Murdered For Being a 'Changeling' - The Burning of Bridget Cleary | True Crime | Well, I Never

[@WellINever]

Are there any beings from Folklore you believe could be real?

[@keetahbrough]

I know little people and shadow people are real, as well as what ya'll call Bigfoot. I'm Indigenous, and have witnessed certain things, plus we have stories lol. Also, in my peoples prophecies.. during the end times, which we are in.. unknown beings that always existed beside us.. unknown beings are going to make themselves known. Beings from deep deep within the Earths bed, underneath it.. that's where they come from. the land always produces life.. but these beings are soil dwellers.. they were supposed to stay in the earth. HOWEVER.. the human species has been busy bees digging digging digging holes into Mother Earth, so the species can glean an easy way of life. they shouldn't have dug so deep.. because the digging has released those beings and they're now coming to the surface. In the oceans as well as on land... the things we're going to see is going to be trippy.

[@karinac.3378]

Pretty much all of them😁❤️

[@saddaddrummer]

Well, I couldn't say for sure, but I always wake in the morning with sleepy dust in my eyes, so perhaps the Sandman does exist or then again it could just be dried rheum.

[@KAGdesignsDOTnet]

the taxman

[@EIRE55]

Definitely not. I'm a sensible and clear-headed atheist.😉😊

[@saboh7530]

I had to give a presentation in uni about changelings a few years ago. During my research I read that the use of changeling stories is often found with parents who had no means and had given birth to babies who were disabled (and thus unable to contribute to the household) or in an other way unwanted. They were often left in the forests to die. By telling themselves it wasnt really their baby they tried to cope with abandoning their infants

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

That sounds like a good summary of infant and toddler "changelings". Any disability would have been seen as something done by an outside source. People used to place items made of iron in cribs to ward off fairies, because these fairies were allegedly repelled by the presence of iron. An iron horse shoe over the front door was common.

[@ladyrose508]

People haven't changed much

[@samuel56551]

Nonsense . Most of the British folk stories end up with the parents getting their own child back in the end . The whole point is not that they have no child ( which would be the case if they left their child in the woods ) but that the child they do have is not their own .

[@99fruitbat94]

In the late eighteen hundreds in Ireland , a family were convicted for burning a new born baby to death . They believed that the baby was a changeling, and prompted on by the grandmother , placed the baby on to a shovel and put it into the kitchen fire . They believed that the changeling would fly away and their actual child would be returned to them . The baby died from it's injuries . I think this was the last recorded case regarding a baby

[@myunknownland9272]

Well, sadly they're in hell now...

[@rinalore]

@@myunknownland9272 ​ How mentally-ill were those parents (and grandmother) to do such a thing to their own infant/grandchild? Mental illness passes on through🧬dna, sadly. A🇺🇸USA mother (China Arnold) from Dayton, Ohio put her month old baby in the microwave for 2 minutes after fighting with her boyfriend about the legitimacy of him being the Father. She was given a life sentence because she was drunk, otherwise she would've received the death penalty. Mathew 19-14 "But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”" 🇨🇦+💔🇺🇸✨🌎💫

[@myunknownland9272]

@@rinalore people are twisted and sick. So sad. Stay safe. Mark 16:16-17 if interested. Xo

[@bunnymad5049]

@@rinalore Sadly, one doesn't have to be mentally ill, but simply susceptible to certain suggestions. Similar to conspiracies.

[@rinalore]

@@myunknownland9272 I'm sorry myunk nownland, which biblical canon are you referring to? Are you speaking of the unbaptized? I really like your channel handle, does it mean you're in an unknown land like a lost🐑sheep?🤦🏻‍♀️I don't recognize this strange world today, either. I pray you stay well and safe too.

[@karincleary2739]

Excellently done. Michael Cleary was my great great (great?)uncle. He immigrated to Canada and eventually to Boston where the rest of my family settled. Dark family secrets indeed. My son looks eerily like him. Rest Peacefully Bridget.

[@sueloh5035]

His reincarnation. ?

[@Catmad65]

Wow , that’s amazing .

[@sunshinemcwane6288]

Wow! Fascinating. I Always read after he immigrated they lost track of him and no record exists? Did he change his name? Did he remarry? Did he try to do any weird manipulative "you're a fairy" accusations with his new wife? Does anyone in your family believe he did it because he was jealous of his wife? Or do they really believe he was just crazy?

[@tbonepumper5623]

​@@sunshinemcwane6288he's a bullshit artist and has no idea

[@Skipper_Magicalgirl]

I can’t imagine being related to him or anything like this situation what happened with his wife

[@elaineforan4751]

The minute I came across this channel I thought he would do a brilliant job of retelling Bridget Cleary's story and he has. In rural Ireland belief in certain sinister superstitions are still there, even reluctantly. My mother told me she remembers in the 1940s people were resistant to getting electricity because they believed the bright lights at night would disturb the fairies, which are nasty creatures. I know several people down through the years who claim to have heard a bean sidhe (banshee) crying just before someone died. They are the kind of creepy stories people claim not to believe but don't want to mess with, just in case.

[@healfdeane]

As I watched the video I was hoping to see some stories in the comments about this sort of thing. Thank you for sharing, I find the subject of faeries and folklore so fascinating.

[@charlietbarnes4842]

Omg really I just assumed it was like myths x

[@elaineforan4751]

@@charlietbarnes4842 People will say its nonsense and they don't believe it but yet they won't go near a fairy fort or cut down a fairy tree. We are such a contradiction!

[@Lillith-z6o]

I grew up in a small village in co Kerry fairy's are very real there is a small island called valentia Island the locals can tell you stories about the fairy folk that roam the island along with the banshee we were always told not to disturb the fairy rings daisy's that grow in a perfect circle ⭕ that's a fairy ring some people may laugh but I've seen and heard some things growing up down in that place that would turn your hair white it's best to leave the fairy's offerings at night they will leave you alone and won't steal your newborns or play nasty tricks on you 🧚‍♀️🧚‍♂️

[@valsptsd814]

I am Irish in my dna. I am always outside doing something messy, my chickens and my garden are a passion. I live in the Rocky Mountains, in western America, and I won’t disturb anything that grows in a circle. I don’t know if I believe in the fae. But I won’t taunt them. If there are fae here, they could find me.

[@AnarchicKhajiit]

What especially perturbs me about the stories of Changelings and the brutal ways in which they were attempted to be warded off, is the fact that so many of them were infants and, very possibly, children who happened to be on the autistic spectrum. The alleged behavioural changes that the children possessed often were similar to the bahviour of autistic children. The sudden oncoming of these changes, or the percieved suddeness, could be explained by ASD often not being noticed in children until around 15 weeks. This is the same reason that many hold to belief that vaccinations can cause autism, as children often recieve their first vaccines around the same time. As someone with Autism, this makes the brutality inflicted upon these children even more tragic and harrowing.

[@99fruitbat94]

I work in health care and specifically with children and young people on the autistic spectrum disorder range . My clients are on the more severe range with multiple difficulties . It can be a very less - able condition . However I have met many people with ASD who are on a greatly reduced level of the condition and I so appreciate and enjoy how they have such an ability to ' think outside the box ' 👍 Treasure your fantastic difference from the so called normality 👍💯 Both I and my older brother are on the range . We are the rebels in life , never go with the flow , never follow the sheep 👍 Best regards to you 👋❤️

[@ookaminukiba]

The theory that changelings are an explanation for people having certain medical issues is very new, in Irish folklore people of any age could be taken by the Othercrowd. Not just children.

[@Itcouldbebunnies]

@@ookaminukiba Behavioural changes can also happen due to illness, giving birth (postpartum psychosis/depression) or trauma.

[@sally8708]

[I feel like it’s important to first state that vaccines do not cause ASD.] I take issue with people acting like ASD is worse than gambling with a child’s life. To those people that think vaccines cause Autism, it’s like they’d rather have dead children than autistic children. That’s what bothers me the most about that long since debunked argument. Anyway, rant over, my best friend’s four year old has ASD. I love that little guy like my own, and we talk about how uniqueness like his is never lost on the world. In fact, it’s extremely important. There’s not a shred of doubt in my mind that he will enrich the world in some way. He already does ☺️

[@annfahy9089]

So sad😢.

[@kendiholloway2378]

What was even more heartbreaking to me was that her family were there as well and did nothing to save her.

[@davymckeown4577]

WB Yeats' poem The Stolen Child is based on the common, (at the time in rural Ireland), belief that a child with a disability is in fact a changling, a replacement left by the faeries in exchange for the original child. For people with no understanding of conditions such as Downs Syndrome it was a way of explaining that and similar phenomena. Like all such primitive myths however, it is open to nefarious misinterpretation, like the witch trials a century earlier. Scots \Irish band, The Waterboys set Yeats' poem to music in a composition of the same name. Great telling of this story, thanks.

[@jeffsyg]

Love that poem😍

[@rogerrendzak8055]

Changeling's bad? Physical/mentally deficit people labeled as a changeling? Sounds like Christianity, spewing it's opinion about how the Christian God is perfect, and couldn't make mistakes, such as any birth defects. So, in their mentality, why not blame evil beings, or the devil?? Christianity had always been a plague, and like ANY DISEASE, needs to be eradicated 👍😉!!!

[@davymckeown4577]

@@rogerrendzak8055 Unlike most of my countrymen I don't believe in the supernatural, especially gods. Belief in faeries, leprechauns, little people and giants escaped attempts by the church to eradicate them, it's why Easter, Halloween and Christmas all fall on pre- Christian festivals. The clergy couldn't stop people celebrating these old traditions so they adapted their own myths to coincide with them. Faery forts, unusual rock formations like Giants causeway and birth defects, amongst other mysteries predate christianity in Ireland. Mythology evolved to explain that which was not understood. I totally agree that humanity would be better off with superstition eradicated but I can't see it happening any time soon. Good luck, nice to see a comment from a fellow sceptic.🤣🤣

[@RowanWarren78]

Indeed, so many of our perceptions and beliefs are based on our innate need to explain phenomenon in our natural world.

[@stpatstablet0652]

You choose to omit the fact! That you were considered extremely blessed and in fact honoured if the fairies took your child in exchange for a changeling " for only those!!whom the magical deem wise are fit to rear a changeling child!! Only those with the bravest heart can open up to knowledge these children have already lost" an old West Mayo piseog (tale or folklores)! Some of the older people say...it was a way of helping parents with children of difference, see their child as a blessing rather than a misfortune! I love this anthology and find it quiet wonderful!! I am probably biased I'm a Mayo girl!! Love to you all!!

[@johnreed8336]

Quite shocking so recently that people could use this kind of excuse to kill their wife . It's so outrageous that I feel strongly that there is much more to this story .

[@kristincrisford1480]

I would love to know more about Michael Cleary's upbringing.

[@luvprue1]

Bridget own a business, while Michael had a hard time finding work that could support his family. He had a job, but he wasn't making a lot of money. Michael was very jealous . He was jealous of her friends, and he was jealous of Bridget's Independence. She was making enough money that he probably fear that she didn't need him anymore.

[@masjuggalo]

Better then burning dinner

[@raoulduke344]

@@luvprue1 That would be applicable if the story from was from a Western nation from the 1970s-now, but this was 19th century, rural Ireland. Whilst it's not 20th century Saudi Arabia, a wife couldn't just leave her husband and was a second-class citizen. The church would never allow for divorce so, in those days, the easiest way to leave your spouse and remain "all good" in the eyes of God/Church/community would be by killing them, ironically enough.

[@deborahdean8867]

The man sounds psychotic . Doesnt matter how much he believed in Fairies or demons or anything, he was nuts. And it sounds like the public knew it.

[@LukesWorlds]

I love that KZbin allows individuals to create anything they want and share it. I love that we have so many channels like this one that's run on pure passion and a desire to share content. It's so accessible. Just imagine how long it would take to pass something like this through a TV network. It'd go through committee after committee. But on KZbin it just gets made and thrown out there. Great stuff mate.

[@Miss_Camel]

MR LUKE it is 5:30 in the morning, I was not prepared for a statement this insightful, sentimental, philosophical, and esoteric. But thank you. Sometimes we forget all the wonderful things about the informational access the internet provides because of all the garbage mixed in, but you are correct. I don’t miss having to sit next to the family set of encyclopedias whilst watching tv so I could quickly look things up to,explain them to everyone watching. 🤣 (I live alone now, but am still expected to be “the researcher” when watching television with friends or family!)

[@MrEd9574]

well, the more curious folks just searched and found plenty in the library. hen you consider we had 3 channels to choose from, we found ways to entertain and learn these things!! ITS so nice that we don't need to go to the library and chck out 10 books a week!!

[@ulfegonwiahl2063]

What a story and it's not so long ago. My grandmother was born in 1887, in Sweden. She told me a lot of strange things from her childhood, werewolfs, ghosts. The world have changed.

[@janloughran1503]

Wow! Never heard about this fascinating and gruesome slice of Irish history, thanks Paul 🙂 Brilliantly told, as always 😊

[@brianclingenpeel5123]

If you really haven't heard of this case yet, I would check out channels like Brief Case, the Crime Reel, or illustrated horror. All have covered this case and many that are similar(or as similar as you can get to a case this crazy)

[@RoselieC]

theres an absolutely stunning book written by Angela Bourke called "The Burning of Bridget Cleary," that compares the status of the irish fight for self-rule with british newspapers publicizing the murder as proof of barbarianism. Bourke did a wonderful job explaning every little bit of the mythology and how Bridget pushed the boundaries on gendered expectations and how that was what ultimately decided her fate. It should also be noted that Jack Dunn was physically disabled and thus highly respected for his knowledge of changelings, faeries, etc; him claiming Bridget was not present would have been very convincing for a sleep deprived Michael Cleary.

[@rainbowfactory6358]

Thank you for the Book recommandation! I love it when people mention books relatin to the theme in the Video!

[@siusaidhchaimbeul5499]

Yes, it's very good. Can't remember if it mentions that the husband later immigrated to Montreal (my city).

[@bunnymad5049]

Thank you. Will look that up.

[@arlanstrong1424]

I have a copy of this book. It has more photos and is fascinating.

[@outoforbit-]

Yes, a child who is bright with some exceptional talents could also be branded a changeling. They were expected to take on all the responsibilities of the family. Jealousy could also come into play eventually solidifying into paranoia. I think that was the state of Mrs clearys husband and I think she had a life threatening infection of some sort that would have made her delerious.

[@aaronburratwood.6957]

For fun my father buys old beat up Singer lightweight sowing machines and restores them back to their previous beauty. He’s had some very early ones that were poo when he got them and gorgeous when he finished them.

[@globalwarmhugs7741]

My best mate has an old treadle Singer that she uses regularly to create things for her home. They really are things of beauty, aren't they?

[@incredibleflameboy]

My great grandmother invented a part for singer sewing machines that were a game changer in their time. It was something to do with how the spool and needle worked together so he's probably got one that she had a part in designing.

[@SRWJ]

My Grandma has a singer with its original cover and so many original singer needles ect, her mother was a tailoress. I want to learn how to sew but am too afraid to use her machine, she really wants me to but alas I'm afraid I'll break it as I know nothing! I bought a cheap mini Chinese machine I'm not afraid to break in attempts to learn 🙏

[@rogerrendzak8055]

What's sewing machines, got to do with this story 🤔?? Please keep pace!!

[@KarenAlexandrite-aka-PinkRose]

@@rogerrendzak8055 Bridget, the lady in the story, was a seamstress, and Paul mentioned that she had a Singer sewing machine in her bedroom.

[@brianedwards7142]

When I was little I heard faint music at the bottom of the garden and Mum joked that it was fairies at the bottom of the garden (I now realise it was just a radio in the neighbour's yard). I already had heard stories about fairy mischief so I never went in that corner of the garden again. 🤣

[@avemazov]

LOL please, this is such a cute memory, come back and tell us what song the fairies were luring you with 😂

[@zeusathena26]

There is a movie called Changelings, starring Angelina Jolie. It was based on a real life event. The LA police department messed up a missing child case, & they returned a boy who could not have been hers. She spent her life trying to find out the truth. I highly recommend the movie, &, or you may like to research, & do an episode about it. Thanks for your videos!

[@a697ag]

Great movie

[@IslandGirlKelly]

I agree. Brilliant film and the fact that it really happened was shocking.

[@magnetdance]

The original movie is great too. I haven't seen the remake but I suppose I should 🤔

[@fort809]

@@IslandGirlKelly LAPD being horrifically incompetent isn’t surprising at all to be honest

[@connievino4226]

Best movie ever and it was a true story.

[@ShopFloorMonkey]

Dark, sad and borderline distressing, but beautifully and respectfully delivered - as always. Keep up the wonderful work!

[@missyrose2154]

Borderline ? The poor woman was burned alive . If the husband really believed she was a changeling then she died over madness. If he didn’t really believe it then he murdered his wife and came up with a whopper of a lie . I would say it is more than distressing what happened to her

[@ShopFloorMonkey]

@@missyrose2154 I agree in principle, hence the original inclusion of the statement, but this life has hardened me in ways I neither like nor enjoy admitting. Upsetting, certainly. Distressing? I'm not sure, given my experiences.

[@jpendowski7503]

Thank you Paul for a succinct retelling of a sad time in history where mental illness or atypical neural conditions were considered worthy of death. As some lament the increase in these conditions, we have this story to see why they were under reported in the past, it was a death sentence.

[@aurorawolfe6060]

i've heard this case before, but never with so many details. i appreciate that, and the fact that you were respectful of the victim. i think the husband was using the changeling excuse just to get rid of his wife. and the way he killed her, it's just brutal. he was incredibly lucky he didn't get the death penalty.

[@lindenmanmax]

Holy cow. Between Lizzie Borden, the Wilde trials, l'affaire Dreyfus, and this, the 1890s must have been nonstop fun for courtroom junkies.

[@OmmerSyssel]

Never understood this modern female obsession with others crime and misery... Are you all bored in your comfortable lifestyle? How about the daily oppression muslims are busy executing on women in present time? Is that also "fascinating" entertainment??

[@davidhynd4435]

Well, there you go. My mother always referred to someone who was not quite right as being "off with the fairies". I can now make an educated guess as to where that expression came from. And I'm an Australian, so the fairy myth has travelled to the opposite end of the Earth.

[@reinamatheny9972]

I like that phrase~ definitely know a few around here that are "off with the fairies"~ quite a few

[@natashahahahahaha4266]

Lol in Ireland we say aye she's away with the fairies 🤭..

[@woodpigeon7776]

I, personally, am away with the fairies 🧚‍♀

[@cheshirecat1212]

People used to say this about me a lot when I was a child. Turns out it was undiagnosed ADHD.

[@barbaraeddy5725]

My dad was born in 1924 he was forever telling me. about banshees,and allsorts,he lived in poverty in Ireland,e moved to England with my mum in the 1950s,lived hearing all his Irish folklore and superstitions,thank you so much for thisx🇨🇮🇬🇧

[@ashtreemeadow7287]

I love your story telling abilities. It somehow keeps a person captivated while also honoring any victims that might have been harmed. Could you try to cover the Tulsa Massacre? There was so much that happened to a huge group of people and barely anyone talks about it.

[@richardputz3233]

Yes please ,it sounds interesting .

[@CristinaAcosta]

Please

[@ladonnaburk4020]

Growing up in Central Oklahoma being born in 1962, I had never heard about the Tulsa Massacre until the past 10 or so years. I have lived the last 25+years in the outskirts of Tulsa. We were taught about the Trail of tears and other American Indian history and the Oklahoma Land Run. But in the past 30 years, I've learn so much more about Oklahoma history, historical black towns, Indian bordering schools, the first Catholic mission (which land bordered my Grandpa's land) and outlaws that hid in Indian Territory.

[@daffers2345]

I have a book of Irish tales that talk a lot about the "fae folk" and some of the creepy stories and superstitions associated with them. What you said in the video was spot-on to the descriptions of changelings in the book. It also said that the person would change massively in personality (always for the worse) and that he or she would acquire a huge appetite and demand only the best foods. It sounds to me like they probably used it as an excuse for teen behavior too; whereas today we might say "It's like she was taken over by aliens," back then the person was thought to be a changeling. Though I am disgusted by the husband's actions, I can certainly see how such a deep-rooted belief could have influenced him.

[@SmilerORocker]

It was very common until probably the 1960s, that teen-agers, male or female, would be sent to a relative.

[@OmmerSyssel]

​@@SmilerORockerin our time muslims still force their daughters back to reactionary relatives, to control their lives and desires .... But that's just a cultural difference, right?

[@dianecheney4141]

Nah, she wasn’t a changling, she was just learning to stand up to an abusive lazy husband. How dare she spend the money she earned on herself

[@jeffsyg]

@Mayor of Flavortown lol

[@LacieWhy]

Amen, I’m pretty sure the guy had a secret family or a side piece before he had to move in with her.

[@Menzielife]

and then dis his mama😂

[@WeAreNotAmused]

If she were indeed a changeling I dare say she would have been able to get away unscathed

[@mauricedavis2160]

Hallelujah, exactly what was happening!!!🙏✊💃❣️

[@hannahmcdonald2315]

Even now in Ireland people still are superstitious when it comes to fairies. You'll see fairy bushes in the middle of farmers fields or even one that stopped a motorway being built in 1999 (I think they just rerouted it) because it'll bring misfortune to whoever tears it down. Luckily we've moved past changelings! Great video as always love it when you talk about my old homeland :)

[@julieblackstock8650]

its the same in Iceland! They really do believe in them

[@kellydalstok8900]

The bush is in the middle of a dual carriage way. The lanes on either side are slightly curved around the bush.

[@julieblackstock8650]

@@kellydalstok8900 brilliant!

[@elaineforan4751]

I know a certain number of people doing ground work who wouldn't touch a fairy tree or a fairy ring/ fairy fort even if it means losing business. They just don't want to draw the bad luck down on themselves. Fairy forts are all over the country by the way. It never struck me as odd until now. Do other countries believe in untouchable areas like that?

[@Danigoddamnit]

Yup, pretty sure they rerouted around one in Co.Galway? Hawthorn bushes are gorgeous though so i don't mind tbh

[@julecaesara482]

This reminds me of a truly weird, but modern true crime from Germany. A police officer had been talked into believing that the cat king would wipe out mankind if he didn't kill a woman as specified by the people he lived with. He didn't succeed luckily, but it was a hard case to decide because he seemed to geuinely believe that he had to do this. It is to this day completely absurd, but honestly I see this pattern of being talked into something by all kinds of, hrm, religious, political and other groups.

[@bilindalaw-morley161]

The best example, imo, is cults. Manson inspired his followers into performing heinous murders. Jim Jones et al are usually thought of as inspiring suicide, but some faithful members of his group had to force others to drink the Kool aid, and parents were so entranced they made their children drink it. Heavens Gate iirc was one of the few whose members peacefully committed suicide, under no duress. Monks set themselves on fire even these days, thinking it will pay for sins, or get them to Nirvana more quickly (Truth is I'm not sure why they do it)

[@deborahdean8867]

It's a form of hypnosis with the malevolent family using the guy to get revenge. Once some people find you are easily manipulated they use you.

[@julecaesara482]

@@deborahdean8867 he was severely manipulated but, ehm, no hypnosis

[@deborahdean8867]

@@julecaesara482 self hypnosis, but you'll have to get an understanding of NLP, or neurolinguistic programming , which is the study of how the brain works, not how to make people do stuff like a robot (even though that can be done). Yes, people can definitely snd easily get into a state of self hypnosis , but you have to be more familiar with the state we call hypnotized. In thos case, I think the guy was just psychotic. He did get sentenced to 20 years hard labor, similar to us giving a life term instead of execution for a capital crime done in a state of mental illness.

[@jasonmason2471]

@Bilinda monks, buddhist monks, set hhemselves on fire out of protest because China has invaded tibet and destroyed much of their culture, killing thousands.

[@emilysteward9522]

i love this channel sm, your voice is so soothing to listen to, no matter how grisly the story is

[@WellINever]

Thank you, Emily ☺️🙏

[@rondohatton7292]

What a strange tale. Kudos to you for finding some of these more obscure cases and presenting them in a classy and serious manner.

[@Chloe-yh5cm]

If anyone is interested in reading some great Irish folklore and stories of “the good people”, look up Eddie Lenihan. He’s a brilliant story teller!

[@beverlyreese6390]

Your history story telling is exquisite 👌 love listening to you✌

[@Neophema]

Poor, poor Bridget. :(

[@jujumulligan43]

I cannot recall the author of a very well written book about this event. It is consice and I found it to be a good read. Your telling of this occurrence is very well done and I am glad to have found you. You are a master storyteller.!!

[@68toronado]

Just omg, I can't believe that the person she trusted would kill her all because of what sounded to me was a migraine. I think we don't see how lucky we are to have the knowledge and doctors today compared to the ones back then.

[@rustyhowe3907]

If he was this bad when she was sick just imagine how violent he was on a normal day. RIP you poor lady.

[@nickydenning6988]

What a horribly sad but fascinating story! Poor dear Mary must've been terrified and madly praying to get well before Superstition completely took over.

[@roscoewhite3793]

Hearing about this case immediately brought to mind the death of Joan Vollmer, who died during an "exorcism" in which she was tied up, starved, denied sleep, slapped and beaten, and finally restrained with such violence that she suffered a heart attack. And this took place not in Ireland in 1895, but in Australia, in the Victorian country town of Antwerp, in 1994.

[@jasonmason2471]

Horrid. The catholic church still performs exorsisms to this day. Talk about a superstitios bunch...

[@rachaelknudsen8801]

I would love to know more about that story.

[@sueloh5035]

No one charged for murder ?

[@roscoewhite3793]

@@sueloh5035 The four responsible were charged with manslaughter and false imprisonment. All were found guilty. Two received derisory prison sentences of four and three months respectively; the other two received suspended sentences.

[@sueloh5035]

@@roscoewhite3793 thank you.

[@uptonsavoie]

Some years ago, I read of an American tourist staying at a bed-and-breakfast in Ireland. While chatting with the lady of the house, he asked her, "Mrs. Sullivan, you don't really believe in fairies, do you? To which she replied, "Of course not---but they're there."

[@jasonmason2471]

Apparently more than half of the population in Iceland seriously believe in fairies...

[@karinac.3378]

All supernatural stories and beings fascinate me so much. Very interesting

[@keetahbrough]

i love how people adore the occult, but then deny it to their *god*. crazy stuff.

[@trishayamada807]

@@keetahbrough so very true.

[@leahwilson9152]

You’d think people who were so afraid of pissing off the fae would be nicer to people and babies who were supposedly changelings. You’d think they would be afraid the fairies would curse them for casting out fairy children. But it was never about appeasing fairies. It was about ignorance and reacting with violence towards fear of the unknown, or the unexplainable

[@patriciaplayford7421]

Fabulous content , so enjoy your delivery of it , not heard the story before , so sad poor Bridget , thank you , Australia

[@peterdoyle1591]

The fairies were bad news and they were not like Walt Disneys fairies. These were harsh and tough times. I know the fairies very often targeted very young children which is interesting. Given the poverty and the necessity for every member of the family to pull their own weight. I wonder how many young kids were 'dispatched' to the fairies if they showed signs of mental illness or newborns quietly choked to death if they were malformed in any way. Infanticide was rampant all over Europe in the past. We have a saying in Ireland that he/she is 'away with the fairies' meaning that the person is a bit touched or a bit mad. The fairies were as real as God to these poor people but as far as I know, it was community jealousy was the cause of Bridget Cleary's death. She was good-looking, very well dressed, independent of her husband, and had more land and money than her husband. She didn't fit in as she upset the fabric of the community. As far as I know, there was an unspoken collective community jealousy and a weak superstitious husband if you know what I mean. The women were jealous and the men's position as the main providers felt threatened by her. Happy Times!!

[@randomunicorn1791]

Heard about this back in high school while listening to the podcast Lore (episode 11). Found it too gruesome to ever re-listen to. Absolutely chilling event.

[@dheider9109]

As a 52 year old Irish woman from the North west of Ireland ....this is bull. We grew up with " the little people" We were taught to respect " the others:" What you are describing is what we would now describe as a killer It.has nothing to do with our folklore.

[@kellyshomemadekitchen]

Extremely well done! You are a master storyteller!

[@Viper-py4pg]

I'd love to hear your rendition of the Tulsa Massacre. I don't expect you to fly out there and do your in the field scenes but you exude professionalism :3

[@healfdeane]

I really enjoyed this one. I find anything to do with faeries and folklore extremely fascinating. Thank you for another wonderful telling of an interesting story. Love this channel.

[@anyathepanther7977]

I am scared to imagine what people like Michael had done during a Pandemic 🥶

[@ladytron1724]

So that’s where the saying “away with the fairies “comes from.

[@karinac.3378]

Hello Sir, thank you for another great video and for your time. I hope everything is well may you have a wonderful weekend.🤗🤗🤗

[@lazlobean]

I always look forward to seeing a new episode come up on my feed. Thanks for doing such an informative and entertaining series.

[@chroniclesoflaura]

It’s always the women that get accused of being something they’re not. Fairies, witches, banshees etc etc sigh 😔

[@CristinaF210]

Hugs from Portugal , I love listen to your stories ❤️ The Irish and Portuguese have Celtic background , Ireland is breathtaking ❤️

[@lexiwexiwoo]

There was a movie about this, Fairy Wife: the burning of Bridget Cleary. What blows my mind is that this poor woman was suffering this abuse and burned alive in front of witnesses in the house! It wasn't like this was a private situation where no one had the ability to stop it while it happened. There were family members who didn't help her get away from him. At no point did someone decide to get someone to restrain her hjsband or knock him out to get her to a safe place/hospital when he started torturing her. This story is so fucking sad. I think if the men around him hadn't egged him on so fiercely he wouldn't have gone that far. I think he just had a break with reality. Doesn't excuse his actions but I think he had seen red with everything. With the rumors of her cheating, her growing closer towards him, her illness, and I believe he had a head injury in the past that people think messed him up a little, or he truly experienced Capgras Delusion, we'll never know... regardless he just broke & his wife paid the price.

[@deborahdean8867]

The guy was psychotic and guilty and the public knew it, thus his 20 year sentence to hard labor.

[@breakablehandlewithcare]

Help her ? Come to her aide ? What for ? She was only a woman and her husband was the head of the family. He decides ... he's right. 😱🤮😱🤮😱🤮 The fate of so many women throughout History.😔

[@deborahdean8867]

@@breakablehandlewithcare yeah, a psychotic husband with paranoid delusions. Lol.

[@tgbluewolf]

@@breakablehandlewithcare Not just that, but even today there is still the crowd mentality--people just standing by while someone needs help. It's like when there's more than one witness, everyone's waiting for someone else to act first.

[@breakablehandlewithcare]

@@tgbluewolf yes , indeed... Lepanto Rosary 1571 .....the wonderful miracle of saving prayer, and that w a s a " crowd " of many who did act to help. !!!!!!! 🌹

[@maldetete431]

Lizzie Borden is a story I'd like to hear told on this channel. I think you would do a wonderful job telling about the murders from my home state of Massachusetts in the U.S.

[@987jasy]

I've heard of this story before and thank you for bringing it to life in such an eloquent way

[@canelia9269]

Scientists: "Humans are the most intelligent species" Humans:

[@EnDB]

Horrors like this are why ignorance is scary.

[@patrycjabok-metelska4726]

I had shivers down my spine watching this episode 😮 on St Patrick's Day☘️ Thank you, I ❤ your channel ❤

[@maryannanderson2213]

"Nervous excitement"? What kind of diagnosis is that? And how would it make you unable to get out of bed? It's not any wonder that so many people back then died when they were relatively young, the wonder is that any of them even lived to reach adulthood!

[@Mjao519]

There wasn't much progression in the medical field between the middle ages and the late 1800 to early 1900s

[@MsRedwiz]

Well, I never heard this story before. Could her husband have suffered from a variation of 'imposter syndrome'? How tragic.

[@dickmcshan9778]

Great presentation. Your voice is very well suited for story telling. Cheers, Dick from Vancouver.

[@JJW77]

Well, I never thought that I would hear a cover up murder story to do with fairies.

[@marieohanlon8871]

The "little people" not only applies to fairies, but leprechauns. Fairy trees still exist here in Ireland. But what people also forget is the natural herbs & foliage that was and still is available today. For example "magic mushrooms" etc. I honestly can't comment on this particular fungi. But I have had to dig it up from my back garden every year because my dogs like to munch and dig it up to eat it. Holes everywhere. I'm blaming the bird's & the droppings. So ima guessing away back then, they were consumed, led to hallucinations & belief's because of faith. Which has continued to this day. I live in norn ireland and can confirm to this day they are still very superstitious xx

[@kerry7216]

So glad I found your channel, excellent upload as always (I have binged your back catalogue already). Hello from Australia

[@brianedwards7142]

Cooee cobber. Croweater here.

[@kingfisher9725]

Same. From Germany 😊

[@elvenkind6072]

Speaking about fairies. You would look damn good sitting in a big chair by a fireplace, with a pipe, reading old fairytailes.

[@rhondaturner2254]

Thank you Sir, for your quality storytelling and interesting content, Very well done!

[@Flamsterette]

I've heard of this case, and it's just so awful.

[@giuliananunez97]

I'm gonna watch this after I finish studying for my exam, but I must say I love seeing you on the thumbnail 😎 looking dashing. I hope you keep that style. Much love all the way from Uruguay

[@jstringfellow1961]

No words. The thought of someone actually believing in the fairies is bad enough, but to murder in the name of it is unacceptable. It's not just mental illness; it's outright idiocy and needs to be addressed from the beginning of a person's life. Stories are stories; tales are fun, but people need to be able to separate fiction from reality. So so sad.

[@C4RYB34R]

this is one of my favorites...i love your voice. the way you describe the "treatment" she endured....you are an excellent tale teller.

[@snb6642]

I just love Paul's voice. he always manages to hold my attention from start to finish

[@DavidMcKinstry-yx5tt]

It is mad to think that it happened so recently, but then when I think back to my own family in rural Ireland in about 1900 they were going to London twice a year, going to South Africa for holidays, sending their children to Belfast, Dublin and London for school, had electricity, two motor cars and several indoor bathrooms, had their clothes and furniture delivered from Harrods and even had a monthly grocery account at Fortnum and Mason. Whereas 90% of their neighbours would never have gone more than 10 miles from the townland, and according to the 1911 census were mainly living about 9 to a room. Obviously you have big cultural/economic gaps in Irish and British society even today, but the gulf between the educated and the superstitious in early C20th Ireland must have been like two different species.

[@journeysalkebulan]

Nervous excitement! 🙄 What a brilliant doctor.

[@Megan-rr6qg]

My grandma who we always just thought was crazy (but turned out she had a brain tumor that eventually killed her) believed I was a changeling because of my eyes and told my mom to throw me in the fire. Thankfully my mom disagreed and we never talked to her again. I feel kinda bad about it, but also kinda not cos she wanted to literally roast me.

[@Dragonfly5455]

Thank you for the wonderful storytelling

[@RebornRockerVids]

I'm so glad your channel is doing so well 👍 I hope your health is behaving itself and long may your success continue.

[@Cypher791]

What a horrific thing to happen.. because of another strange belief, just like the witchcraft or martyrdom or human sacrifice. 🤦‍♂️

[@alonnahcasey8556]

Your story telling is so humbling,it keeps me stuck until your done ☺️☺️and then I'm sad (Lol 😅) just waiting for the next one

[@tommymorgan4677]

Well, I never is one of my favorite channels. Interesting stories and I really like your choice of clothing. Hi from sweden 👍

[@meandthemoon2154]

Always a great story on this channel. Thank you!

[@RavenGent]

I've always been fascinated by Irish folklore including paranormal and I definitely heard stories of the fairies. And this one about Miss Bridget is very intriguing.

[@clarasinclair1176]

Love this guy. Beautiful voice, great storytelling and amazing backdrop. Oh did I forget? Great beard.

[@thegreatselkie6009]

This could have easily happened to my great grandmother. She suffered terribly from “sick headaches” which I presume were migraines as they run in the family.

[@lauriedavis5946]

OMGOSH! Never thought about it that way! i’ve often considered that i certainly couldn’t have gotten my teenage nose job back when, but in retrospect with all of my health issues i’d have never gotten _old enough_ to be an ugly teenager! NO DOUBT i’d’ve been left in the woods! .. not sure how to feel about that? lol the only answer i come up with is *_LUCKY!_* 🤟🏻💕 Ps Sorry to hear about great Gramma’s migraines. 🥺

[@doghaus100]

sir, thank you for all the great tales, and insight and wonderful presentation...

[@picasso7721]

subscribed. Amazing story I never heard before. It's so refreshing to have a KZbinr do a story that isn't done continuously over and over.

[@djbillybopdjbillybop2817]

I am from Clonmel in County Tipperary and had never heard of this story. Clonmel is best knowing for Bulmers or in the Uk Magners Cider . The siege of Clonmel took place between 27 April and 18 May 1650, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland when the town of Clonmel in County Tipperary was besieged by Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army. Cromwell's 8,000 men eventually took the town from its 2,000 Irish defenders, but not before they suffered losses of around 2,000 soldiers. Most were killed after being caught in a trap by Hugh Dubh ("Black Hugh") O'Neill on 17 May 1650.

[@giraffesinc.2193]

You are such a fantastic storyteller, Sir!

[@cynthiatolman326]

Ignorance is not bliss, it's terrifying.

[@stephanietorres5679]

Your stories fascinate me.

[@shereesmazik5030]

I always look forward to your masterful storytelling.

[@grammiesspirit4922]

Absolutely amazing presentation. I shall watch it more times. Never knew fairies were ever considered evil. Beautiful. Thank you.

[@WVgrl59]

While working for WVU, I knew the late Dr. James Boland who was my boss and head of West Virginia University Surgery and Trauma Services but as a resident at Parkland Hospital, he took care of Governor Connally.

[@Blaklege63]

loved the rhyme at the very end. But what a horrible tragedy for that poor girl

[@incredibleflameboy]

I've heard of this story but it wasn't given in any great detail. This video is most appreciated.

[@jingles123456789ify]

Thank God for modern knowledge and healthcare

[@ronalddonner3396]

When our camp counselor recounted this tale around the fire,our version told that Michael had indeed come home to find a changeling in his wife's bed.Thus he was forced to do what was necessary and should never have been imprisoned!

[@ihatefrankiero]

It’s sad that this happened to this poor woman and ppl are still telling her story that way

[@lissaquon607]

wtf

[@trishayamada807]

How truly horrid that people still believe such nonsense.

[@mzfreddie]

I wonder if Michael was one of those people that suddenly think one day that a family member(s) is an imposter. It's a legit diagnosis, though I don't remember the name. And maybe conviction to others that she wasn't his wife sold those around him. Especially if there was someone possibly respected by the community (the faerie doctor) to back up his claims, and her uncle.

[@penelopeplimsoul3617]

Just discovered this amazing channel! Thank you for your contribution and research.

[@epicFrogman]

In for later ! Thanks always for your efforts and quality videos.