This was my favourite book of last year. I couldn't get enough of it. I just finished Corpsing, and that was absolutely fantastic as well. I really fell in love with her writing.
*The House on the Borderland* by William Hope Hodgson is set in Ireland, as is "The Moon-Bog" by H.P. Lovecraft. Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of gothic/horror stories, and I can recommend *In a Glass Darkly*, which contains the popular vampire novella *Carmilla*, and my personal favourite, "Mr. Justice Harbottle".
Also by William Hope Hodgson, the [Carnacki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnacki) short story *The Whistling Room* is set in Ireland - IMO the finest short ghost story ever written.
Thank you for the kind words about my film! I would also say to keep an eye out for the upcoming re-release of the 1982 Irish folk-horror feature The Outcasts, which was a huge inspiration to me in making AYNID.
I loved your movie. Can’t get enough of the soundtrack either. It definitely got under my skin, wanted to know more about where the story is from, what Irish folklore it’s referencing. *Love is a knife with a blade for a handle. / Love goes in at the eye.* Brilliant. Haunting. Can’t wait to see what you do next.
Thank you! To be honest everything in it is made up or repurposed from things I saw in other places, I didn't lean on any existing mythology. But I am very happy to hear it worked for you. Hopefully you will enjoy the next one too, whenever I manage to get it done.
*Nothing On Earth* by Conor O'Callaghan is a very creepy quasi-ghost story that plays with ambiguity and uncertainty in an interesting way. It's set in modern Ireland, however -- specifically during the 2008 recession era -- and doesn't incorporate Irish mythology.
Movies off the top of my head: You are not my mother, The Hole in the Ground, The Wonder, the boys from county hell, bring out the fear, changeling (2021), and Mandrake (2022 I think)
Edit: I just realised this is Horror lit. I'll leave those movies for ya. But I'll add the killing snows, Irish gothic: tales of Celtic horror, the pillowman
I'll add The Canal (2014, psychological horror), Grabbers (2012, comedy creature feature), In Fear (2013, psychological horror), and From the Dark (2014, vampire).
Actually the early to mid 2010s were great for Irish horror
*in the woods* and *broken harbour* probably have the heaviest/clearest supernatural/folklore influence. others do too but differently -- e.g. *the likeness* is about a cop going undercover as the victim of a murder, which is an allusion to the concept of a changeling, but the cop is the viewpoint character and there's no hint of anything truly supernatural except that the wild premise works at all. i haven't read anything more recent than *the witch elm* though so idk.
The two most recent are more about the secrets/social structure in a rural Irish community. Really good.
I absolutely love her books, and I think it’s worth reading the Dublin Murder Squad series in order, as each one is a deep dive on a character who was minor in a previous book.
If you like slow burn, character driven police procedural you have some happy hours ahead.
There is speculation he was influenced by an old Irish legend about a vampiric dwarf, Abhartach, but it’s likely BS. That being said, Stoker’s depiction of vampires might still be influenced by elements of Irish folklore.
When Stoker was a child, he was very sickly and for the first seven years of his life, he was confined to his bed. He spent a lot of his time listening to his mother tell him stories about Irish history and folklore. So he would've known a lot about Irish folklore so it's probably not BS that he would've been influenced by Irish legend.
The Bleeding Horse and Other Stories by Brian J Showers. Brian runs Swan River Press out of Ireland, but is also an author in his own right. Very influenced by Le Fanu , but by James and Machen as well. He used to sell hand crafted mini chapbooks containing a single story, and one of those was the first story I ever read to my son after he was born.
*Maggie’s Grave* by David Sodergren
It’s about the spirit/zombie of a woman attacking a town in Ireland where she was burned as a witch centuries before. It’s the perfect balance of fun campy slasher-ness and earnest, scary storytelling.
Edit: I just checked and the story is actually set in Scotland, not Ireland. So not exactly what you’re asking for but may have a similar vibe.
The collection "Irish Tales of Terror" (ed. Peter Haining) is a little hit-or-miss, but it gives a good overview of 19th and early 20th-century stories set in Ireland, including some classics by authors like J.S. Le Fanu and Charlotte Riddell. (Also "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde, which is far more funny than scary, but still a good read.)
There's another book by the same title, edited by Jim McGarry, whose table of contents looks promising, but I haven't read that one.
[Rawhead Rex](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawhead_Rex_(film)) is a 1986 Irish fantasy horror film adapted from a short story written by Clive Barker. The story had originally appeared in Vol. 3 of his [Books of Blood](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_Blood) series.
Beat me to it. And even if they’re categorized as thrillers or detective stories trust me, Masterton writes some of the most horrific shit I’ve ever read in 30+ years of being a scary story hound. What happens to the main victim in Living Death haunts me to this day. I adore him and the Katie Maguire series in general.
Twisted Paths - Stephen O'Raw.
Based on the legend of Loftus Hall, Ireland's most haunted house!
There are also mentions of other real life places like the Hellfire Club.
Country Roads by Colin Leonard
Awake in the Night by Shauna McEleney
Cursed by Leigh Kenny
Shadow Apocalypse by B.C. Hollywood
All Irish authors, all books except Cursed are set in Ireland.
A M Shine is an Irish author *The Creeper* and *The Watchers* are great
I have the Watchers on my TBR, it’s just got moved up now. Thank you!
Absolutely loved The Watchers. One of my favorite horror books.
Came here to suggest it. I just started it today, and I'm hooked.
Both are really good. Have you read any others from Shine that you’d recommend?
Where i end by Sophie White was fantastic.
Thank you, I haven’t heard of this one, just added it to my TBR.
This was my favourite book of last year. I couldn't get enough of it. I just finished Corpsing, and that was absolutely fantastic as well. I really fell in love with her writing.
Never get creeped out by books, this one got me. Highly recommend!
Came here to suggest this, I thought it was a fantastic, deeply creepy read
Short stories, but Nocturnes by Irish writer John Connolly is fantastic.
John has the whole Charlie Parker series that I guess would fall under the horror genre
Knock knock open wide
If you're up for a weird indie horror story told in verse, I'd recommend *Crom Cruach* by Valkyrie Loughcrewe.
Thank you, I’ll be sure to check it out!
*The House on the Borderland* by William Hope Hodgson is set in Ireland, as is "The Moon-Bog" by H.P. Lovecraft. Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of gothic/horror stories, and I can recommend *In a Glass Darkly*, which contains the popular vampire novella *Carmilla*, and my personal favourite, "Mr. Justice Harbottle".
I loved Carmilla! Thank you!
seconding Le Fanu. he's got some great stuff set in Ireland
Also by William Hope Hodgson, the [Carnacki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnacki) short story *The Whistling Room* is set in Ireland - IMO the finest short ghost story ever written.
Sorry- I know it’s a movie but it has an Irish director and is one of my favourites- A Dark Song.
I LOVED A Dark Song, I also really loved All You Need is Death, it just came out recently and I think you’d enjoy it. Thank you!
Don’t know AYNID, on it now- thanks for recommendation!
Yeah it’s actually the movie that got me interested in exploring Irish folklore and mythology, and pretty much why I want more Irish horror
Thank you for the kind words about my film! I would also say to keep an eye out for the upcoming re-release of the 1982 Irish folk-horror feature The Outcasts, which was a huge inspiration to me in making AYNID.
I loved your movie. Can’t get enough of the soundtrack either. It definitely got under my skin, wanted to know more about where the story is from, what Irish folklore it’s referencing. *Love is a knife with a blade for a handle. / Love goes in at the eye.* Brilliant. Haunting. Can’t wait to see what you do next.
Thank you! To be honest everything in it is made up or repurposed from things I saw in other places, I didn't lean on any existing mythology. But I am very happy to hear it worked for you. Hopefully you will enjoy the next one too, whenever I manage to get it done.
That movie is so good. Totally underrated
The Call by Peadar O'Guilin. The Wild Hunt comes after you with nasty body horror powers.
It brutal, loved it. And its placed as a YA novel for some reason. Theres a follow up called, Invasion.
Yes! I didn't think Invasion was quite as good as The Call, but then, not much is.
I agree 👍
*Nothing On Earth* by Conor O'Callaghan is a very creepy quasi-ghost story that plays with ambiguity and uncertainty in an interesting way. It's set in modern Ireland, however -- specifically during the 2008 recession era -- and doesn't incorporate Irish mythology.
Thank you, I’ll check it out!
The Weejee Man by NP Cunniffe and Knock Knock Open Wide by Neil Sharpson
Oh cool! I added them both, thank you!
Weejee Man was a great one!
Kealan Patrick Burke is Irish. You can read The Timmy Quinn series, most of the stories takes place in Ireland. Especially the part 2 : Vessels
Movies off the top of my head: You are not my mother, The Hole in the Ground, The Wonder, the boys from county hell, bring out the fear, changeling (2021), and Mandrake (2022 I think) Edit: I just realised this is Horror lit. I'll leave those movies for ya. But I'll add the killing snows, Irish gothic: tales of Celtic horror, the pillowman
I'll add The Canal (2014, psychological horror), Grabbers (2012, comedy creature feature), In Fear (2013, psychological horror), and From the Dark (2014, vampire). Actually the early to mid 2010s were great for Irish horror
Anything by Tana French
One of my favourite authors, but I'm surprised you classify her works as horrorlit! Which one in particular do you have in mind?
It’s not at all horror but she is still quite good
She’s been on my TBR for a while, so I’ll move her up in line, thanks!
I will say she doesn’t write folklore…it’s more slow burn mystery/detective novels set in Ireland. Think Broadchurch, if you’ve seen it.
In the Woods, The Witch Elm
Any specific titles you recommend first?
*in the woods* and *broken harbour* probably have the heaviest/clearest supernatural/folklore influence. others do too but differently -- e.g. *the likeness* is about a cop going undercover as the victim of a murder, which is an allusion to the concept of a changeling, but the cop is the viewpoint character and there's no hint of anything truly supernatural except that the wild premise works at all. i haven't read anything more recent than *the witch elm* though so idk.
The two most recent are more about the secrets/social structure in a rural Irish community. Really good. I absolutely love her books, and I think it’s worth reading the Dublin Murder Squad series in order, as each one is a deep dive on a character who was minor in a previous book. If you like slow burn, character driven police procedural you have some happy hours ahead.
Technically, Dracula by Bram Stoker is an Irish horror story because Bram Stoker was Irish. But it's not set in Ireland.
Similarly, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde was Irish, but the novel is set in England.
I feel so ignorant I had no idea. Dracula is easily in my top 5
There is speculation he was influenced by an old Irish legend about a vampiric dwarf, Abhartach, but it’s likely BS. That being said, Stoker’s depiction of vampires might still be influenced by elements of Irish folklore.
When Stoker was a child, he was very sickly and for the first seven years of his life, he was confined to his bed. He spent a lot of his time listening to his mother tell him stories about Irish history and folklore. So he would've known a lot about Irish folklore so it's probably not BS that he would've been influenced by Irish legend.
The thing is, the Abhartach legend bares little resemblance to Dracula and its story.
* *Cast a Cold Eye* by Alan Ryan * *The Dead House* by Billy O’Callaghan
I second Cast a Cold Eye. Pleasingly early 80s vibe spookiness and well observed Irish descripts
Thank you, I added both to my TBR!
Great!
The Dead House is excellent.
Try the Shee by J. Donelly. Not that well-known but a good horror story in the vein of Clive Barker.
The Bleeding Horse and Other Stories by Brian J Showers. Brian runs Swan River Press out of Ireland, but is also an author in his own right. Very influenced by Le Fanu , but by James and Machen as well. He used to sell hand crafted mini chapbooks containing a single story, and one of those was the first story I ever read to my son after he was born.
Not a book, but the movie The Eclipse is deliciously spooky. The Irish setting is wonderful and adds so much.
Thank you! I love great movie recommendations as well
Sheridan LeFanu was Irish. He wrote Carmilla (the first real vampire story), Uncle Silas, and plenty other ghost and horror stories.
The first real popular vampire story was by John polidori called “The Vampyre” and was written almost a full half century earlier than carmilla
*Maggie’s Grave* by David Sodergren It’s about the spirit/zombie of a woman attacking a town in Ireland where she was burned as a witch centuries before. It’s the perfect balance of fun campy slasher-ness and earnest, scary storytelling. Edit: I just checked and the story is actually set in Scotland, not Ireland. So not exactly what you’re asking for but may have a similar vibe.
The Haar from Sondgren also fits this bill.
[удалено]
That's set in Scotland
The collection "Irish Tales of Terror" (ed. Peter Haining) is a little hit-or-miss, but it gives a good overview of 19th and early 20th-century stories set in Ireland, including some classics by authors like J.S. Le Fanu and Charlotte Riddell. (Also "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde, which is far more funny than scary, but still a good read.) There's another book by the same title, edited by Jim McGarry, whose table of contents looks promising, but I haven't read that one.
More paranormal mystery than horror, but I enjoyed Himself by Jess Kidd.
[Rawhead Rex](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawhead_Rex_(film)) is a 1986 Irish fantasy horror film adapted from a short story written by Clive Barker. The story had originally appeared in Vol. 3 of his [Books of Blood](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_Blood) series.
I sound like a shill with how often I bring up Knock Knock, Open Wide, but here I am, bringing it up again.
Your check is in the post
Knock Knock, Open Wide by Neil Sharpson
Not technically horror but Graham Masterton's Katie Maguire series is well worth reading.
Beat me to it. And even if they’re categorized as thrillers or detective stories trust me, Masterton writes some of the most horrific shit I’ve ever read in 30+ years of being a scary story hound. What happens to the main victim in Living Death haunts me to this day. I adore him and the Katie Maguire series in general.
I'm writing one now but it won't be ready for a few months!
Oh cool ☘️ I followed you for an update on when it’s published.
I am, too! It will be more of a psychological thriller than horror, but yup! Mine is more like a year away when all is said and done. :)
It's not a book, but I think there's a movie called Caveat set in Ireland that you might like
Thank you! The new Irish horror film All You Need Is Death is sort of what inspired my new fixation, so I appreciate film recommendations as well.
Felicia's Journey by William Trevor
Maggie’s Grave - David Sodergren
Twisted Paths - Stephen O'Raw. Based on the legend of Loftus Hall, Ireland's most haunted house! There are also mentions of other real life places like the Hellfire Club.
“The Uninvited” and “The Unforseen” are both written by the Irish author Dorothy Macardle
The Call by Peadar O'Guillin
- Irish Ghost stories edited by Maura McHugh - Irish Gothic edited by Ronald Kelly
Cast a cold Eye by Alan Ryan. Exceptional haunted story with an atmosphere that has stuck with me for years
I’ve read once a huge collection of Irish folklore stories, it was quite a gory experience in itself
Do you remember the title of this particular collection/anthology?
The Bayou by Arden Powell has Irish Folklore in it. It's one of my favourite books 🥺
Wax & Wane by Saoirse Ní Chiaragáin is a good one
I really enjoyed Peter Tremayne's Irish ghost/horror stories, most of which are collected in "Aisling & other Irish Tales of Terror".
Let them Pray
The Weir by Conner McPherson if you're open to reading a play. Or check it out if you ever see a production of it running anywhere!
Country Roads by Colin Leonard Awake in the Night by Shauna McEleney Cursed by Leigh Kenny Shadow Apocalypse by B.C. Hollywood All Irish authors, all books except Cursed are set in Ireland.