This week–offered without comment, since I haven’t read it myself–I give you “True Irish Ghost Stories,” by St. John D. Seymour. Or more properly, Project Gutenberg gives it to you, because they are freaking awesome.
(Please consider supporting Gutenberg by donating. The Paypal link is on the top of the page linked to above.)
And for the sake of visual interest, here’s a picture I took of a freaky doll at a place called the Whispers Estate during last Halloween’s ghost-hunt.
Pretty sure I just saw something like this in a movie… “The Happening”? No, that’s not it…
The Angry Scholar 
I love project gutenberg – most of the ghost stories I have reproduced on my blog are from it (fully credited of course). You make me feel guilty now – I should donate!!!
Oh, I don’t mean to imply that I have done so. I definitely should, too, and hopefully will get around to it eventually–but haven’t yet.
Ahhh, phew, I feel better knowing that – I will wait until the guilt stops me sleeping at night then make my donation!
I have this book in my collection. Perhaps I like it more for the way it conveys the nuances of Irish culture rather than the quality of its ghost tales, as the removal of time, place, and identities takes away somewhat from the ‘punchline’. Nevertheless, I find it a good read and can recommend it to those interested in the subject matter.
Pop over sometime to Freaky Folk Tales, you may enjoy it!
Kind regards, Paul
Thanks, Paul! I’m not surprised to hear that the quality of storytelling isn’t so high. These turn-of-the-century collections (and even some later ones) were sometimes more about preserving “vanishing” culture than telling a good story.
I’ve followed your blog for awhile now–great stuff!
Thanks very much! Speak soon, Paul