True Irish Ghost Stories

Each story keeps the passage it was read from. Open one to read the passage as the book has it, and, where the companion has written its own telling, that too.

1. Dragging Footsteps and Ringing Bells in Rathgar

   near Rathgar · townland · Dublin

   A family living in a house in Rathgar experienced dragging, limping footsteps along a basement passage and a rattling door latch, with no one ever found upon investigation. The house bells, old and fixed in a row, once rang all together apparently of their own accord, and strange rubbing noises were heard in a back drawing room.

   Read the passage

   Some years ago a family had very uncanny experiences in a house in Rathgar, and subsequently in another in Rathmines. These were communicated by one of the young ladies to Mrs. M. A. Wilkins, who published them in the _Journal_ of the American S.P.R.,[1] from which they are here taken. The Rathgar house had a basement passage leading to a door into the yard, and along this passage her mother and the children used to hear dragging, limping steps, and the latch of the door rattling, but no one could ever be found when search was made. The house-bells were old and all in a row, and on one occasion they all rang, apparently of their own accord. The lady narrator used to sleep in the back drawing room, and always when the light was put out she heard strange noises, as if some one was going round the room rubbing paper along the wall, while she often had the feeling that a person was standing beside her bed. A cousin, who was a nurse, once slept with her, and also noticed these strange noises. On one occasion this room was given up to a very matter-of-fact young man to sleep in, and next morning he said that the room was very strange, with queer noises in it.

   [Footnote 1: For September 1913.]

   Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter I

2. The Caller Who Never Knocked: a Dublin Death Apparition

   Dublin · townland · Dublin

   Two ladies doing needlework in a house in the suburbs of Dublin saw an elderly gentleman of their acquaintance open the gate and come up the path to the door, but the maid found no one there. The next day they learned he had died at the very hour they saw him approach.

   Read the passage

   Miss Grene, of Grene Park, Co. Tipperary, relates a story which was told her by the late Miss ----, sister of a former Dean of Cashel. The latter, an old lady, stated that one time she was staying with a friend in a house in the suburbs of Dublin. In front of the house was the usual grass plot, divided into two by a short gravel path which led down to a gate which opened on to the street. She and her friend were one day engaged in needlework in one of the front rooms, when they heard the gate opening, and on looking out the window they saw an elderly gentleman of their acquaintance coming up the path. As he approached the door both exclaimed: "Oh, how good of him to come and see us!" As he was not shown into the sitting-room, one of them rang the bell, and said to the maid when she appeared, "You have not let Mr. So-and-so in; he is at the door for some little time." The maid went to the hall door, and returned to say that there was no one there. Next day they learnt that he had died just at the hour that they had seen him coming up the path.

   The following tale contains a curious point. A good many years ago the Rev. Henry Morton, now dead, held a curacy in Ireland. He had to pass through the graveyard when leaving his house to visit the parishioners. One beautiful moonlight night he was sent for to visit a sick person, and was accompanied by his brother, a medical man, who was staying with him. After performing the religious duty they returned through the churchyard, and were chatting about various matters when to their astonishment a figure passed them, both seeing it. This figure left the path, and went in among the gravestones, and then disappeared. They could not understand this at all, so they went to the spot where the disappearance took place, but, needless to say, could find nobody after the most careful search. Next morning they heard that the person visited had died just after their departure, while the most marvellous thing of all was that the burial took place at the very spot where they had seen the phantom disappear.

   Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter VI

   As the companion tells it

   Somewhere around here, two ladies once saw something they could not explain. The story comes from Miss Grene of Grene Park in County Tipperary, who heard it from the late Miss, sister of a former Dean of Cashel. That old lady said she had been staying with a friend in a house in the suburbs of Dublin. In front of the house was a grass plot, divided in two by a short gravel path leading down to a gate that opened onto the street. One day she and her friend were doing needlework in one of the front rooms when they heard the gate opening. They looked out the window and saw an elderly gentleman of their acquaintance coming up the path. As he approached the door, both of them exclaimed, "Oh, how good of him to come and see us!" But he was not shown into the sitting-room. One of them rang the bell, and when the maid appeared, she said, "You have not let Mr. So-and-so in; he is at the door for some little time." The maid went to the hall door and returned to say there was no one there. The next day they learned that the gentleman had died at the very hour they had seen him coming up the path. No knock, no visitor, no explanation. Just the gate swinging open and a figure on the gravel, arriving at the moment he was leaving the world.

3. The Dead Canon at the Communion-Rails

   Dublin · townland · Dublin

   During Sunday morning service in one of the Dublin cathedrals, a lady saw a Canon who had been dead for two years sitting inside the communion-rails for ten or twelve minutes before he faded away. The robestress and one of the sextons independently reported seeing him too, noting the same change: his beard was longer and whiter than in life.

   Read the passage

   The ghost of a deceased Canon was seen in one of the Dublin cathedrals by several independent witnesses, one of whom, a lady, gives her own experience as follows: "Canon ---- was a personal friend of mine, and we had many times discussed ghosts and spiritualism, in which he was a profound believer, having had many supernatural experiences himself. It was during the Sunday morning service in the cathedral that I saw my friend, who had been dead for two years, sitting inside the communion-rails. I was so much astonished at the flesh-and blood appearance of the figure that I took off my glasses and wiped them with my handkerchief, at the same time looking away from him down the church. On looking back again he was still there, and continued to sit there for about ten or twelve minutes, after which he faded away. I remarked a change in his personal appearance, which was, that his beard was longer and whiter than when I had known him--in fact, such a change as would have occurred _in life_ in the space of two years. Having told my husband of the occurrence on our way home, he remembered having heard some talk of an appearance of this clergyman in the cathedral since his death. He hurried back to the afternoon service, and asked the robestress if anybody had seen Canon ----'s ghost. She informed him that _she_ had, and that he had also been seen by one of the sextons in the cathedral. I mention this because in describing his personal appearance she had remarked the same change as I had with regard to the beard."

   Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter I

   As the companion tells it

   Close to Dublin, one of the cathedrals has a story about a Canon who would not stay in his grave. He had been dead two years when a lady, a personal friend of his, saw him during Sunday morning service, sitting inside the communion-rails. She was so struck by how solid he looked, so flesh and blood, that she took off her glasses and wiped them with her handkerchief. She looked away down the church, then looked back, and he was still there. He sat there for about ten or twelve minutes, and then he faded away. She noticed something about his face. His beard was longer and whiter than when she had known him, the kind of change that would have happened in life over two years. On the way home she told her husband what she had seen. He remembered hearing talk that this clergyman had appeared in the cathedral since his death. He hurried back for the afternoon service and asked the robestress if anybody had seen the Canon's ghost. She told him she had, and that one of the sextons had seen him too in the cathedral. What ties it together is that the robestress, describing his appearance on her own, had noticed the same thing the lady noticed. His beard was longer and whiter than in life. The Canon had been a profound believer in ghosts and spiritualism when he was alive, having had many supernatural experiences himself. He and the lady had discussed such things many times. The witnesses came to the same detail separately, without speaking to each other first.

4. The Following Man of Knowehead Lonan

   near Island Magee · townland · Antrim

   A young woman walking down the Knowehead Lonan at Island Magee was followed by a man who no one else could see, and who later appeared beside a neighbour feeding her fowls. Weeks later news came that the neighbour's sailor brother had been washed overboard that very Sunday morning.

   Read the passage

   "It all seemed very strange, and so they thought too. About three weeks later news came that C. D.'s only brother, a sailor, was washed overboard that Sunday morning."

   The following story is not a first-hand experience, but is sent by the gentleman to whom it was related by the percipient. The latter said to him:

   Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter VI

5. The Tidy Spectral Charwoman of a Dublin Square

   Dublin · townland · Dublin · 1894–1904

   Mrs. G. Kelly repeatedly saw the apparition of a tall, elderly woman in bonnet and mantle in her Dublin house over about ten years. The ghost objected to disorder, turning chairs face-down when guests came, knocking on walls and furniture, and scattering furs left out overnight.

   Read the passage

   "My first encounter with a ghost occurred about twenty years ago. On that occasion I was standing in the kitchen of my house in ---- Square, when a woman, whom I was afterwards to see many times, walked down the stairs into the room. Having heard the footsteps outside, I was not in the least perturbed, but turned to look who it was, and found myself looking at a tall, stout, elderly woman, wearing a bonnet and old-fashioned mantle. She had grey hair, and a benign and amiable expression. We stood gazing at each other while one could count twenty. At first I was not at all frightened, but gradually as I stood looking at her an uncomfortable feeling, increasing to terror, came over me. This caused me to retreat farther and farther back, until I had my back against the wall, and then the apparition slowly faded.

   "This feeling of terror, due perhaps to the unexpectedness of her appearance, always overcame me on the subsequent occasions on which I saw her. These occasions numbered twelve or fifteen, and I have seen her in every room in the house, and at every hour of the day, during a period of about ten years. The last time she appeared was ten years ago. My husband and I had just returned from a concert at which he had been singing, and we sat for some time over supper, talking about the events of the evening. When at last I rose to leave the room, and opened the dining-room door, I found my old lady standing on the mat outside with her head bent towards the door in the attitude of listening. I called out loudly, and my husband rushed to my side. That was the last time I have seen her."

   Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter I

   As the companion tells it

   Somewhere close to Dublin, a house in a square was home to a ghost a woman called Mrs. Kelly saw again and again over about ten years. Her first encounter came about twenty years before she told the story. She was standing in her kitchen when she heard footsteps and turned to see who it was. A tall, stout, elderly woman walked down the stairs into the room, wearing a bonnet and an old-fashioned mantle, with grey hair and a benign, amiable expression. They stood gazing at each other while one could count twenty. At first Mrs. Kelly was not frightened, but gradually an uncomfortable feeling grew into terror. She retreated until her back was against the wall, and then the apparition slowly faded. That terror came back every time she saw the woman after that. There were twelve or fifteen such occasions, in every room of the house, at every hour of the day, over a period of about ten years. The last appearance happened ten years before she told the story. Mrs. Kelly and her husband had returned from a concert where he had been singing. They sat over supper talking about the evening. When she rose and opened the dining-room door, the old lady was standing on the mat outside, her head bent towards the door in the attitude of listening. Mrs. Kelly called out loudly, and her husband rushed to her side. That was the last time she saw her.

6. The Black Dog of Donohill Rectory

   Donohill · townland · Tipperary

   A spectral black dog with blood-red eyes was reported near the avenue gate of Donohill Rectory, part of a widespread Irish belief in such apparitions. A labourer's earlier sighting of the dog at the same spot was later corroborated when a family who bought the property found themselves haunted by it until they abandoned the house.

   Read the passage

   Of all the strange beliefs to be found in Ireland that in the Black Dog is the most widespread. There is hardly a parish in the country but could contribute some tale relative to this spectre, though the majority of these are short, and devoid of interest. There is said to be such a dog just outside the avenue gate of Donohill Rectory, but neither of the compilers have had the good luck to see it. It may be, as some hold, that this animal was originally a cloud or nature-myth; at all events, it has now descended to the level of an ordinary haunting. The most circumstantial story that we have met with relative to the Black Dog is that related as follows by a clergyman of the Church of Ireland, who requests us to refrain from publishing his name.

   "In my childhood I lived in the country. My father, in addition to his professional duties, sometimes did a little farming in an amateurish sort of way. He did not keep a regular staff of labourers, and consequently when anything extra had to be done, such as hay-cutting or harvesting, he used to employ day-labourers to help with the work. At such times I used to enjoy being in the fields with the men, listening to their conversation. On one occasion I heard a labourer remark that he had once seen the devil! Of course I was interested and asked him to give me his experience. He said he was walking along a certain road, and when he came to a point where there was an entrance to a private place (the spot was well known to me), he saw a black dog sitting on the roadside. At the time he paid no attention to it, thinking it was an ordinary retriever, but after he had passed on about two or three hundred yards he found the dog was beside him, and then he noticed that its eyes were blood-red. He stooped down, and picked up some stones in order to frighten it away, but though he threw the stones at it they did not injure it, nor indeed did they seem to have any effect. Suddenly, after a few moments, the dog vanished from his sight.

   Project Gutenberg #14099

7. The Grandfather's Snoring Ghost

   Portarlington · townland · Laois

   A visitor staying in a house in Portarlington was terrified to hear snoring coming from her bed at 2 a.m., the exact hour her host's grandfather had died in that room. A German guest had earlier reported the same disturbance, blaming it on a cat.

   Read the passage

   Another strange story comes from the same town. "When I was on a visit to a friend in Portarlington," writes a lady in the _Journal_ of the American S.P.R.[4] "a rather unpleasant incident occurred to me. At about two o'clock in the morning I woke up suddenly, for apparently no reason whatever; however, I quite distinctly heard snoring coming from under or in the bed in which I was lying. It continued for about ten minutes, during which time I was absolutely limp with fright. The door opened, and my friend entered the bedroom, saying, 'I thought you might want me, so I came in.' Needless to say, I hailed the happy inspiration that sent her to me. I then told her what I had heard; she listened to me, and then to comfort (!) me said, 'Oh, never mind; _it is only grandfather_! He died in this room, and a snoring is heard every night at two o'clock, the hour at which he passed away.' Some time previously a German gentleman was staying with this family. They asked him in the morning how he had slept, and he replied that he was disturbed by a snoring in the room, but he supposed it was the cat."

   [Footnote 4: For September, 1913.]

   Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter III

8. The Monk of Abbeyshrule Churchyard

   Abbeyshrule · townland · Longford · 1875

   Riding home late one night in the winter of 1875, Mr. Millar passed the ruins of Abbeyshrule and saw a figure resembling a policeman walking through the churchyard before it suddenly vanished. Another man later revealed the figure was known locally as 'The Monk', often seen in that churchyard.

   Read the passage

   Churchyards are generally considered to be the hunting-ground of all sorts and conditions of ghosts. People who would on all other occasions, when the necessity arises, prove themselves to be possessed of at any rate a normal amount of courage, turn pale and shiver at the thought of having to pass through a churchyard at dead of night. It may be some encouragement to such to state that out of a fairly large collection of accounts of haunted places, only one relates to a churchyard. The story is told by Mr. G. H. Millar of Edgeworthstown: "During the winter of 1875," he writes, "I attended a soiree about five miles from here. I was riding, and on my way home about 11.30 P.M. I had to pass by the old ruins and burial-ground of Abbeyshrule. The road led round by two sides of the churchyard. It was a bright moonlight night, and as my girth broke I was walking the horse quite slowly. As I passed the ruin, I saw what I took to be a policeman in a long overcoat; he was walking from the centre of the churchyard towards the corner, and, as far as I could see, would be at the corner by the time I would reach it, and we would meet. Quite suddenly, however, he disappeared, and I could see no trace of him. Soon after I overtook a man who had left the meeting long before me. I expressed wonder that he had not been farther on, and he explained that he went a 'round-about' way to avoid passing the old abbey, as he did not want to see 'The Monk.' On questioning him, he told me that a monk was often seen in the churchyard."

   Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter V

9. The Phantom Crash in a Wicklow Sick-House

   Wicklow · townland · Wicklow

   A nurse attending a shopkeeper's wife in the town of Wicklow heard a tremendous crash from the sick-room overhead, but found her patient dozing quietly with no sign of disturbance. A member of the family told her the noise was always heard in their house before a death, and despite the nurse's expectations the patient died the following day.

   Read the passage

   A lady correspondent states that her cousin, a Sir Patrick Dun's nurse, was attending a case in the town of Wicklow. Her patient was a middle-aged woman, the wife of a well-to-do shopkeeper. One evening the nurse was at her tea in the dining-room beneath the sick-room, when suddenly she heard a tremendous crash overhead. Fearing her patient had fallen out of bed, she hurried upstairs, to find her dozing quietly, and there was not the least sign of any disturbance. A member of the family, to whom she related this, told her calmly that that noise was always heard in their house before the death of any of them, and that it was a sure sign that the invalid would not recover. Contrary to the nurse's expectations, she died the following day.

   Knocking on the door is another species of death-warning. The Rev. D. B. Knox writes: "On the evening before the wife of a clerical friend of mine died, the knocker of the hall-door was loudly rapped. All in the room heard it. The door was opened, but there was no one there. Again the knocker was heard, but no one was to be seen when the door was again opened. A young man, brother of the dying woman, went into the drawing-room, and looked through one of the drawing-room windows. The full light of the moon fell on the door, and as he looked the knocker was again lifted and loudly rapped."

   Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter VII

10. The Vanishing Lady of Chapelrussell Churchyard

    Chapelrussell · townland · Limerick · 1870

    In 1870 the rector of Chapel Russell parish, walking to his church on a rainy autumn day, saw a lady in black velvet with jet-black hair seated on a tombstone by the avenue. When he turned back a moment later she had vanished, leaving no trace on or around the stone.

    Read the passage

    "I wrapped up, put the key of the church in my pocket, and started. Arriving at the church, I walked up the straight avenue, bordered with graves and tombs on either side, while the soft, steady rain quietly pattered on the trees. When I reached the church door, before putting the key in the lock, moved by some indefinable impulse, I stood on the doorstep, turned round, and looked back upon the path I had just trodden. My amazement may be imagined when I saw, seated on a low, tabular tombstone close to the avenue, a lady with her back towards me. She was wearing a black velvet jacket or short cape, with a narrow border of vivid white: her head, and luxuriant jet-black hair, were surmounted by a hat of the shape and make that I think used to be called at that time a "turban"; it was also of black velvet, with a snow-white wing or feather at the right-hand side of it. It may be seen how deliberately and minutely I observed the appearance, when I can thus recall it after more than forty years.

    "Actuated by a desire to attract the attention of the lady, and induce her to look towards me, I noisily inserted the key in the door, and suddenly opened it with a rusty crack. Turning round to see the effect of my policy--the lady was gone!--vanished! Not yet daunted, I hurried to the place, which was not ten paces away, and closely searched the stone and the space all round it, but utterly in vain; there were absolutely no traces of the late presence of a human being! I may add that nothing particular or remarkable followed the singular apparition, and that I never heard anything calculated to throw any light on the mystery."

    Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter VIII

11. The Devil at the Window in Ardee

    Ardee · townland · Louth

    A family in Ardee, County Louth, were terrified one night when their maids ran in screaming that the devil had knocked on the kitchen window. Investigation revealed the true cause was a swallow that had broken its neck flying into the glass.

    Read the passage

    A family living at Ardee, Co. Louth, were one night sitting reading in the parlour. The two maids were amusing themselves at some card game in the kitchen. Suddenly there was a great commotion and the two girls--both from the country--burst into the sitting-room, pale with fright, and almost speechless. When they had recovered a certain amount, they were asked what was the matter; the cook immediately exclaimed, "Oh, sir! the devil, the devil, he knocked three times at the window and frightened us dreadfully, and we had just time to throw the cards into the fire and run in here before he got us." One of the family, on hearing this, immediately went out to see what had caused all this trepidation, and found a swallow with a broken neck lying on the kitchen window-sill. The poor bird had evidently seen the light in the room, and in its efforts to get near it had broken its neck against the glass of the window.

    Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter X

12. The Wraith on George Street, Limerick

    Limerick · townland · Limerick · 1913

    In October 1913 Mrs Mary Murnane saw her brother and three companions, including a Miss M. O'D---, walking on George Street in Limerick, complete with recognisable clothing and laughter. Her brother later insisted only three people had been present, as the woman she saw had not come to Limerick that day at all.

    Read the passage

    Here is a curious tale from the city of Limerick of a lady's "double" being seen, with no consequent results. It is sent by Mr. Richard Hogan as the personal experience of his sister, Mrs. Mary Murnane. On Saturday, October 25, 1913, at half-past four o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Hogan left the house in order to purchase some cigarettes. A quarter of an hour afterwards Mrs. Murnane went down the town to do some business. As she was walking down George Street she saw a group of four persons standing on the pavement engaged in conversation. They were: her brother, a Mr. O'S----, and two ladies, a Miss P. O'D----, and her sister, Miss M. O'D----. She recognised the latter, as her face was partly turned towards her, and noted that she was dressed in a knitted coat, and light blue hat, while in her left hand she held a bag or purse; the other lady's back was turned towards her. As Mrs. Murnane was in a hurry to get her business done she determined to pass them by without being noticed, but a number of people coming in the opposite direction blocked the way, and compelled her to walk quite close to the group of four; but they were so intent on listening to what one lady was saying that they took no notice of her. The speaker appeared to be Miss M. O'D----, and, though Mrs. Murnane did not actually hear her _speak_ as she passed her, yet from their attitudes the other three seemed to be listening to what she was saying, and she heard her _laugh_ when right behind her--not the laugh of her sister P.--and the laugh was repeated after she had left the group a little behind.

    Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter VIII

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere around here, on George Street, a strange sighting took place in October 1913. Mrs Mary Murnane was walking down George Street at about quarter to five on Saturday the 25th when she saw her brother standing on the pavement in conversation with three other people. She recognised a Miss M. O'D---- among them, partly turned towards her, wearing a knitted coat and a light blue hat, holding a bag or purse in her left hand. The group was so intent on listening to Miss M. O'D---- that they took no notice of Mrs Murnane as she was forced to walk close past them. Though she did not actually hear the woman speak, the attitudes of the other three suggested they were listening to her, and she heard her laugh, "not the laugh of her sister P.," and heard it again after she had passed. The curious part came later. Her brother insisted that only three people had been present that day. Miss M. O'D---- had not come to Limerick at all. What Mrs Murnane saw on George Street was the woman's double, dressed in her own clothes, laughing with her own laugh, standing where she had never stood.

13. A Grandmother's Comforting Touch in Dublin

    Dublin · townland · Dublin

    A young girl in Dublin was afraid to pass the room where her grandmother had died, but one day felt a hand on her shoulder and heard a reassuring voice. After that experience she was never afraid again.

    Read the passage

    We commence with one which, however, certainly indicates a purpose which was fulfilled. It is the experience of Mrs. Seymour, wife to one of the compilers. When she was a little girl she resided in Dublin; amongst the members of the family was her paternal grandmother. This old lady was not as kind as she might have been to her grand-daughter, and consequently the latter was somewhat afraid of her. In process of time the grandmother died. Mrs. Seymour, who was then about eight years of age, had to pass the door of the room where the death occurred in order to reach her own bedroom, which was a flight higher up. Past this door the child used to fly in terror with all possible speed. On one occasion, however, as she was preparing to make the usual rush past, she distinctly felt a hand placed on her shoulder, and became conscious of a voice saying, "Don't be afraid, Mary!" From that day on the child never had the least feeling of fear, and always walked quietly past the door.

    The Rev. D. B. Knox sends a curious personal experience, which was shared by him with three other people. He writes as follows: "Not very long ago my wife and I were preparing to retire for the night. A niece, who was in the house, was in her bedroom and the door was open. The maid had just gone to her room. All four of us distinctly heard the heavy step of a man walking along the corridor, apparently in the direction of the bathroom. We searched the whole house immediately, but no one was discovered. Nothing untoward happened except the death of the maid's mother about a fortnight later. It was a detached house, so that the noise could not have been made by the neighbours."

    Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter VIII

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere close to Dublin, a young girl lived in a house with her paternal grandmother, who had not been kind to her and whom she was somewhat afraid of. When the grandmother died, the girl was about eight years old, and she had to pass the door of the room where the death had occurred to reach her own bedroom on the next floor up. She used to fly past that door in terror every night. One evening, as she was preparing to make the usual rush, she felt a hand placed on her shoulder and heard a voice saying, "Don't be afraid, Mary!" From that day on, she never felt any fear and always walked quietly past the door. The girl grew up to become Mrs. Seymour, wife to one of the compilers of the book these stories come from.

14. The Phantom Coach on the Askeaton Road

    Askeaton · townland · Limerick

    A coachman driving between Askeaton and Limerick one moonlit night heard the unmistakable sounds of a carriage, horses, and jingling harness following him, but nothing was ever visible on the empty road. The phantom sounds continued until he turned off at a crossroads, at which point the invisible coach rushed past along the straight road.

    Read the passage

    The following personal experience of the phantom coach was given to the present writer by Mr. Matthias Fitzgerald, coachman to Miss Cooke, of Cappagh House, Co. Limerick. He stated that one moonlight night he was driving along the road from Askeaton to Limerick when he heard coming up behind him the roll of wheels, the clatter of horses' hoofs, and the jingling of the bits. He drew over to his own side to let this carriage pass, but nothing passed. He then looked back, but could see nothing, the road was perfectly bare and empty, though the sounds were perfectly audible. This continued for about a quarter of an hour or so, until he came to a cross-road, down one arm of which he had to turn. As he turned off he heard the phantom carriage dash by rapidly along the straight road. He stated that other persons had had similar experiences on the same road.

    CHAPTER IX

    Project Gutenberg #14099

15. The Bloodstained Floor of Limerick

    Limerick · townland · Limerick

    A farmhouse in Co. Limerick was said to require a light kept burning all night; if it went out, the floor would be found covered in blood by morning. No traditional explanation survived, though the story was said to be older than the house itself.

    Read the passage

    Apropos of ineradicable blood on a floor, which is a not infrequent item in stories of haunted houses, it is said that a manifestation of this nature forms the haunting in a farmhouse in Co. Limerick. According to our informants, a light must be kept burning in this house all night; if by any chance it is forgotten, or becomes quenched, in the morning the floor is covered with blood. The story is evidently much older than the house, but no traditional explanation is given.

    Two stories of haunted schools have been sent to us, both on very good authority; these establishments lie within the geographical limits of this chapter, but for obvious reasons, we cannot indicate their locality more precisely, though the names of both are known to us. The first of these was told to our correspondent by the boy Brown, who was in the room, but did _not_ see the ghost.

    Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter 4

    As the companion tells it

    Somewhere around here, there's a farmhouse with a strange haunting. A light had to be kept burning in the house all night, and if it was forgotten or went out, the floor would be found covered in blood by morning. The story was said to be older than the house itself, but no traditional explanation survived to say why.

16. Voices Calling Names in a Rathmines House

    near Rathmines · townland · Dublin

    After leaving their haunted Rathgar house, the same family had auditory experiences in a house in Rathmines: the young ladies of the family heard their names called, though no one in the house had spoken. The account was published alongside the Rathgar experiences in the Journal of the American S.P.R.

    Read the passage

    Her mother also had an extraordinary experience in the same house. One evening she had just put the baby to bed, when she heard a voice calling "mother." She left the bedroom, and called to her daughter, who was in a lower room, "What do you want?" But the girl replied that she had _not_ called her; and then, in her turn, asked her mother if _she_ had been in the front room, for she had just heard a noise as if some one was trying to fasten the inside bars of the shutters across. But her mother had been upstairs, and no one was in the front room. The experiences in the Rathmines house were of a similar auditory nature, _i.e._ the young ladies heard their names called, though it was found that no one in the house had done so.

    Occasionally it happens that ghosts inspire a law-suit. In the seventeenth century they were to be found actively urging the adoption of legal proceedings, but in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries they play a more passive part. A case about a haunted house took place in Dublin in the year 1885, in which the ghost may be said to have won. A Mr. Waldron, a solicitor's clerk, sued his next-door neighbour, one Mr. Kiernan, a mate in the merchant service, to recover £500 for damages done to his house.

    Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter I

17. The Barking Dog Ghost near Kilkenny

    near Kilkenny · townland · Kilkenny

    Near the village of G---- in County Kilkenny, a man's terrier barked viciously at an unseen presence near a hedge, and he glimpsed a small grey-white object vanish into it. The spot had a reputation for a ghost, possibly linked to a suicide buried at nearby crossroads or a man killed there.

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    It is a fairly general belief amongst students of supernatural phenomena that animals have the psychic faculty developed to a greater extent than we have. There are numerous stories which tell of animals being scared and frightened by something that is invisible to a human being, and the explanation given is that the animal has seen a ghost which we cannot see. A story that is told of a certain spot near the village of G----, in Co. Kilkenny, supports this theory. The account was sent us by the eye-witness of what occurred, and runs as follows: "I was out for a walk one evening near the town of G---- about 8.45 P.M., and was crossing the bridge that leads into the S. Carlow district with a small wire-haired terrier dog. When we were about three-quarters of a mile out, the dog began to bark and yelp in a most vicious manner at 'nothing' on the left-hand side of the roadway and near to a straggling hedge. I felt a bit creepy and that something was wrong. The dog kept on barking, but I could at first see nothing, but on looking closely for a few seconds I believe I saw a small grey-white object vanish gradually and noiselessly into the hedge. No sooner had it vanished than the dog ceased barking, wagged his tail, and seemed pleased with his successful efforts." The narrator goes on to say that he made inquiries when he got home, and found that this spot on the road had a very bad reputation, as people had frequently seen a ghost there, while horses had often to be beaten, coaxed, or led past the place. The explanation locally current is that a suicide was buried at the cross-roads near at hand, or that it may be the ghost of a man who is known to have been killed at the spot.

    Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter 7

18. The Black Dog at Donohill Rectory Gate

    Donohill · townland · Tipperary

    Among Ireland's widespread Black Dog traditions, a spectral black dog is reputed to haunt the spot just outside the avenue gate of Donohill Rectory, though neither of the book's compilers ever saw it themselves.

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    Of all the strange beliefs to be found in Ireland that in the Black Dog is the most widespread. There is hardly a parish in the country but could contribute some tale relative to this spectre, though the majority of these are short, and devoid of interest. There is said to be such a dog just outside the avenue gate of Donohill Rectory, but neither of the compilers have had the good luck to see it. It may be, as some hold, that this animal was originally a cloud or nature-myth; at all events, it has now descended to the level of an ordinary haunting. The most circumstantial story that we have met with relative to the Black Dog is that related as follows by a clergyman of the Church of Ireland, who requests us to refrain from publishing his name.

    "In my childhood I lived in the country. My father, in addition to his professional duties, sometimes did a little farming in an amateurish sort of way. He did not keep a regular staff of labourers, and consequently when anything extra had to be done, such as hay-cutting or harvesting, he used to employ day-labourers to help with the work. At such times I used to enjoy being in the fields with the men, listening to their conversation. On one occasion I heard a labourer remark that he had once seen the devil! Of course I was interested and asked him to give me his experience. He said he was walking along a certain road, and when he came to a point where there was an entrance to a private place (the spot was well known to me), he saw a black dog sitting on the roadside. At the time he paid no attention to it, thinking it was an ordinary retriever, but after he had passed on about two or three hundred yards he found the dog was beside him, and then he noticed that its eyes were blood-red. He stooped down, and picked up some stones in order to frighten it away, but though he threw the stones at it they did not injure it, nor indeed did they seem to have any effect. Suddenly, after a few moments, the dog vanished from his sight.

    Project Gutenberg #14099, Chapter VIII