Ian Sansom and The Little People

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There is, in many countries, a popular and ancient belief in little people. Or at least there is, in many countries, a popular and ancient belief that there was once a popular and ancient belief in little people. Leprechauns, sprites, imps and elves...from Ireland to Iceland, Ian Sansom is seeking an encounter with the fabled, mysterious and diminutive other. Irish Leprechauns are protected by European law. The Cooley Mountains in County Louth may be a 'Designated Area of Protection for Flora, Fauna, Wild Animals and Leprechauns' but Kevin Woods - aka Ireland's last leprechaun whisperer - is concerned there aren't many of them left. He's doing all he can to keep the traditional beliefs alive from his underground cavern on the Irish border. Iceland may be best known for bubbling blue thermal pools and world-class part-time footballers. But it's also a magical kingdom where everyone believes in elves and even roads in Iceland are specially designed to avoid the cliffs and rock formations where they live. Ian enrols in Elf School on the outskirts of Reykjavik, where he learns how 13 different species of elves continue to peacefully co-exist with the local population. A belief in little people may represent the folkloric survival of a belief in ancient deities, it may represent an attempt to understand that which is inside us, or it may simply be a sign of human gullibility...but as Ian discovers - if you don't believe in them, they'll never visit you. Produced by Conor Garrett. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2016.