{"id":3888,"date":"2017-08-14T23:56:46","date_gmt":"2017-08-14T22:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/?p=3888"},"modified":"2017-08-15T00:03:00","modified_gmt":"2017-08-14T23:03:00","slug":"lovers-of-loftus-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/lovers-of-loftus-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Lovers of Loftus Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"View<\/a>
View from Hook Head – Detail of painting by Julian Lovegrove<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She was a fine maiden of thirty years
\nAt the table playing cards
\nHe, the dark stranger who had come
\nA gentleman of kind regards.<\/p>\n

He had lost his way in the Hook Head fog
\nAs did many a traveller before
\nSome say on horseback, more by sea
\nThe truth in the fog of time is known no more.<\/p>\n

\"Laws<\/a>
Laws of Whist – the devil often features in tales of this game being played<\/figcaption><\/figure>As the time wore on her heart was lost
\nIt is said, as the whist games were won,
\nA card dropped by her showed his cloven feet:
\nHe was no mortals son!<\/p>\n

A scream she let, in a puff of smoke he went
\nIt was the devil himself who stole
\nThe heart of Amy Loftus
\nAs he played for her very soul!<\/p>\n

She lost her mind, poor Amy
\nTo the Tapestry Room was confined
\nUntil she died she madly cried
\nIn language broad and unrefined.<\/p>\n

By some its said she can be seen
\nIn a stiff dress to a closet in the corner to walk
\nMore say the devil comes to attack those in the bed
\nSuch is the local tales and talk.<\/p>\n

More say a skeleton once upon a time
\nBehind the closet it was found
\nWas it her – or was it him
\nThat was not buried in sacred ground?<\/p>\n

She loved well, as well did he,
\nHer family disapproved
\nWas he murdered and hidden in the Tapestry room?
\nThe truth will never be known or proved…<\/p>\n

We know poor Amy lost her mind
\nBroken hearted, maybe with fear
\nHis ghost malevolent, her’s is not
\nShould either of them appear.<\/p>\n

Some slept while the room had a bed
\nTales of each apparition was seen
\nFr Thomas Broaders exorcised the house
\nBar to the Tapestry Room where she confined had been.<\/p>\n

It had been changed to a billiard room
\nHow had her spirit taken it, it was inquired
\nShe made an awful racket with the billiard balls
\nThe changes her rage had fired!<\/p>\n

Today, Loftus Hall is torn down
\nAnother house stands in its stead
\nThe locals tell tales to strangers now
\nOf the lovers, the devil and the dead!<\/p>\n

\"Loftus<\/a>
Loftus Hall under seige in Cromwellian Times while home to the Redmond Family<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sources<\/h1>\n

* The story of Amy Tottenham from the Tottenham family themselves<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

She was a fine maiden of thirty years At the table playing cards He, the dark stranger who had come A gentleman of kind regards. He had lost his way in the Hook Head fog As did many a traveller before Some say on horseback, more by sea The truth …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[3777,3769,3774,3770,78,3771,3775,3772,3773,3776],"class_list":["post-3888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ghost-stories","tag-ann-tottenham","tag-devil-playing-cards","tag-family-murder","tag-game-of-whist","tag-ghost-story","tag-hook-head","tag-loftus-family","tag-the-devil","tag-the-devil-playing-cards","tag-tottenham-family","column","twocol"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7EI4f-10I","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5134,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/the-carnmoney-vicar-and-the-devil\/","url_meta":{"origin":3888,"position":0},"title":"The Carnmoney Vicar and the Devil","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"16th November 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The vicar of Carnmoney was a greedy sort for money So the histories of the time of him tell The Devil spotted the weakness, the greed and lack of meekness Offered wealth for life if the Reverend his soul he would sell The Reverend was a clever sort as well\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Folklore and Legend"","block_context":{"text":"Folklore and Legend","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/folklore-and-legend\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Carnmoney Church near Belfast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Carnmoney-Church-near-Belfast.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Carnmoney-Church-near-Belfast.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Carnmoney-Church-near-Belfast.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Carnmoney-Church-near-Belfast.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2101,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/gambling-is-a-losing-game\/","url_meta":{"origin":3888,"position":1},"title":"Gambling Is A Losing Game","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"28th July 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Love is a losing game. ~ Amy Winehouse God and the Devil opened casinos To see who would win God promised honest dealing The devil tempted with music and sin God promised value and fairplay The customer could keep the jackpot they won The devil promised massive odds and wild\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Moral"","block_context":{"text":"Moral","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/moral\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gambling is often seen as a sin. But life, love and all in between is a gamble, and as a child, my favourite plaything was a deck of cards... ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Three-Kings.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Three-Kings.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Three-Kings.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Three-Kings.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4213,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/lady-christmas-on-the-moor\/","url_meta":{"origin":3888,"position":2},"title":"Lady Christmas on the Moor","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"21st December 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"You have heard of Father Christmas, even Mrs Christmas his alleged wife... but you will not have heard of Lady Christmas... for she his but a ghost as this seasonal gothic poem tells... They call her Lady Christmas, at Christmas she does appear For it is said its at this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Death"","block_context":{"text":"Death","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/death\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fog on the Moor","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fog-on-the-Moor.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fog-on-the-Moor.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fog-on-the-Moor.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fog-on-the-Moor.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4542,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/jack-and-jill-a-horror-story\/","url_meta":{"origin":3888,"position":3},"title":"Jack and Jill – A Horror Story","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"9th September 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Jack and Jill went out to kill Vampires they saught to slaughter... But Jack stabbed Jill On top of the Hill... Said she was the Devil's Daughter... -------------- Written for the P&W Bloggers group on Facebook...","rel":"","context":"In "Funny Poems"","block_context":{"text":"Funny Poems","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/funny-poems\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Red Dawn - A crimson sky over Ballybrit heralds a rainy day according to folklore","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Red-Dawn-A-crimson-sky-over-Ballybrit-heralds-a-rainy-day-according-to-folklore.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Red-Dawn-A-crimson-sky-over-Ballybrit-heralds-a-rainy-day-according-to-folklore.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Red-Dawn-A-crimson-sky-over-Ballybrit-heralds-a-rainy-day-according-to-folklore.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Red-Dawn-A-crimson-sky-over-Ballybrit-heralds-a-rainy-day-according-to-folklore.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5028,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/when-the-devil-was-beat-by-duffy\/","url_meta":{"origin":3888,"position":4},"title":"When The Devil Was Beat by Duffy","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"13th August 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A common folk story in Europe, in North Longford it was attributed to a local blacksmith as the hero of the tale, recorded in @duchas_ie. Who was Jack Duffy? I dont know. Its a noteworthy retelling in that is shows a local application of a legend to make a story\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ireland"","block_context":{"text":"Ireland","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/ireland\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Blacksmith and the Devil is a common folk story in Europe, in North Longford it was attributed to a local blacksmith as the hero of the tale.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/The_Blackmith_and_the_Devil.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2876,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/ghost-at-the-gate-at-willie-cartys\/","url_meta":{"origin":3888,"position":5},"title":"Ghost at the Gate at Willie Carty’s","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"23rd June 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This is a story I heard as a child about a gate at Willie Cartys in Aughagreagh. My own father often could not open the gate, and indeed my sister could not either, though she never saw the spectre. The story behind it was recorded in the Irish Folklore Commission\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Family Stories","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/family-stories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Irish Folklore Commission file written by Pauric Mac Greine of a telling of our family story of the tall man at the gate of Willie Carty house that I was told of as a child...","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Ghost-at-the-Gate-of-Willie-Cartys-house-in-Auaghagreagh-252x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3888"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3894,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3888\/revisions\/3894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}