Irish Ghost Tales by Tony Locke

he had died with a look of horror upon his face. He was not wearing the death shroud he had been buried in, but he had on the black frock coat he wore as a priest. He walked past them and disappeared around a bend in the road that led to the graveyard. When he had gone the local people all made either the sign of the cross or the horned sign against the evil eye, casting fearful glances at each other. They all started talking at once and it was decided that they should go and check on the old widow as she was the only one left in the cottages.
    Eventually they arrived at the cottage and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Climbing onto an old bucket, one of the mourners looked through the kitchen window and saw the old woman lying on the floor. Some of the bigger men opened the door and gently lifted her onto a chair. One of the women gave her a little poteen to revive her. The old widow told them what had happened.
    Earlier on, just as night fell, there had been a knock on her door. She could not think who it was as she knew that all her neighbours were at her son’s funeral and for some reason she was afraid of answering the door. The knock came again, this time louder and more insistent. Rather than answering it, she stood on a stool and looked out the window. To her horror, she saw her dead son standing there. She saw the ghostly pallor of his skin and the terrible look of a wild animal upon his face. He was crouched down, as if preparing to pounce on her when she answered the door. She said that she felt so afraid she must have fainted in fear. She felt her legs give way and she fell to the floor. There she remained until her neighbours arrived and picked her up.
    The undead priest was never seen in the neighbourhood again, but people in that remote community still pass his grave in that lonely mountain cemetery with a quick and fearful step.

24
A BHARTACH , THE V AMPIRE
COUNTY DERRY
    T he story of Abhartach, a cruel, deformed and evil Irish chieftain, suggests a possible link between Irish vampire myths and Bram Stoker’s Dracula . People over the years have thought that Dracula was based on that old Romanian prince, Vlad the Impaler, who had a nasty habit of killing those who opposed him in a rather bloodthirsty manner. However, the truth may be closer to home.
    In the north Derry area, between the towns of Garvagh and Dungiven, in a district known as Glenullin, the glen of the eagle, we may find a clue to Dracula’s origins. In the middle of a field in the remote townland of Slaughtaverty is an area known locally as the ‘Giant’s Grave’ but it might be more accurately described as Abhartach’s tomb.
    On the grave there is a curling thorn bush, under which lies a large and heavy stone. Originally there were more stones, the remnants of an old monument, but these have been removed over time by local farmers for building purposes. However, there is little doubt that the tomb was once an imposing structure and that it gave the townland its name.
    But who was Abhartach?
    During the fifth and sixth centuries, the Glenullin area was a patchwork of petty kingdoms, each with its own local ruler or ‘king’. These kings may have been little more than tribal warlords. There is ample evidence of their rule as the countryside is dotted with hill forts, ancient raths and early fortifications marking their respective territories. Abhartach, according to tradition, was one of these chieftains.
    Local descriptions of him vary. Some say he was deformed in some way and others say that he was a dwarf. However, most accounts agree that he was a powerful wizard and was extremely evil. Abhartach was a jealous and suspicious man who trusted no one, not even his wife, who he was convinced was having an adulterous affair. He decided to catch her in the act. One night he climbed out one of the windows of their castle and crept along a ledge towards his wife’s bedroom. However, either because of his deformity or poor