Irish Tales of Terror

by Peter Haining (Editor)

Introduction by Ray Bradbury. 22 bewitching stories of Irish magic and mystery. An exceptional anthology of folklore and fright. Features an all-star cast: James Joyce, H.P. Lovecraft, W.B. Yeats, Daniel Defoe, Ray Bradbury, Oscar Wilde, et al. Covers the dark and supernatural from the 12th century to the present day.

CONTENTS
"The Legend of Fin M'Coul" by William Carleton
"The Fairies' Revenge" by Sinead de Valera
"The Coonian Ghost" by Shane Leslie
"The Friendly Demon" by Daniel Defoe
"Hell Fire" by James Joyce
"The House In The Laurels" by William Hope Hodgson
"The Man-Wolf" by Giraldus Cambrensis
"Witches, Fairies and Leprechauns" by Lady Wilde
"Wicked Captain Walshawe" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
"A Wild Night In Galway" by Ray Bradbury
"Teig O'Kane and the Corpse" by Anonymous
"The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde
"The Banshee's Warning" by Charlotte Riddell
"Julia Cahill's Curse" by George Moore
"The Haunted Spinney" by Elliott O'Donnell
"The Moon-Bog" by H.P. Lovecraft
"The Parricide's Tale" by Charles Robert Maturin
"The Crucifixion of the Outcast" by William Butler Yeats
"The Dead Smile" by Francis Marion Crawford
"The Soul Cages" by T. Crofton Croker
"The Man From Kilsheelan" by A.E. Coppard
"Witch Wood" by Lord Dunsany

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Anthologies, Mythology, Irish Literature

317 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Peter Alexander Haining was an English journalist, author and anthologist who lived and worked in Suffolk. Born in Enfield, Middlesex, he began his career as a reporter in Essex and then moved to London where he worked on a trade magazine before joining the publishing house of New English Library.

Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.

In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).

He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.

Reviews

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a nice little collection, even if the title is a bit misleading - IRISH TALES OF TERROR contains many a piece of fantasy that is not inherently "terrifying". But I guess IRISH TALES OF TERROR AND FANTASY doesn't roll off the tongue. And some of the pieces are retellings of classic Irish folklore, or stories of hauntings. But still, there's some good stuff here.

"The Legend of Fin M'Coul" by William Carleton and "The Fairies' Revenge" by Sinead de Valera are both in that "folklore retold" vein - the former a tale of the "Hibernian Hercules" (an Irish giant who has many adventures), the latter is a rote story about a fairy curse and how it's reversed. Not really anything special. In the same class is "The Coonian Ghost" by Shane Leslie, a routine recitation of the facts in a true poltergeist case. "The Friendly Demon" by Daniel Defoe is a brief piece about the rules governing dealings with devilish beings. Hell also crops up in James Joyce's "Hell Fire", which isn't really a story, just a sermon about what hell is like. William Hope Hodgson also shows up with another of his adventures of Carnacki, the ghost finder - an occult detective in the Sherlock Holmes mold. Unfortunately, I always liked the idea of Carnacki (a ghost-buster operating with an arsenal of Western Hermetic Ritual Magick and "electric" technology) more than the execution, and this tale - "The House In The Laurels" - is more of the same (perhaps even more disappointing because the resolution seems like an obligated "twist" that eventually must occur in a series in which an occult investigator applies rationality to every haunting).

"The Man-Wolf" by Giraldus Cambrensis is another folklore record, this time from the 12th Century, about a meeting with a talking wolf. Lady Wilde, Oscar Wilde's mom, offers some collected folk tales of "Witches, Fairies and Leprechauns". "Wicked Captain Walshawe" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu is an okay tale of an evil, cantankerous old man and how a ghostly visitation uncovers a forgotten will - the ghost is described in striking terms, distorting its size and features very much like a fairy creature. "A Wild Night In Galway" is a non-fantastic tale by Ray Bradbury about a freewheeling, drunken night out in the storm-lashed town.

"Teig O'Kane and the Corpse", another anonymous bit of folklore, is familiar to me - it was adapted on the CBC Radio horror anthology show NIGHTFALL in the 1980s and the basic set-up (a young wastrel is cursed by the fairies with transporting a corpse to any graveyard that will take it, said corpse riding on his back) also appears in some Sinbad tales and Russian folklore (although it's usually a witch and not a corpse). Oscar Wilde's classic, "The Canterville Ghost", you've probably already read by now, but if not, it's a humorous tale of a ghost's run in with some Americans. "The Banshee's Warning" by Charlotte Riddell is a touching tale of a wild young surgeon and a lost love. A beautiful young girl is made an outcast by a local priest and so curses the entire town in "Julia Cahill's Curse" by George Moore and "The Haunted Spinney" by Elliott O'Donnell is an extremely atmospheric and powerful tale (with, perhaps, a guessable ending) about a midnight meeting in a windy wood and a murder - well told! H.P. Lovecraft's "The Moon-Bog" may not be from the writer's first-tier work, but the story of a drained fen that unleashes an archaic, pagan terror is extremely atmospheric as well, with an eerie ending.

The best tales is this collection make an odd assortment. "The Parricide's Tale" is an excerpt from the novel Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin, almost a conte cruel, in which secret love is discovered in a convent and severly punished by the monks. It's an extreme study in Gothic sadism, holy corruption, sex-fear and sociopathic cruelty. Along those same lines, William Butler Yeats' "The Crucifixion of the Outcast" is a bitter, ironic story about a wandering bard who faces the ultimate punishment for pointing out the hypocrisy of some monks. "The Dead Smile" by Francis Marion Crawford is also extremely gothic, as a terrible family secret is carried to the grave, yet still eventually exposed. In a completely different vein, "The Soul Cages" by T. Crofton Croker is a charming tale of folklore involving Irish mermaids called merrows, and one man's meeting with a merrow named Coomera. There's some wonderful, fairy-tale imagery and detail in this story, including magical hats, the benefits of deference to unnatural beings, drinking under the sea and little cages containing the souls of drowned sailors. "The Man From Kilsheelan" by A.E. Coppard is a very interesting (and kind of sad) story about two men who escape from an asylum in search of their fortune and stumble upon a murder. And finally, Lord Dunsany's series character Jorkens tells a tale of a night he spent bewitched in a tiny copse of trees in "Witch Wood" - like "The Soul Cages", it's also very charming.

This ends up being a solid collection - could have done without some of the straight folklore and ghost report stuff, but, hey, that's how it goes.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for the "Read the World" Challenge for: Ireland 🇮🇪
Overall rating: 3.25 stars. There are a few stories in this collection that I could easily do without, but there are also some amazing pieces that I had never heard of before!

The Man-Wolf: 3 stars
Teig O'Kane and the Corpse: 2.5 stars
The Friendly Demon: 3 stars
The Parricide's Tale: 2 stars
The Soul Cages: 3 stars
Wicked Captain Walshawe: 4 stars
Legends of Witches, Fairies, and Leprechauns: 4 stars
The Canterville Ghost: 5 stars - or more idk, I really loved this!
The Banshee's Warning: 3.5 stars
The Legend of Fin M'Coul: 3.5 - so much fun. When I was living in Northern Ireland, I got to go to the Giant's Causeway twice! It was great, I'm such a big fan.
Julia Cahill's Curse: 3.5 stars - I was surprised, but the final line resonated so nicely I bumped it up a half star.
The Crucifixion of the Outcast: 1 star - Normally I'm a fan of Yeats, but maybe I just didn't "get" this one. Too Christian and weird for me.
The Man from Kilsheelan: 2.5 stars
The Dead Smile: 4 stars - even though I saw it coming, really, really good writing.
Hell Fire: 1 star - Joyce might be a very good, but if I want to read about hell, I'm going to read Dante.
Witch Wood: 3 stars
The House Among the Laurels: 4 stars
The Coonian Ghost: 4 stars - W O A H
The Haunted Spinney: 3.5 - I was really into this one, but the ending kind of messed it up. A bit too quick of a one-liner.
The Moon-Bog: 4.5 stars - this is by far my favorite Lovecraft story I've read to this point. Maybe it's because it's set in Ireland, so there are fewer non-white people for him to harass lol.
The Fairies' Revenge: 3.5 stars - fun and cute, definitely more of a kid's story than the rest of the collection.
A Wild Night in Galway: 3.5 stars - love me some Bradbury

[Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a slog. One or two are slightly interesting, and there seems to be some liberties taken by calling the stories “Irish” like calling the puddle the chicken walked through soup. Sadly it is pretty dull overall.

[Zack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only 1 or 2 stories were true horror, more like normal ghost stories from a campfire, but lengthier than needed

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didnt go into thos anyhology expecting to be scared stupid, and i wasnt, which is nice. I was surprised to find how many of the stories from the famous authors failed to impress. The Must-Reads, best of the bunch in my humble opinion are:
The Parricide’s Tale (Manturin) ghoulish and terrifying in the grounded way where what humans are capable of doing to one another is the real horror. Thanks, I hate it. 5/5 stars
The Canterville Ghost (Oscar Wilde) was somehow hilarious, heartwarming, and made me sad??? For a ghost??? Emotional rollercoaster. 5/5 stars
The Dead Smile (Crawford) was maybe the most genuinely suspenseful story even tho i called the twist immediately, when the characters were going to realize what trouble they were in was the real nail-biter. Also the sheer descriptions… *shiver* 5/5 stars
The Moon Bog (H P Lovecraft) wow you guys, this lovecraft fellow is really good at writing horror. Wonder why i havent heard of him before? 🙃(/sarcasm) 5/5 ‘He Fucked Around and Found Out’ stars

The worst, disappointments, 1 star time wasters were as follows:
The Friendly Demon (Defoe) why is this guy famous i was literally so confused while reading like what was the point?
The Banshee’s Warning (Riddell) wasted my time and pissed me off. Way too much leadup for all the plot and reveals to happen in the last 2 pages.
Julia Cahill’s Curse (Moore) good for her, also screw this town, also what was the storytelling format, also that’s it?
Crucifiction of the Outcast (W B Yeats) I’m sorry mrs coyle, but like… Yeats is so pessimistic and cynical he just rings of dumb edgelord and i Can’t
Hell Fire (James Joyce) bro im sorry you had an abusive catholic upbringing but i dont need to have hell described to me in this spooky anthology I dont go to a fire and brimstone church for a reason that shits whack 💅🏻

[Sam Desir-Spinelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the majority of these stories to be quite boring and definitely not horror. They were more like folk fantasy.

Supernatural elements with no scare factor.

They were also entirely too long- many were a chore to read.

Outdated language.

There were only two stories in this collection I actually enjoyed: "The Haunted Spinney" By Elliot O'Donnell (a bit predictable, but atleast it felt like horror), and "The Crucifixion of the Outcast" by WB Yeats, (surreal and poetic).

Also worth mentioning, there wasn't any Bram Stoker in here, which is surprising because he's got some decent short horror stories and was an Irish writer... I haven't read all his short stories, maybe the editor couldn't find any that took place in Ireland or dealt with Irish folklore?

[Deserthomemaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall I found this collection disappointing. There was actually very little of terror to most of these tales, and as many were excerpts from larger texts, they came across as incomplete. That isn’t to say that they are poorly written — not at all! The title is misleading, so I was expecting something different than what I got. If you go into expecting tales of Irish folklore and fantasy, you may find it less disappointing than I did.

[Tara]

I read about half of this back in October (2018), then put it aside for something else. I haven’t gone back to it but I plan to eventually. Maybe next October. For me, it doesn’t live up to the cool sounding title but it’s still interesting enough that I don’t want to DNF it.

[David Baggens · Rating 1 out of 5]

You had the whole cannon of Irish Literature and still managed to choose all the wrost, boring, spiteful, and meaningless stories!? It is telling that the best story in this book was written by an American.

[Elle Hartford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of tales! I especially loved "The Canterville Ghost." It made for good Halloween reading. :)

[Isabel]

Diverse collection but definitely recommend

[Brian Syrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. A good collection of stories by a varied assortment if authors, marred mostly by numerous typos and similar errors.

[Rachel Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of Irish short stories doesn't exactly live up to its title, but was nonetheless, overall, enjoyable.

Some of the stories were terribly boring and hard to follow, while others were extremely engaging and well written. Very few of the stories are what I would consider "horror", but all of the stories take place in, or are written about Ireland.

Here were some of my favorites:

1. The Soul Cages, by T. Crofton Croker - this a a more traditional Irish tale about a man who befriends a merman, and aims to free the souls that his friend has held captive. I liked it because it really had that traditional Irish feel.

2. The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde - a family moves into a haunted home, and set about to terrorize the ghost who lives there. This was delightful because it really turns the "haunted house" premise on its head.

3. The Dead Smile, by Francis Marion Crawford - a more chilling story, this is about a family secret being exposed. The "twist" is pretty predictable now, but certainly would not have been when it was originally written.

4. The Haunted Spinney, by Elliott O'Donnell - another of the scarier stories, this is about a man who witnessed a crime, and then revisits the scene some time later. Again, the ending is a predictable, but still packs a punch.

My favorite story, however, was more of a detective story than a ghost story. It was The House Among the Laurels, by William Hope Hodgson. This is about a man who is determined to debunk the haunting of an old mansion. I found out that it is actually part of a collection titled "Carnacki the Ghost Finder", so I will definitely be checking that out!

This collection has its strong and weak points, but I am glad I read it and got to learn a bit more Irish folklore and read some classic authors.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of tales, either by Irish authors or set in Ireland. Many of the authors are well-known, like Oscar Wilde, H.P. Lovecraft, and Ray Bradbury, and the editor provides a short account of each author and why the specific tale was included. However, I would not say that they are all terrifying. Some certainly are, but others fall more into folklore and other genres. Wilde's The Cantervill Ghost is hilarious, and I'm not quite sure how Bradbury's fits into the collection, being an account of a drunken night with John Huston while they were working on the screenplay to Moby Dick while staying in Ireland - maybe he was terrified by someone who drove them very fast, and that it was raining hard. Another is a factual account of the investigation of a poltergeist. Overall, I enjoyed the tales, some more than others. One problem I had, which may just be the specific edition (the one I selected for this review), but there were myriad typos and omissions (several times it seemed like a line had been left out), which sometimes made it difficult to follow.

[Charles Puskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

In preparation for a trip to Ireland in August, I read this collection. I enjoyed Lord Dunsany's "Witch Wood" (1947), a small forest that one can never leave-- without considerable toil and trouble! Oscar Wilde's "Canterville Ghost," is where Yankee ingenuity and resourcefulness overcomes the "ghosts of the past." W. B. Yeats, "The Crucifixion of the Outcast" (1925) is about the tragedy of one who dared to live differently in a time and place of great conformity. "The Friendly Demon" by Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) has paranormal scenes that must have influenced William Blatty's "The Exorcist" (1971). Charles Robert Maturin's "The Parricide's Tale" (1820s) is a sad story of true love that defies the rules of the community. Spoiler alert: "Hell fire" by James Joyce is a FICTIONAL piece from the Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man! H. P. Lovecraft's "Moon-Bog" is a terrifying vision of the past changing the present. "A Wild Night in Galway" by Ray Bradbury climaxes in a final conflict of man or dog against machine!

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology should not be confused with a quite different book with exactly the same title, but edited by Jim McGarry, which I read and didn't much care for just over a year ago. I did like this one. Haining has constructed it as an introduction to fantastic literature for readers interested in Ireland, rather than desperately grabbing anything vaguely genre and Hibernian; this does mean that some entries don't strictly fit the remit - "The Canterville Ghost", by Oscar Wilde, has no Irish connection apart from its author, and the final piece by Ray Bradbury (who also supplies an introduction to the volume as a whole) has no fantasy content. But it's an eclectic and interesting anthology, with pieces from Giraldus Cambrensis and James Joyce (the passage about Hell from Portrait) as well as the more obvious Maturin, Hodgson, Lovecraft, Le Fanu, Yeats, Dunsany, Sinead de Valera, etc. Worth getting hold of.

[Douglas Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short stories by famous Irish (mostly) authors (e.g. Oscar Wilde, Yeats, "Traditional", James Joyce, Lady Wilde and even Ray Bradbury). The quality of the stories is varied, and most are only moderately interesting.

What fascinated me is that there is a specifically Irish terror story genre. The stories are published in chronological order of original writing, which makes this a sort of history of the genre. Thus, it helped me to satisfy my craving for both engaging stories and history.

[Steve Bivans · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reason I love this book, is that within it is the source of Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol. Yes, he ripped off the Marley scene, almost word for word, and I've never seen it mentioned anywhere in print. Peter Haining, the editor of this book didn't even notice, or mention it. But read "The Friendly Demon," by Daniel Defoe, and tell me that Dickens didn't read it before writing his little story. If you can find a copy, read it.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with all collections, there are classic tales (including The Canterville Ghost) you've already read and some stories you were none the worst for not having read. Not particularly terrifying but an entertaining enough survey for those with an interest in folk tales with a few well-known authors' works offering variety.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of new and old writers, specially selected for their weirdness and adherance to Irish themes. A great read for both lovers of the spernatural and the short story. Excellent notes on the writers precede each story, usually with some detail relating to the story itself.

[Grahm Eberhardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there a couple stories here that weren't awful and boring, there was nothing that could be described as "terror" happening here at all unless you're REALLY scared of leprechauns. A more accurate title for this book would be "A Collection of Irish Folklore and Fairy Tales".

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are kind of fairy tales in a way. There's a lot of horror elements. There's also a bit of the glamour over it all.

[Hannah Abram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of fun! I love anything to do with Irish fairy/scary stories :)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

some good shorts. I think my favorites were "The Canterville Ghost " and "Hell Fire ".