{"id":4778,"date":"2020-10-18T14:03:22","date_gmt":"2020-10-18T13:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/?p=4778"},"modified":"2020-10-18T14:08:11","modified_gmt":"2020-10-18T13:08:11","slug":"fireside-tales-told-at-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/fireside-tales-told-at-halloween\/","title":{"rendered":"Fireside Tales Told at Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Our home place in Aughagreagh, North Longford – since done up by its current owners – was the site of supposed hauntings, but not as many as the nearby farm of Willie Carty’s, my dads cousin…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stories of North Longford families,
\nOf folk then dead and gone –
\nWere told to me when I was young
\nBy those who have now passed on…
\nThe woman and wains on the wall<\/a>,
\nThe snarling dog neath the old womans bed<\/a>…
\nThe rattling buckets in the sheugh<\/a>…
\nThe tales of haunting by the dead…<\/p>\n

They thrilled and scared me in my childhood years
\nI retell them now when older…
\nTake great joy when a foreign freind
\nTells me I scared his wife (not the kids!) with tales I told her
\nAnd their family that first Halloween,
\nWhen such tales should be told…
\nKeep alive and share the tradition and the joys
\nOf storytelling that never grows old…<\/p>\n

Background –<\/strong><\/p>\n

As with many families, we had many ghost stories to tell. TV horror films were never needed on an October night, when tales from our families from North Longford of headless horsemen at the Corn mill<\/a>, or the big tall man at Willie Cartys<\/a> gate were regaled by my parents… each having their own set of tales from their families, though they were near neighbours.<\/p>\n

In the age of internet and TV, this skill – its only talking, telling stories, really – is being lost, and more is the pity. My favourite tale of telling these tales is the first year my friends from Slovakia came over, I told all our tales to entertain the kids. The father pulled on me the next day – “No more scary stories please”. I was delighted, thinking the kids had nightmares and couldn’t sleep. Oh, no… it was even better. “My kids were OK” my freind said… “my wife… she no sleep!!!”<\/p>\n

Im officially banned from telling ghost stories to any of their families since!!!<\/p>\n

(Note – links over the ghost tales references lead to verses about the ghoststories)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stories of North Longford families, Of folk then dead and gone – Were told to me when I was young By those who have now passed on… The woman and wains on the wall, The snarling dog neath the old womans bed… The rattling buckets in the sheugh… The tales …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[76,77,23],"tags":[3591,2360,4335,843,2485,4336,867,4337,4338,4339],"class_list":["post-4778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-folklore-and-legend","category-ghost-stories","category-north-longford","tag-aughagreagh","tag-banagher","tag-ghost-stories","tag-halloween","tag-haunting","tag-headless-coachman","tag-headless-horseman","tag-hearse","tag-horse-drawn-hearse","tag-tall-man-at-the-gate","column","twocol"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7EI4f-1f4","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":549,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/old-clonbroney\/","url_meta":{"origin":4778,"position":0},"title":"Old Clonbroney","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"13th September 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This is a ghost story told to me by my mother, from her grandparents, either Kiernans Mill or Treacys. The roadway mentioned may have led onto the roads that lead to Old Clonbroney, or it may have led to a back wall, Im unsure. One night dark walking along A\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Family Stories","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/family-stories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Old Clonbroney - the graveyard in the poem. Image from Google StreetView","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Old-Clonbroney.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Old-Clonbroney.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Old-Clonbroney.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Old-Clonbroney.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Old-Clonbroney.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3803,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/when-they-stood-there-for-that-photo\/","url_meta":{"origin":4778,"position":1},"title":"When They Stood There For That Photo","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"15th July 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=exWwz1HEJFg When they stood there, for that photo Before my father was even born then Who is now but in a picture a face Did those women and men Wonder at the world to come And ponder the coming times of change Though they did not do this I think\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Family Stories","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/family-stories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo taken of our family outside our home in Aughagreagh by Sean MacEoin, known to us as \"Tipper\" McKeon, when he was known as John Joseph McKeon...","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Carty-family-of-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Carty-family-of-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Carty-family-of-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Carty-family-of-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3858,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/the-web-of-linen\/","url_meta":{"origin":4778,"position":2},"title":"The Web of Linen","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"4th August 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Based on a folk take of the Carty (as Carthy should be spelled!!!) family, told to the Irish Folklore Commission, Eileen's great grandfather is probably one the the three brothers from the Three Houses Field my dad spoke of... The night is dark as nights be dark Neath where children\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Family Stories","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/family-stories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cairn Hill in Longford","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cairn-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cairn-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cairn-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cairn-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cairn-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5128,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/remembering-bernard-o-reilly-a-soldier-of-australia-and-old-aughagreagh\/","url_meta":{"origin":4778,"position":3},"title":"Remembering Bernard O’ Reilly, a Soldier of Australia and old Aughagreagh","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"14th November 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Its a long way to Australia from old Aughagreagh, Where his family left from decades before And the ladies he laughed with when he visited that day Shall enjoy his laughter and company no more. In Belgiums flat fields between Holland and France Which Germans had taken in 1914 Hard\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ireland"","block_context":{"text":"Ireland","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/ireland\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Bernard-J-O-Reillys-of-Australia-and-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Bernard-J-O-Reillys-of-Australia-and-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Bernard-J-O-Reillys-of-Australia-and-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Bernard-J-O-Reillys-of-Australia-and-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2001,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/out-dogs-and-more-along-with-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":4778,"position":4},"title":"Out Dogs and More Along With You","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"1st July 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"In our home in Aughagreagh we used to have our share of the local sessions, where neighbours met up to party, tonight in one house, next night in someone else's. This tells of a local house where the wife had a short tolerance after a certain hour and wanted the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "North Longford"","block_context":{"text":"North Longford","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/north-longford\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Our family in front of the home house at Aughagreagh","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Cartys-of-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Cartys-of-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Cartys-of-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Cartys-of-Aughagreagh.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5239,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/who-are-we-going-to-fight-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":4778,"position":5},"title":"Who Are We Going to Fight Now","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"21st April 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"As the British left, one man in jest Asked \"Who will we fight now\", All too soon was clear as many did fear It was a matter of when and how: For how could any man since the fight began See his island cleft in twain Not with rage choke\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Family Stories","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/family-stories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Battle of Clonfin as told by Auxilary officer Thomas Jocelyn Wilford","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Battle-of-Clonfin-as-told-by-Auxilary-officer-Thomas-Jocelyn-Wilford.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Battle-of-Clonfin-as-told-by-Auxilary-officer-Thomas-Jocelyn-Wilford.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Battle-of-Clonfin-as-told-by-Auxilary-officer-Thomas-Jocelyn-Wilford.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Battle-of-Clonfin-as-told-by-Auxilary-officer-Thomas-Jocelyn-Wilford.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Battle-of-Clonfin-as-told-by-Auxilary-officer-Thomas-Jocelyn-Wilford.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Battle-of-Clonfin-as-told-by-Auxilary-officer-Thomas-Jocelyn-Wilford.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778","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=4778"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4784,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4778\/revisions\/4784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}