Bloody Irish: Great Irish Vampire Stories

by Bob Curran

Did you know that the oldest recorded vampire story comes from Ireland? This book discusses the ancient Celtic beliefs about death and how these were assimilated by Christianity; the importance which the ancient Celts and early Christians placed on blood; and how the Christian Church transmuted the vampire from an ancestor's ghost to a malevolent demon. Stories of spooky, mystical, and bloody tales are relayed throughout.

Genres: Vampires, Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Irish Literature, Fantasy, Ireland

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

BOB CURRAN is an educational psychologist in Coleraine University. His interests are broad-ranging but are focused especially on history and story. He has written several books, including The Field Guide to Irish Fairies, The Wolfhound Guide to the Shamrock, Creatures of Celtic Myth, The Truth about the Leprechaun.

Reviews

[Hester · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are simply the best vampire stories that I have ever read. No cheesey count from Romania with a bad accent. No stupid one hundred year old teenage vampire getting it on with a regular girl. All the stories are very simple spooky and chilling.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"IN THE NAME OF GOD BE STILL [...] But it was far too late."

Creeptastic! These short tales are super savory little bite-sized morsels of Celtic folklore, myth, and legend. Evokes all the vibes of fireside stories passed round the local pubs in the old country and down through generations to rapt audiences everywhere.

They will sound familiar for those very reasons, but doesn't detract from the simplistic beauty of a tale told well. My skin was already crawling by the time I finished Dr. Curran's brief but awesome introduction! There are also a few excellent suggestions for further reading imbedded throughout (although I personally wouldn't pursue any from The Withered Hand, which was my favorite nightmare fuel of the book).

Perfect for Hallowe'en shenanigans, or any other dark and dreary night for that matter. Curl up and get your creep on!
🍀👻 💚

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

-2017 Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book by an author from a country you've never visited

Bloody Irish is an anthology of Irish vampire stories. With an introduction from the author, explaining the stories a bit and what counts as a vampire, the actual content of stories is only a little over 150 pages, split into 4 stories. The first one and the third one are the best. It's hard to figure out what time these stories are set in, except modern era, but I suppose that's to make it feel like it could be stories told even today.

[Riley Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curran is not a masterful horror writer, but it’s fun to get these glimpses into rural Ireland.

I think this would have been better had he just shared the folktales directly instead of turning them into inspiration for four original short stories, because the inspiration is more interesting than his prose (which is fairly straightforward, more reporting than storytelling).

But if you like all things Irish, this is a fun addition to your bookshelf.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected, but entertaining enough

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun short story collection from rural areas of Ireland. Loved some more than others, but still a great read none the less. Definitely makes me want to read more Irish folklore related novels!

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gives me a new perspective on vampires. I liked it.

[bookwormnicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I actually liked more the foreword than the stories.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains four (longish) short stories. They are all set in Ireland, in what I can perceive as present day (wen the book was published in 2002), but are old fashioned ghost/vampire stories. In the introduction the author claims that stories of vampires originated in Ireland.

The first story is about a man on a walking holiday who trespasses onto private land and gets a "cut" on his hand from a stone wall in a derelict cottage. The second is about a woman who returns to a childhood home and enters a wood which everyone avoids because three little girls vanished there 30-odd years previously. The third story is about a severed hand which belonged to a woman who was supposedly a witch and has ended up in the possession of a man obsessed with the occult, and the final story is the reminiscing of a man recalling a childhood incident of an old woman in a big country house.

I wouldn't say these stories were scary or "chilling" but they weren't bad and I enjoyed the short length of them rather than getting into a full length novel for a change.

[KV Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this-- my friends bought it for me when my birthday happened to coincide with a vacation in Ireland for them this year. So the first story sort of threw me. but I ended up really enjoying these stories-- not the run of the mill vampire stuff, but some really interesting little tidbits. The writing isn't jaw-dropping, but it has moments that are very pretty. I liked it a lot in the end.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are some of the creepiest, scariest stories I have ever read. These four stories are Irish folklore after the potato famine. These were not your classic horror stories where the author uses gore and cheap thrills to scare you, but rather the build up of the characters terror like you see in old films. Very well written.

[JoJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of four "short" stories that focus on the traditional Irish vampiric lore. The book jacket seemed to indicate that there would be more exploration into the lore and how it developed from a scholarly perception, however this was erroneous. Despite the slight deception, I still greatly enjoyed the stories and hearing the Irish vampire come to life.

[Karlie Nyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a handful of vampire inspired stories from Ireland. As I find both topics entrancing, I had to have this book! And it did not disappoint. Sure, the tales are simple, and the book is an easy read. But I know I will be shivering under the covers tonight, thinking about those scary stories! Don’t pass this book by if either topic interests you.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little read about celtic vampire stories. There were only four of them, and the middle two were very alike, but it was a good Halloween treat. I found out the author has another about Leprechauns I might try to find.

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book sounded interesting, but I found the stories to be very dry and just couldn't keep my interest. In the end I gave it up before the end of the first one, tried part of the next but the same thing happened.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This interesting compilation is a twist to vampiric folk lore as it looks at some Irish stories concerning the creatures. Although untraditional in their reading, the stories hold their own and are worth the time.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it. My only complaint is that I wish it were longer!
*spoiler*
The second story honestly scared me. I have a friend from Ireland named William Hudson and the very first time I met him he tried to get me to go into the woods alone with him....

[Reeree · Rating 3 out of 5]

民話調の雰囲気。

感想：リーリー日記/2008-10-13http://rew.jp/wiki.cgi/diary?page=%C6...
http://rewjp.blogspot.com/2008/10/200...

下楠 昌哉訳。

出版は早川書房。

アイルランドのヴァンパイアの話です。

民話とかも元にした短編4つ入り。

普通に古い土地に古くからいる妖怪のお話みたいな民話調の雰囲気でした。

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book! My boyfriends mom had gotten it for him years ago, and I found it a few months ago. I figured I didn't have anything else to read, so I gave it a shot. Really interesting, and it made me want to do some more reading on the old Celtic vampire tales.

[Kacie]

Irish folklore is always very interesting. I enjoyed this book a lot.

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

four spine tingling stories about vampires of celtic origine.

[Monica Leisey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short stories!

[Steven Hernacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little collection, but of uneven quality. Different styles some Lovecraftian, some Gothic. Not bad, but not great.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great and not really about vampires... Stories were pretty slow and boring. The last one was definitely the best of the four and the only reason it didn't get a 1-star rating from me.

[Carlissa]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11601326

[Signor Mambrino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most original book I've ever read but it was very enjoyable. Would recommend to anyone who likes ghost/vampire stories. Lots of fun.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good group of quick reads

[Margaret Konecsni]

Cute for what it was, but ultimately not worth keeping.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read of 4 "vampire" tales from Ireland.