank you very much in advance for the continued support and for bearing with us this one time. :)* Why do we keep archives? Who uses them? What kind of material can you find there? Hosts Matthew McRae and Samantha Kelly are joined by archivist John Boylan to answer these questions and more. Listen in and discover how the province’s Public Archives and Records Office (PARO) opens a window onto our past, and why any visit to the archives can quickly turn into an exciting history mystery. John Boylan has been working in Island heritage since the 1980s. After stints with the PEI Museum, Provincial Heritage Office, and the City of Charlottetown he was hired as the Public Services Archivist at the Public Archives and Records Office of Prince Edward Island in 2006. John has a diploma in museum studies from Algonquin College and a master’s degree in archival studies from the University of British Columbia.   

What if we told you PEI was once home to prehistoric creatures older than dinosaurs? Join hosts Matthew McRae, Lesley Caseley, and special guest Laura MacNeil, owner of Prehistoric Island Tours, as they uncover the not-so-secret facts of Prince Edward Island’s prehistoric past and answer burning questions like: Why is the Island becoming a fossil hotspot? Are we related to dimetrodons, and did they use their sails to flirt with each other? And what the heck are Laura’s favourite fossils? This episode is brought to you by The Architects Association of PEI, Confederation Center of the Arts, Provincial Credit Union, and The Grey Group. Laura MacNeil is a geologist born and raised in Alexandra, P.E.I. and founder of Prehistoric Island Tours, our province's first venue that provides guided shoreline tours on our rich 290-million-year-old geological heritage. Her professional experience is in Earth science communication, having worked as an educator at World-renowned museums such as Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site in Joggins, N.S., and the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, AB. Laura completed her M.Sc. in geology at Acadia University, Nova Scotia, and B.Sc. in geology at Queen's University, Ontario. In 2016 Laura discovered the first fossil evidence of Dimetrodon borealis trackways on P.E.I., a sail-backed apex predator that roamed our province's prehistoric landscapes 290 million years ago.