In 1913, St. John D. Seymour realized that Ireland had folklore and fairy-tale collections a-plenty, but the country's rich tradition of ghost stories was for the most part untapped. So, working with Harry L. Neligan, he set out to gather a few. The resulting book, first published in 1914 and revised with additional stories in 1926, is back on the market for a new generation of curiosity seekers.
True Irish Ghost Stories doesn't try to be horrific or to shock its readers with gruesome or frightening tales. The editors published a request for anecdotes in the newspapers of the day and waited for the stories to roll in. They got a lot of responses, but there isn't much detail or depth, and there's very little effort made to explain the background or cause of the events described.
The resulting book is conversational in tone. These aren't the sort of ghost stories to be told around a campfire; they read more like some polite parlor discourse over a pot of tea or a bit of gossip down at the pub. There's a hint of embarrassment, too, as if a ghostly experience isn't something you'd want linked to the family name -- in fact, most of the names and locations are not revealed.
I. HAUNTED HOUSES IN OR NEAR DUBLIN
II. HAUNTED HOUSES IN CONN'S HALF
III. HAUNTED HOUSES IN MOGH'S HALF
IV. POLTERGEISTS
V. HAUNTED PLACES
VI. APPARITIONS AT OR AFTER DEATH
VII. BANSHEES, AND OTHER DEATH-WARNINGS
VIII. MISCELLANEOUS SUPERNORMAL EXPERIENCES
IX. LEGENDARY AND ANCESTRAL GHOSTS
X. MISTAKEN IDENTITY—CONCLUSION
