Description
Across Ireland, familiar streets, forgotten graveyards, ordinary buildings and famous names conceal stories that have faded from memory. From an elephant burned in Dublin in 1681 to Ireland’s last witch trial; from ghostly appearances and accidental burials to fake-news campaigns during the War of Independence, these are strange and surprising tales that deserve to be brought back into the spotlight.
Meet the Irish woman who became a professional football pioneer, discover what Napoleon’s toothbrush was doing in Ireland, encounter the ‘Giantess’ Mary Murphy and learn how Hollywood legend Clark Gable became entangled with Charles Stewart Parnell. Along the way, explore forgotten cemeteries, wartime secrets, disasters, inventions, sporting legends and curious episodes from Ireland’s past.
With warmth, wit and a keen eye for the unexpected, these stories bring lesser-known chapters of Ireland’s history back into the conversation. These are the tales to bring to the pub, the kitchen table, or the next family gathering.
Contents
Strange Tales
The Only Man Executed for Witchcraft in Ireland
An Elephant in Seventeenth-Century Dublin
Tojo the Rum-Drinking Monkey
Hellfire Clubs
A Seven-Foot-High Woman
The Patron Saint of Mermaids
The Irish Crown Jewels
The Haunting of Summerhill
The Legend of Abhartach
Hidden Histories
Oriel House
The Secret Hangman
Napoleon’s Toothbrush
Prince Albert
The Call from Blacksod
Bull Island
The Irish Taj Mahal
Sporting Tales
Murder in Monte Carlo
‘The greatest player we never knew about’
Not Your Typical Cup Tie
The Inventor of the Penalty Kick
The Rosscarbery Steam Engine
The Cyclone
Entertainment
Ireland’s Oldest Band
Heartiest Good Wishes to the Führer
Disney in Carlow
Hitler’s Bathtub to the Palace Bar
The Irish Film Company
The Star of Erin Music Hall
Charles Stewart Parnell with No Beard
Ireland’s First Primadonna
Remarkable People
Bartholemew Mosse
The First Female Stockbroker in Ireland
The King of Mud Island
The Electron
Rebuilding after Revolution
Parnell’s Lieutenant
Revolution and Conflict
Disaster at Ballykissane
Fake News
Dublin’s Red Garrison
Raid on Rathgar Road
A Fallen Bouquet
Disaster
Cholera in Sligo
The SS Dundalk
Fatal Excesses
The Armagh Rail Disaster
KLM Air Disaster
Death and Dying
Buried Alive
The Centenarian
Titanic’s First Casualty
Buried Four Times
An Unruly Burial at St Michan’s
The Cross Guns Murder
The Man with Three Headstones
Cemeteries and Graveyards
Ireland’s Only German Military Cemetery
The Portrush Princess
Cadaver Stones
Dolphin’s Barn Jewish Cemetery
Derry City Cemetery
Dublin’s Smallest Cemetery
About the Author
Warren Farrell, from Inchicore, Dublin, is an author, educator and public historian with a passion for social history. He works full time as a coordinator for Trinity Access Programmes at Trinity College, Dublin where he supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them achieve their college aspirations. Since January 2016 Warren has also worked as a tour guide in Glasnevin Cemetery. His debut book, So Once Was I: Forgotten Tales from Glasnevin Cemetery (2024), outlined some of the many overlooked legacies at the national cemetery over the past two centuries.
