Let’s rock and roll with the story of a female ghost. Mary Jane Hunter from “just west of Baileborough” was seen many times after she died. Joe Ross got an awful fright when he saw her “yikes” he thought #ghost
Joe’s description might not have consoled her family; “she was dressed in black, her eyes were glistening in her head” and might even have scared the life out of them “she went towards the door where she used to live” #Ghost
James Mitchell from Tierworker met a ghost one night. Did he get a fright? Let’s hear his own words; “the sweat came down off me, the same if a gallon of water was thrown on me”. So, the answer is “yes”. “I ran home” he added #Ghost
Mary Glenny’s grandfather was coming home from Carrickmacross one night. He heard a noise in the wood. A fox?” he thought but when he looked he saw the “skeletons of men hanging from the trees”. ‘Holy moly, this is rather unexpected’ he said #Ghost
Then he remembered the Penal Laws and how priests were often hunted down and killed because of their faith .”That is one explanation” he thought #Ghost
Mary Gargan was delighted to get a job in Bartley Curran’s shop in Baileborough. One night She heard an awful racket out on the street “the boys drinking and fighting I suppose”. She looked out and was a little surprised by what she say #Ghost
Instead of the local Baileborough boys fighting with the toughs from Kells as they came out of the nightclubs, it was in fact the Death Coach, the otherworldly harbinger of death: “The metropolitan life in Baileborough will take a bit of getting used to” she thought #Ghost
Mary said the Death Coach came down the Main Street of Baileborough “wheeled around the corner of Cullen’s and went on towards the Cavan Road”. She saw it several times after that.”How’d you feel about that Mary?””Not great” she admitted #Ghost
“When I was young”says Barney Gargan “We used to get a roundberry rod & a horse nail & put a blessed candle on a cows tail to stop it being ‘overlooked’. “Do you still do it””No””Why not?””Its all nonsense”(actual quote) #Ghost
I don’t know about you but I, as a folklorist, am a bit disappointed with Barney’s attitude towards traditional charms and cures. Still let’s not be discouraged #Ghost
If 85yr old Barney Gargan was a disappointment at least we can rely on 75yr old Peter Clarke. Mickey Clarke moved his bed to have a better look out the window. He heard footsteps on the stairs “ a woman came into his room, a ghost (?) and frightened the life out of him #Ghost
The Smith’s bought Barnes’ old place and decided to do it up. Old Barnes was long dead but used to appear at night like he still owned the place. He “took a particular dislike to the tradesmen”. He kicked their hammers and nails all over the place #Ghost
He pulled down the nice new woodwork and scraped off the paint. He even beat up the carpenter. In the end they had to call the priest. That ‘settled’ him #Ghost
In Ireland if you met a ghost, you couldn’t even be sure that it was a ghost. The Irish dead often take up with the fairies - nobody’s sure where the Christian otherworld starts and the ancestral otherworld begins. We’ll talk about this tomorrow night at 9. Retweet and join me 
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