Irish fairy and folklore there were in abundance but there was no book of ghosts. And so I determined to supply this sad omission.

Suddenly a brilliant thought struck me. I wrote out a letter, stating exactly what I wanted, and what I did "not" want, and requesting the readers of it either to forward me ghost stories, or else to put me in the way of getting them: this letter was sent to the principal Irish newspapers on October 27, and published on October 29, and following days. On October 30, the first answers reached me. Within a fortnight I had sufficient material to make a book; within a month I had so much material that I could pick and choose -- and more was promised. . . .

Originally published in 1929, this volume was intended to draw attention to the relatively neglected area of early Anglo-Irish literature. Covering the period between the Anglo-Norman settlement of Ireland and the printing of Richard Stanihurst's translation of Virgil, the text illustrates the richness of this literature through abundant quotation from a variety of sources, both religious and secular. The style is accessible and in keeping with Seymour's aim of making the ordinary reader aware of a literary tradition they might otherwise remain ignorant of. This is an important book that will be of value to anyone with an interest in early Irish literature, and the history of literary criticism.

This is a new release of the original 1924 edition.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1913 Edition.

1913. At the outset the plan and scope of this book must be made clear. It will be noticed that the belief in fairies and suchlike beings is hardly touched upon at all, except in those instances where fairy lore and witchcraft become inextricably blended. When did witchcraft make its appearance in Ireland, and what was its progress therein? It seems probable that this belief, together with certain aspects of fairy lore previously unknown to the Irish, and ideas relative to milk and butter magic, may in the main be counted as results of the Anglo-Norman invasion, though it is possible that an earlier installment of these came in with the Scandinavians.

There is something so natural, and at the same time so unnatural, in seeing a door open when we know that there is no one on the other side of it, or in hearing the sound of footsteps, and feeling that it cannot be attributed to the feet of a mortal. These simple yet compelling narratives provide amazing descriptions of poltergeists and banshees, spirit-filled houses, deathbed scenes, and uncanny fore warnings of death.

St. John D Seymour was a minister and explorer, who spent his life documenting what he regarded as real-life examples of witches, banshees, poltergeists, ghosts and apparitions. Many of the Gothic romance and horror stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

There are numerous books about Irish Fairies, but this was one of the first to focus on the Irish Ghost. The text visits haunted houses from one end of the island to the other. We learn about garden-variety ghosts as well as poltergeists and Banshees, and find out what to do if a 'Headless Coach' shows up. Seymour solicited the stories from newspaper readers, and many of them are from respectable military, clergymen, and gentry. Seymour also wrote Irish Witchcraft and Demonology. True Irish Ghost Stories is a unique and very entertaining read, particularly for fans of Irish tales, as well as the paranormal investigator.--J.B. Hare, May 6th, 2009.

1924. A book for the general reader of the various legends in the name of the great King Solomon which the author has brought together to form an idea of the legendary life of the king. Contents: Solomon's birth and judgments; Solomon's wisdom and knowledge; Solomon's power and magnificence; Solomon's magic carpet; Solomon and the birds and beasts; finding of Shamir; building of the temple; Solomon and the Queen of Sheba; daughter of the pharaoh; Solomon in exile; Solomon in death.

IT is said, though we cannot vouch for the accuracy of the statement, that in a certain book on the natural history of Ireland there occurs a remarkable and oft-quoted chapter on Snakes--the said chapter consisting of the words, "There are no snakes in Ireland." In the opinion of most people at the present day a book on Witchcraft in Ireland would be of equal length and similarly worded, except for the inclusion of the Kyteler case in the town of Kilkenny in the first half of the fourteenth century. For, with the exception of that classic incident, modern writers seem to hold that the witch-cult never found a home in Ireland as it did elsewhere. For example, the article on "Witchcraft" in the latest edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica mentions England and Scotland, then passes on to the Continent, and altogether ignores this country; and this is, in general, the attitude adopted by writers on the subject. In view of this it seems very strange that no one has attempted to show why the Green Isle was so especially favoured above the rest of the civilised world, or how it was that it alone escaped the contracting of a disease that not for years but for centuries had infected Europe to the core. As it happens they may spare themselves the labour of seeking for an explanation of Ireland's exemption, for we hope to show that the belief in witchcraft reached the country, and took a fairly firm hold there, though by no means to the extent that it did in Scotland and England."

St. John D Seymour was a minister and explorer, who spent his life documenting what he regarded as real-life examples of witches, banshees, poltergeists, ghosts and apparitions. Many of the earliest Irish ghost stories and tales of hauntings, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

1924. A book for the general reader of the various legends in the name of the great King Solomon which the author has brought together to form an idea of the legendary life of the king. Contents: Solomon's birth and judgments; Solomon's wisdom and knowledge; Solomon's power and magnificence; Solomon's magic carpet; Solomon and the birds and beasts; finding of Shamir; building of the temple; Solomon and the Queen of Sheba; daughter of the pharaoh; Solomon in exile; Solomon in death.

St. John D Seymour was a minister and explorer, who spent his life documenting what he regarded as real-life examples of witches, banshees, poltergeists, ghosts and apparitions. Many of the earliest Irish ghost stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

1913. At the outset the plan and scope of this book must be made clear. It will be noticed that the belief in fairies and suchlike beings is hardly touched upon at all, except in those instances where fairy lore and witchcraft become inextricably blended. When did witchcraft make its appearance in Ireland, and what was its progress therein? It seems probable that this belief, together with certain aspects of fairy lore previously unknown to the Irish, and ideas relative to milk and butter magic, may in the main be counted as results of the Anglo-Norman invasion, though it is possible that an earlier installment of these came in with the Scandinavians.

1913. At the outset the plan and scope of this book must be made clear. It will be noticed that the belief in fairies and suchlike beings is hardly touched upon at all, except in those instances where fairy lore and witchcraft become inextricably blended. When did witchcraft make its appearance in Ireland, and what was its progress therein? It seems probable that this belief, together with certain aspects of fairy lore previously unknown to the Irish, and ideas relative to milk and butter magic, may in the main be counted as results of the Anglo-Norman invasion, though it is possible that an earlier installment of these came in with the Scandinavians.