Hello everyone, its time to return to Ireland now in this series - I know many of you enjoyed
and were perhaps surprised at just how many great scary stories Ireland has to offer - well
it hasnt ended yet, theres still plenty more - Ive got some of the best to share with you
today.
My name is Danny Burke and this is the top 10 Scary Irish Urban Legends Part 2!
Starting off at number 10 we have the Derry Vampire.
In the city of Derry, you can find an area known as Slaughtaverty.
There lies a grassy mound known as O’Cathains Dolmen, marked by a single thorn tree.
Legend says that a vampire is contained within it.
Back in the 5th century, a chieftain known as Abhartach ruled over the area.
He was known for his cruelty and viciousness, even to his own tribe.
Locals said that he was actually an evil wizard, using his powers to rise to a position of
power.
When he died, the tribe gave him a respectful burial - they thought that was the end of
it.
A day later though, his reanimated corpse appeared in the village.
He demanded a bowl of fresh human blood or else he would release his terror upon them.
The terrified village turned to help from another local chief called Cathain, begging
that he kill Abhartach.
Cathain came and killed Abartach.
But he rose again.
He killed him again and again but still, he lived - returning to the village in search
of human blood.
Cathain consulted a Christian hurmit for guidance.
He directed that Abhartach be killed using a wooden sword made of yew, he then had to
be buried head downwards, weighted with a heavy stone.
Finally, thorn bushes should be planted tightly in a circle around the grave.
Somehow, it worked.
To this day, the mount remains - people believe it should be left as it is, or else the vampire
will return, demanding human blood.
Next up at number 9 now we have The Cottage of Cooneen.
In Cooneen, on the Fermanagh Tyrone border, lies an old abandoned cottage.
In 1911, it belonged to the Murphy family.
Legend says they were being plagued by poltergeists, mischievous ghosts that wanted them out.
The family chose to stay.
Mrs Murphy was a widow.
Her and the children began to hear mysterious noises at night.
There were knocks on the door, footsteps in the empty attic and strange groans emitting
from the walls.
This was only the beginning though.
Plates began sliding across tables by themselves and bedclothes moved around in empty beds.
Then, it started getting even more intense - pots and pans were thrown violently against
the walls while furniture floated off the ground.
Even when things werent being smashed around, a strange coldness permeated the cottage as
mysterious shapes appeared and then disappeared through the walls.
In the end, a Catholic priest was called in to perform two exorcisms - but that didnt
work.
Locals began to believe the family had brought this evil on themselves and stopped helping
them.
Finally, the Murphys caved in and emigrated to America in 1913.
Locals believed the ghost followed them.
Now, over 100 years on, their cottage lies abandoned - people still say an evil atmosphere
surrounds it to this day.
Next up at number 8 we have the Dunsandle Mantel Piece.
This house in Galways Ireland has so many ghost stories attached to it, its hard to
keep track of them.
In the early 20th century, a stone worker who was repairing parts of the old house took
a shining to one of the mantelpieces.
He decided to take it with him to his workshop.
Legend says that the ghost of a tall man that haunted the house had attached itself to the
mantelpiece and went with it.
The workshop became haunted - objects would fly around the room, glasses and other items
would smash or break.
Perhaps the creepiest thing was the actual sightings of the ghost, often accompanies
with sounds of an irish fiddle playing.
The only way to stop the hauntings was for the stone worker to return the mantelpiece
to Dunstandle house, where it remains to this day - along with its ghostly legend.
Moving on to number 7 is the Faceless Lady of Belvelly Castle.
In Cork Harbour lies Belvelly Castle, on the shore of Great Island.
In the 17th century, its said that a woman named Margaret Hodnett lived there.
She loved mirrors - back then mirrors were a symbol of luxury and wealth - Margaret had
many of them so that she could reminder herself of her famous beauty.
She had an on off relationship with a local lord called Clon Rockenby - he asked for her
hand in marriage many times but she always refused.
Eventually, he had enough of the rejection and decided to raise a small army to take
her castle by force.
Definitely an overreaction, you cant just raise an army if someone doesnt want you.
Anyway, the attack didnt go great - Clon was forced to siege the castle, Margaret held
on for a year before eventually surrendering.
Clon entered the castle to find Margaret starved to death, a skeletal figure and not the beauty
he had sought after for so long.
Out of rage, he smashed her favourite mirror to pieces.
Then, one of Margarets soldiers killed him with a sword.
After that, Margaret descended into madness.
She looked for mirrors constantly to see if her beauty had returned, but it never did.
She died of old age and locals say her ghost appears in the castle as a lady in white,
sometimes with a veiled face and sometimes with no face at all.
They say you can still see her, staring at the walls where mirrors used to hang, tilting
her head as if staring at her reflection.
Moving on to number 6 now we have Corney.
In the early 20th century, reports began of a ghost called Corney haunting a house in
Dublin.
The husband had sprained his knee badly and had to use a crutch, thumping around during
the day and then leaving it by his bed at night.
One night the wife woke up to the sound of the same thumping in the night, but her husband
was next to her and the crutch was still by her bed - it was Corney, a poltergeist who
was mocking the husband by thumping in the night.
He wreaked havoc in the house, playing practical jokes on the servants.
Some of them were so terrified that they threatened to leave.
The wife agreed to move them into a bedroom at the top of the house with a press bed.
On the first night, as they went to bed, the doors of the press bed flung open and Corneys
voice called out -Haha you devils, I am here before you!
I am not confined to any particular part of this house!- He told them that in life, he
had been a bad man who had died a bad death.
He said he couldn't tell them in what realm he was now because it would anger God.
Eventually the
Next up at number 5 we have The Dobhar Chu.
This creature is also known as the King Otter in Irish Folklore.
Its said to resemble an otter, a dog and a fish.
There have been many documented sightings of it over the years.
In the town of Conwall in County Leitrim lies the grave of a woman who was said to have
been killed by the Dobar Chu in the 17th century.
Her headstone says she was called Grainne.
Legend says her husband supposedly heard her scream as she was washing her clothes in the
lake.
He ran to help her but when he arrived she was already dead, her body bloody and mutilated
by the creature.
The man killed the Dobar Chu by stabbing it right through the heard - as it died, it made
a whistling noise.
At that moment, its another Dobar Chu rose from the water, it was the mate of the first
one.
Tha man fought and killed that one too.
Since then, people know there may be many more out there, some have reported seeing
and even fighting them to the death.
Moving on to number 4 now we have The Whispering Mummies.
St Michans church is a 330 year old building that is built on an even more ancient burial
ground.
Catacombs and grave vaults lie in the darkness below the church with coffins full of well
preserved mummies.
Visitors report strange, whispering voices down there along with an oppressive feeling
in the tight hallways.
Its a feeling of being in a crowd of people, despite there being nobody around - some have
even reported feeling unseen hands touching them.
For people that go there, the feeling of being in a spirit crowd when they cant see anyone
is a very unnerving experience.
Next up at number 3 now we have The Sligo Mansion.
On the Coolera peninsular in Sligo, a man called William Phibbs built a stately mansion
known as Seafield House.
It overlooked the sea and with over 20 rooms, it was a detestable symbol of wealth during
the great famine.
Locals thought he was a cruel and uncaring landlord.
By the early 20th century, his descendant Owen Phibbs was using the mansion to store
Egyptian artefacts and mummies at the house.
Not long after, there were reports of a poltergeist terrorising the house.
According to some servants, the house would shake and objects would smash into the walls.
A ghostly horse drawn coach was seen trotting up the driveway.
Priests were called in to perform several exorcisms but the activity wouldnt cease.
The whole time, the Phibbs family vehemently
Next up at number 2 we have The Murdered Jester.
Malahide Castle in Dublin was built by King Henry the 2nd of England in the 12th century.
It hosted grand medieval feasts, complete with minstrels and jesters for entertainment.
One of the jesters, named Puck, saw a female prisoner at a feast and fell in love with
her.
He tried to help her escape but was stabbed to death outside the castle.
In his dying breath he vowed to haunt the place forever.
Since then, there have apparently been many sightings of him.
Visitors report seeing and photographing his spectral features appearing in the thick ivy
that appear in the ivy that grows on the walls near where he was killed.
And finally at number 1 we have The Vanishing Island.
On July 7th 1878, the residents of Ballycotton in County Cork were shocked to see an island
out in the ocean that had never been there before.
Locals stood on the shoreline in disbelief, there were woodlands, fields and deep valleys.
Fisherman sailed out to investigate but as they approached, the island flickered out
of existence.
This isnt an isolated case either.
Similar sightings have occured off in County Kerry, Clare and at Ballyina-learne Bay in
Galway.
Some have tried to explain the sightings of the vanishing island as a trick of the light,
an optical illusion due to light refraction.
Others link it to the old irish legend of a vanishing island that becomes visible once
every 7 years.
If thats the case, then 2018 is the year where it should appear again, keep your eyes peeled
for that story.
What do you guys think?
Trick of the light?
Parallel universe or spectral island?
Brazil?
etc