Evil Ghosts And Child Spirits, Ireland 1982

The folklore of the evil ghost known as Petticoat Loose and the positive view the Irish tradition takes of the spirits of children.
For folklorist Anne O’Connor the idea of experiencing ghosts or presences is universal in Ireland and part of human life. For Irish people in the past,
The supernatural was always very much inter blended if you like with the natural and a very good attitude was taken to it.
Ghosts, like the fairies, can be good or bad. A particular example of an evil ghost in the Irish tradition is a woman who has murdered a child. This ghost or spirit is known in Waterford and Tipperary as Petticoat Loose. In Cork she is called Moll Shaughnessy, while in Limerick she is Sprid na Bearnan.
Anne O’Connor tells the tale of Petticoat Loose haunting a man travelling on the road to a priest’s house at night time. It transpires Petticoat Loose is damned because she killed an unbaptised child. Petticoat Loose is banished to the Red Sea or in some tales, Bay Lough where she must make ropes of sand or carry out some other futile task for the rest of her days.
In the Irish tradition the spirits of dead children are usually related to the fairy rath. Their voices are heard crying or their footprints are seen on the fairy fort.
Anne O’Connor recounts the story of a priest who comes across three lights while he is on journey. The two brighter lights are the ghosts of baptised children. The duller light belongs to an unbaptised child.
Happily he baptises it on the spot and the child’s light becomes as bright as the others.
Anne O’Connor surmises,
In this way Irish tradition has a very positive view of the spirits of the children it’s for the woman who kills children that Irish tradition is very severe.
‘Of Night and Light and the Half Light’ is a series of six programmes in which Donncha Ó Dúlaing explores the world of folklore of fairies and of the other world in Ireland through the conversations of people who know about these things.
This episode of ‘Of Night and Light and the Half Light’ was broadcast on 21 July 1982. The presenter is Donncha Ó Dúlaing.

[@donnasmyth45]

Not that long ago, that here in Ireland, folk firmly believed in the fairies. The Burning of Bridget Cleary - great book..and true story. Mind you, we shouldn't dismiss the unseen world.

[@ciaran5588]

In the 80's when I was 14ish me & my Ma used to clean the Irish Permanent in Stephen's Green in the evening. Our 8/9yo niece used to come & she'd sit on the steps between floors while we cleaned the offices & we often went to get her & she wouldn't know we were watching her & she'd be having full conversations "with a man". We had to stop bringing her as she had us terrified.

[@rd264]

you asked her who she was talking to and so what it was about....??

[@Billie-ve1ig]

Probably unknown back then but I think we can guess why child ghosts are common in Ireland especially down the country with all the murdering of babies and mothers in the laundry homes, RIP to all those souls ❤🙏

[@jerrycarr]

I AGREE WITH YOU.......I Was Born In One Of These Hell Holes In 1950..Lucky My Mum Got Me Outa There...

[@Flinto762]

Brown University in Rhode Island is the most haunted establishment I’ve ever been to. The cops there have great stories about their experiences as well.

[@Discover-Ireland]

Reminds me of a story I heard one time. A man is living in the woods in his cottage away from everyone. One stormy rainy winters night he hears his front door open in the cottage. He shouted who’s that…there was no answer. So he gets up,,the front door was wide opened. He knew he had put it on the latch before he went to bed ya see. So he thinks to himself and comes up with a plan to see who what came in the house. He places newspapers all over the hall just inside the front door,,,then he retires back to bed again. He was no sooner in bed when he heard the front cottage door swing open with a loud bang. He jumped outa bed and shouted who’s there…but he got no reply again. He grabbed his torch of the side table opened his bedroom door ,, and walked in to the hall where he sees wet footprints all over the newspapers. He closed the cottage door again and placed the latch down well. He rambled back to bed and eventually fell back to sleep. When he woke in the morning he jumped out of bed to check the cottage front door. He came upon the newspapers and had seen that the footprints were gone. The morale off the story. You can never believe what you see on the newspapers

[@jb6368]

Ya prick lol I read through lot into it

[@skateorbanana]

Making ropes of sand is a great one.

[@GhastlyCretin]

Such a morbid fascination these people have. I would not like to be trapped in their heads.

[@KaptainKlunk1]

Inbreed Irish what do I expect ....

[@nightheron5892]

Folklore and spirits are ways of conveying the morality of a place, not “nonsense “ at all

[@wynbrown7321]

I'm a doubting Thomas 😂🇮🇪

[@thescoobymike]

Knowing what nonsense my ancestors believed helps me understand why so much of my family are still Catholic

[@g-dcomplex1609]

she seems convinced🙄

[@venture78]

Where is this clip from please?

[@RebelofIreland]

A 1982 rte show called by night and light and half light.

[@venture78]

@@RebelofIreland that’s awesome, thanks so much for letting me know.

[@JDLeonard74]

Awful tragedies echo. The rest is how much power you give it. If you look at crows and call them all devils, and Satan worshipers also call it the devil, then...? You're stuck on "Silent Hill"! Y'all have seen that movie right? Everyone feeds out the evil...and the evil says "oh thanks!", and grows. And🪄poof☁️..Silent Hill. 🤷‍♂️

[@ballygeale1]

We're we realy like that

[@jfurl5900]

OH FFS.

[@merrybutcher2978]

Pishogary.

[@Sean-ce1hu]

Absolute nonsense

[@elzorro7of9]

do you agree that belief in god is nonsense?

[@Bramblebush5948]

@@elzorro7of9 yes

[@elzorro7of9]

@@Bramblebush5948 That is fair. I don't understand people who on one hand are theists and then don't believe in ghosts or the easter bunny.