Crisis Apparitions and Their Connection to Traditional Irish Ideas of Death

As we prepare to celebrate Halloween, this episode is a timely exploration of the history of the supernatural in Ireland.

Ghosts have long played an important role in Irish history and culture. In this podcast I am joined by Dr Clodagh Tait, a historian of the supernatural. Our conversation focuses on a specific type of ghost referred to as a crisis apparition. These usually appeared far from home, often informing an emigrant about an imminent death in their family. We discuss where these stories and beliefs came from, why they were shared and how they have survived into the 21st century!

You can read Clodagh's article mentioned in the show here https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14780038.2023.2258606

Voice Actor Therese Murray also narrates a traditional Irish ghost story which took pace in Philadelphia in the late 19th century. This was taken from the book True Irish Ghost Stories by St. John Seymour which is available here https://archive.org/details/trueirishghostst14099gut

Sound by Kate Dunlea

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