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About the guest: Dr. Bob Curran

Becky found out about Dr. Bob when she read his book, A Bewitched Land: Witches and Warlocks of Ireland. is the author of over 40 books on the ghosts and folklore of Ireland, published by O’Brien Press.

Irish folklore we discussed in this episode

We spoke about so many great stories and legends from Ireland, and still we only scratched the surface! Here’s a very brief summary of the topics discussed.

• Bob shares the story of the fear gortach, the hungry spirit who roams the mountains and can seize travelers with fatal hunger.
• The gruagach is a petite hairy critter who will work hard for only a jug of milk, but is incredibly stupid and disappears if you ever give it a present.
• The Banshee (Irish spelling Bean Sídhe) wasn’t always the wailing woman spirit we hear tales of today. She used to just be a fairy woman who would advise ancient kings.
• The Cóiste Bodhar or death coach, a harbinger of doom driven by a dullahan, which is a headless horseman hobgoblin of the unseelie type.
• The filid were basically ancient tabloid reporters.
• Abhartach may have been the very first vampire, as we know them in the western world today. According to folklore, the grave of this blood-drinking 5th century Irish warlord is in Glenullin in County Derry, just a short drive from where Dr. Bob lives. You can see the actual grave site in the Irish horror movie Boys from County Hell. Like Eastern European vampires, Abhartach’s bloodlust is easily thwarted by scattering small items about (like thorns or poppy seeds), as these monsters are easily distracted by counting and sorting things.

Why is storytelling so important to Irish culture?

Ever since Diana was young, her Irish relatives taught her to value the “Gift of Gab.” Far from just being talkative and outgoing, this uncommon gift was somewhat ephemerally defined as the ability to orally weave a spellbinding tale at the spur of the moment. Being good at improvisational storytelling, basically. According to legend, if you’re not born with this gift, you can attain it by kissing the Blarney Stone.

During this interview, Bob helped us understand why the Irish place such a high value on oral storytelling and folklore. The Druids apparently advised against down any knowledge because it could be stolen by the enemy. And so, oral storytelling was the primary format for handing down knowledge. Couple that with a huge population of poor, rural farmers, and a ruling elite class that preferred their peasants to remain uneducated and illiterate so as to be easier to control, and verbal communication becomes the obvious default. And sure, a bit of knowledge may be communicated verbally simply by explaining it to someone. But having an interesting story attached helps as a mnemonic device. Folklore also grabs the attention of those whose minds may otherwise wander.

What’s your favorite Irish folk tale?

Baby Diana grew up hearing stories of selkies and dancing to songs about why it’s important to hold a wake. She thinks there’s something undefinable yet uniquely magical about Irish folklore. After hearing all the Irish ghost stories we’re releasing this October, we hope you’ll agree! Does your Irish family have a unique legend? Or do you know some juicy info about folklore from other regions? Submit your story now for a chance to be the next guest on Homespun Haints. And beidh lá scanrúil agat!

The post If You Die in the Dumb Supper, You Die in Real Life appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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About our guests: This Paranormal Life

Rory and Kit are childhood friends who take turns researching strange paranormal phenomena, and then try to convince one another that their researched story is true. You can find their podcast at thisparanormallife.com.

We ask the hosts some of their favorite stories, and they regaled us with tales of the White Lady of Union Cemetery in Easton Connecticut, the Kuchisake-onna (or slit-mouthed woman) of Japan, and the Jikininki, also from Japan.

When Rory asked us about one of our favorite ghost stories, we told them the story of the hellhound at Rotherwood Mansion.

This Paranormal Life‘s upcoming tour

Rory and Kit will be touring the U.S. in October of 2023! Check out their schedule here and be sure to grab tickets if you’re near one of the cities they’ll be visiting!

Love discussions of Irish cryptids and folklore?

In this interview, we discuss how the E.U. recently made leprechauns a protected species, and the other Irish cryptids Rory and Kit learned about in grade school. Like This Paranormal Life, we ourselves have heard stories about banshees, skunkapes, and bigfoot from our podcast’s guests. We also love hearing about cryptids in Scottish lakes and the chupacabra in Mexico and parts of the U.S. And we can’t wait to hear more strange Irish ghost stories and Irish cryptid stories, which can’t help but lead to a spooky day!

The post Exploding Ghosts and Buckets of Blood: Interview with This Paranormal Life appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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Episode Summary

For some of us, the word charming evokes images of lush gardens, cottage rooms and hearty food. For co-host Becky, charming also means taking her family to a haunted bed and breakfast thousands of miles from home, where centuries-old ghosts wander the grounds and warn of impending doom. Becky stayed at a delightful mansion in the northern Irish countryside, where she encountered beautiful scenery, warm hospitality, and sooo many Northern Ireland ghosts.

Episode promos

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About Ballylough House and the Northern Ireland ghosts

Ballylough House is a delightful structure about 5 miles from the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. The house itself is about 300 years old; however, it rests on top of the ruins of a castle decimated centuries ago.

The MacQuillans and the MacDonnells

Legend states that the MacQuillans and MacDonnells arranged a marriage between a young woman of the MacQuillan clan and a young man of the MacDonnells. The two families had been warring for generations, and the marriage would finally bring peace between the clans. The wedding took place at Ballylough, then occupied by the MacQuillans.

However, during the wedding feast, the MacDonnells swooped in and slaughtered everyone at the banquet, including the young bride and her mother. The MacDonnells then burned the castle to the ground; only the crumbling tower remains. The MacDonnells held the land until 1625, when they gave the land to their land agent, Archibald Stewart.

Other haunted castles we’ve covered

If you’re looking to visit a haunted castle, be sure to consider the following.

• Thornewood Castle.
• Leap Castle.
• Akershus Fortress.

Would you spend the night in a haunted B&B built on a castle?

We loved our time at the Ballylough B&B! We here at Homespun Haints would absolutely spend more time communing with the spirits there. It is certainly a reliable place to have a spooky day!

The post The Ghosts of Ballylough House appeared first on Homespun Haints.