A SURVEY undertaken some years in the past by AA Eire discovered that 15.5% of Cork folks surveyed claimed to have seen a ghost – far larger than another county within the nation.
rom tales of a coach being pulled by way of the grounds of Mallow Citadel by a crew of headless horses to the notorious White Girl of Charles fort in Kinsale to spooky goings on on the nineteenth century Cork Metropolis Gaol the Insurgent county has no scarcity of tales about ghosts, ghouls and issues that go bump within the night time.
Doneraile in North Cork is even reputed to be probably the most haunted city in Eire.
At Halloween, it was historically believed that the veil between the bodily and non secular realms turns into thinner, permitting spirits to cross over to work together with the dwelling.
For this reason ghosts and spooky tales are so strongly related to this time of yr.
So, with Halloween simply across the nook, this Samhain the Nationwide Museum of Eire is inviting folks from throughout Cork to share their spooky tales and terrifying tales as they attempt to discover out as soon as and for all which is Eire’s most haunted county.
With this in thoughts the Irish Neighborhood Archive Community (iCAN), a museum initiative that helps communities to gather and share their native historical past and heritage on-line, has launched a brand new challenge referred to as ‘Ghost Tales of Eire – Looking for Tales of the Unexplained’.
Improvement officer for iCAN, Lorna Elms, defined that ghost tales and encounters with otherworldly beings are a standard theme in Irish folklore.
“We wish to protect these ghost tales which were handed down over the generations by way of the oral custom,” mentioned Lorna.
“This Halloween we’re inviting the general public to assist us doc these tales that proceed to be advised and assist us discover out which county in Eire is the spookiest,” mentioned Lorna.
Lorna mentioned that tales and tales handed down orally supply trendy society a better understanding of how our ancestors perceived and defined the world round them.
“This was why the Irish Folklore Fee was arrange in 1935 to gather and research the folklore and traditions of Eire. A lot of this work continues to be carried out by native volunteer historical past and heritage teams, comparable to these supported by the iCAN initiative,” mentioned Lorna.
She mentioned the challenge additionally desires to revisit the ghost tales gathered by schoolchildren for the Irish Folklore Fee within the 1930’s. The Fee had ready a steerage booklet that listed 55 topic headings – matters that the kids might discover with older folks locally.
Regardless of ‘Ghost Tales’ not being on the headings checklist, the gathering comprises over 1,000 spooky tales, which Lorna mentioned urged {that a} perception within the unexplained strongly continued within the public consciousness at the moment.
“As a part of our ‘Ghost Tales of Eire’ challenge, we’d additionally prefer to revisit and spotlight these tales gathered by the kids 75-years-ago and produce them again to life,” mentioned Lorna.
“Going by the quantity of ghost storied collected by the county on the time, Tipperary seems to have been probably the most ‘haunted’, with 95 accounts of frightful folklore. There are 78 ghost tales listed from County Cork, so right here is a chance to seize extra tales from the Insurgent county,” mentioned Lorna.
To seek out out extra concerning the ‘Ghost Tales of Eire – Looking for Tales of the Unexplained’ challenge, submit a ripping yarn of your individual or select a favorite story from the Nationwide Folklore Assortment and inform the museum it sends shivers down your backbone, go to www.ouririshheritage.org.