Bloody Irish: Celtic Vampire Legends
by Bob Curran Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 1-903582-19-9 Alright, let’s be honest here, I’m Scottish and Irish in my main bloodline. My family can literally trace one side back over 500 years, before coming to America. So I am always super fascinated by anything having to do with either place. That’s the first thing that got my attention about this book, the title, ‘Bloody Irish’. Secondly, I’m a HUGE fan of horror movies, spooky stories, ‘monsters’, etc. I have been as far back as I can remember, so the graveyard cover and the secondary title section that says, ‘Celtic Vampire Legends’ was pretty much a MUST TAKE HOME moment. I’ve actually checked this out of the library so many times that when I went to grab it today I went straight to the place on the shelf where I knew it to be. So I AM a little biased at this point about this collection of short stories. But since Halloween, or Samhain as it was called in Ireland, can trace most of its traditions BACK to Ireland I figured this was a very fitting novel to review on Halloween. The author Bob Curran is a bit of a know it all, having degrees in History and English, a Doctorate in Educational Psychology, broadcaster for BBC, even develops historical tours of Ireland! How cool is that? So it’s not so surprising that he would write a novel like this. As I previously mentioned, this book is a collection of short stories in terms of Irish Vampire legends. Again, if you’re looking for some Twilight level, sparkle in the sunshine BS, look elsewhere. IN FACT some of the ‘vampires’ are very different from those that we’ve grown accustomed to thanks to Hollywood! I think that’s part of why I enjoy these stories, its not Vampire Diaries or Dracula, they’re very… different. This book contains an Introduction and then four short stories: Beside the Fire, The Way Through the Wood, The Withered Hand, and Miss O’Hare. One of my favorite sentences from this book is actually found in the introduction, “And yet, the oldest recorded vampire story comes from Ireland”. WHAT?! That’s fascinating! Especially since we always picture a count from Transylvania with a bad accent, right? But the authors of those famous vampires were FROM Ireland, so it’s not that far of a stretch, now is it? I will say from the reviews I’ve read FROM actual people in Ireland, they all agree this is a loosely based novel, and not actual legends copied down in a collection. I was going to do a short snippet about each story, but instead I want to quickly focus on what these stories are going to be like. You’re not going to see some guy in robes with sharp pointy teeth. Instead the stories focus on what a Vampire is supposed to be: a spiritual being who can drain life from a person. The Celts were very big into death and what it actually meant, they did not see it as an ending but a new beginning. But when modern day Christianity came along, their beliefs had to change and be altered. Everything was now made to go with the church, the importance of death and blood was still there, but it had now been transformed in the way it was taught and thought about. So now, what once was ancient ghosts were more considered demonic vampire like beings. And personally I think these short stories, and a BEAUTIFUL informative introduction, really show that to the reader. In conclusion, I will tell you that the first time I read it there were a few stories that sort of gave me the creeps. I read this late at night and when I went to go to the other room, I opened my door to a pitch black hallway and empty home. It was very spooky and I found myself unconsciously moving quickly from doorway to doorway as if I expected some supernatural being to be in the shadows ready to drain me of my life. And if we're being honest, based off these stories, it probably wouldn’t be fast either, it would latch on like a supernatural depression and take all that it could from me.. Creepy, spooky, gripping, and unique! These stories will stay with you, everyone I’ve met that has read this book has loved it cover to cover. And most of us have recommended it to a friend. Now I am recommending it to all of you. Happy Samhain everyone. Remember to keep your candles and jack-o-lanterns lit all night and don’t stray too far alone in the dark *wink* As usual the link to the Author’s sites have been included below for your enjoyment AND as a bonus since it IS Halloween I thought you might also enjoy some links to the history of Halloween! Have a wonderful evening ghouls and ghosts.
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