Irish Ghost Stories

  This is most definitely NOT a collection of the finest ghost stories from Ireland. This is an array of classic 19th-century Gothic tales from extremely well-known writers (Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, W.B. Yeats, etc...) but first and foremost, it is an absurd shrine to the ‘'inimitable'' skill of Sheridan Le Fanu built by the editor who literally worships him. There are only two women included in the volume and 350 pages are dedicated to seven (!) stories by Le Fanu, a writer whose writing, imagery and dialogue have never managed to attract me in all my long years as a reader and a scholar of British/Irish/American Literature.
My favourite stories from an infuriatingly underwhelming collection were:
‘'The wood upon the other side was very thin, and broke the moonlight into long streams. The wind had arisen and had begun to drive the clouds rapidly across the face of the moon, so that thin streams of light seemed to be dancing a grotesque dance among the scattered bushes and small fir trees. The tops of the trees began also to moan, and the sound of it was like the voice of the dead in the wind; and the troopers remembered the belief that tells how the dead in purgatory are spitted upon the points of the trees and upon the points of the rocks.''
The Curse by W.B.Yeats: A story taking place in the era of the Civil War. A score of Puritan troopers finds an old curse awakened in the heart of the Sligo woods. A legend that makes use of the hag who washes the clothes of those who will soon meet their demise and the presence of the Sidhe from a time lost in the mists...
Hanraham's Vision by W.B.Yeats: Another atmospheric story by the great master who pays tribute to the Celtic past of the land. In this beautiful tale, you will be visited by Deirdre, Grania, Dervadilla and Dermot. If you don't recognise the names, it's time to brush up on your Celtic Mythology.
‘'It is absurd asking me to behave myself,'' he answered, looking round in astonishment at the pretty little girl who had ventured to address him, ‘quite absurd. I must rattle my chains, and groan through keyholes, and walk about at night, if that is what you mean. It is my only reason for existing.''
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde: The marvellous Gothic satire of a ghost who tried his best to frighten an American family but his ‘'guests'' were just too obstinant and rational. This beloved story contains one of the most tender and memorable bonds between a child and a desperate spectre.
The Old House in Vauxhall Walk by Mrs J.H.Riddell: A man that has found himself homeless and hopeless discovers the macabre secret of an abandoned estate and his life changes. An atmospheric, moving tale.
The Haunted Cellar by Thomas Crofton Croker: A man finds a Cluricaune Nageneen, a more mischievous and annoying cousin of the Leprechaun, in his cellar.