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Singapore is not as famous a temporary destination for young professional Irish as Dubai, but there are still plenty of us there. A friend who spent nine years in Singapore drops by, and I take the opportunity to interview him on his life there. We discuss Singapore history, its relationship with the British Empire, the modern ex-pat bubble, being in an Irish band there, and of course, a few scary legends are thrown in for good measure. Why do Singapore ghosts like to listen to concerts, how do undead wives return to haunt their husbands, and why should you be buried with paper effigies of luxury items? It's all in tonight's episode of Strange Ireland.

In early-20th century Belfast, the horrors of the first world war led to a growth in spiritualism, the belief that contact could be made with the dead. This was not only an exciting religious movement, it was also a chance for scientists to finally test the claims of the paranormal. In this environment, the young Kathleen Goligher emerged as one of the era's most talked-about mediums, championed by a respected man of science, William Jackson Crawford, who was utterly convinced that the phenomenon was genuine. In this episode, I'm joined by guest Reggie Chamberlain-King, who has all the details of this strange case.

Cian is joined by writer and cultural historian Kerry McElroy to discuss various forgotten aspects of the Irish experience in America and Canada, with plenty of history, mystery, and little spookiness too. There's deserted Irish villages in Newfoundland, rumoured pre-Columbian contact, famine and emigration, Irish confederates and Chicago gangsters too. But perhaps the heart of the discussion is the nature of the Irish-American identity (both good and bad), and the nature of its complex relationship with Ireland itself, and with the current political climate. Everything from Saint Brendan to John Ford is touched on, so join us for a strong coffee and get stuck in. Image by Voicu Oara

Have a couple of beers with Cian and Chris as they return to the subject of Bram Stoker and his infamous novel Dracula. Our hosts discuss Stoker's glittering social circle, his role as an Irish author, Victorian literary London, the mysterious East, Van Helsing's cultural origins, while only occasionally stumbling over key plot points! So get stuck in - you'd have to be undead to want to miss this confection of blather, bats and blood (sorry).

Back in the days of Empire and adventure, one dirt-poor farmer named George Thomas left the town of Roscrea looking to improve his lot. Within a few years he had carved out a kingdom for himself in India, and became known as 'the Rajah from Tipperary'. From his exotic palace, he ruled hundreds of miles of territory, and commanded an army of Indian and European mercenaries. He fought wars, rescued queens in distress, fought, squabbled and loved some of the most extraordinary rulers in in India during the chaotic eighteenth century. Listen and learn the almost-forgotten story of the Tipperary Rajah. Sources: Military Memoirs of George Thomas, William Francklin, 1805 The Rajah From Tipperary, Maurice Hennessy, 1971 Dannydutch.com TheWildGeese.com Sound Credits: Ibn Al-Noor Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Desert City Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Sword and Gun Battle Sound Effect by N Beats www.youtube.com/c/nBeatsofficial?sub_confirmation=1 Island Beach Wave and Seagull Sounds – Sony Playstation Network

In 1897, a book written by a Dublin man introduced the world to perhaps the most famous, lasting and influential character in all of Gothic fiction: Dracula. In this first of a two-part concersation, Cian and Chris discuss their recent rereading (and re-listening) of Dracula. We delve into Stoker's own life to see how events in it might have contributed to the creation of such a macabre but memorable character. We reflect on memories of the various movie and audio versions, find out who Dracula's Guest was, puzzle over the mysteries of Renfield, hang bats from strings, and venture once again into the spooky neverland of Romania-as-imagined-by-Victorian-writers, all while enjoying a fine Dublin beverage. Main Sources: Dracula Agus Stoker, Dearcan Media, 2011 The Lost Journal of Bram Stoker, The Dublin Years, edited by Elizabeth Miller and Dacre Stoker, Biteback Publishing, 2013 Transylvania and Romania in Scholarly Editions of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Cristina Artenie, 2015 Music: Main Theme By Kevin Gill Dracula Theme by Wojciech Kilar Sound Effects: Pen sound: Free Stock Sounds

A one-eyed, one-handed warrior who preferred to lead from the front rather than sip champagne with the other aristocrats, Adrian Carton De Wiart charged, lied, and cursed his way through the Boer War, both World Wars, and a bunch of other almost-forgotten conflicts, leaving a trail of his own body parts behind him with nary a care. In this episode I chat with Andrew Byrne about the life of this extraordinary man and the times he lived in. Get ready to enter the trenches, earn your Victoria Cross, and do your best to get mentioned in dispatches! Sources: Happy Odyssey, Adrian Carton De Wiart, 1950 Music: Main Theme by Kevin Gill

Ulsterman and Victorian celebrity Lord Dufferin held the highest posts in the British Empire during its heyday, but he was most famous for a classic ghost story he told about a strange happening at Tullamore. Enjoy brandy and cigars with us as we tell the tale, then dive down the rabbithole with us as we try to find the source of the story in an adventure that involves Charles Dickens, the madness-inducing King In Yellow, and of course, various 19th century mystics and occultists (but you knew that already, right?). Sources: Ghosts & Haunted Houses, Maple & Myring, Usborne, 1979 Tychy.wordpress.com: Premonitory Tales Death And Its Mystery, Camille Flammarion, 1921 The Lost Imperialist, Andrew Gailey, John Murray, 2015 The King in Yellow, Robert W. Chambers, 1895 Legitimacy of Unbelief: The Collected Papers of Piet Hein Hoebens, 2017 Lifted: A Cultural History of the Elevator, Andreas Bernard, NYU Press, 2014 Music & Sound: Moonlight Sonata, Audio Library No Copyright Music Deep Horrors, Kevin McLeod Crowd Talking, Free Sound Effects

On a wooded hill overlooking Dublin city sits a mysterious stone lodge shrouded in legend and lore. Dubliners know it as the haunt of the Hellfire Club, a secret group of devil-worshippers who carried out ghastly and terrible rites there in times gone by. Join me as I find out the truth and learn of the strange men who once shocked eighteenth-century Dublin with their wild escapades and hard living. A world of rakes and libertines drinking and whoring to excess; idle rich who lived for absurd bets and deeds. You won't hear a tale as strange anywhere else! Sources: The Hellfire Club: Accidental Satanists, Dave Walsh, Blather.ie Blasphemers & Blackguards, David Ryan, 2012, Merrion The Hell-Fire Clubs: A History of Anti-Morality, Geoffrey Ashe, 2000 The HellFire Club: Accidental Satanists, Blather.net, 1999 Come Here To Me Blog Music: Theme by Kevin Gill Sad Piano by Alexander Blu Photo: Joe King (Creative Commons)

The great Irish Gothic writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu wrote weird and terrifying fiction back in the 19th century, crafting fine tales of vampires and paranormal investigators. Join me as I delve into his work, finding out just how important he was to the development of these ideas. I explore the upper-class the Victorian-era Irish literary world, open vampire graves with Eastern European villagers, visit spooky castles, and discover the madness that awaits those who look into things MAN WAS NOT MEANT TO KNOW decades before H. P. Lovecraft made such things trendy and hipster-ish. Sources: In A Glass Darkly, Sheridan Le Fanu Memorial Discourse, Trinity College Dublin, T.S.C. Dagg, 1949. World Famous True Ghost Stories, Colin Wilson, 1994 The Vampyre, John Polidori, 1816 Music: Main Theme: Kevin Gill Creepy Doll Music: Alexander Blu Sabrewulf Theme: Killer Instinct

In the summer of 1985, folks at the little Cork town of Ballinspittle reported a miracle, when their local statue of the Virgin Mary was seen moving. Thousands came to worship and just to have a gawk, and similar cases spread across the country. Join Strange Ireland as we investigate this happening, tell stories of mass hysteria, discuss the difference between Catholic and Protestant mysticism, and discover exactly how the Church decides on what is a real miracle (or a class 3 relic). Sources: A Nation Preferring Miracles, William Allen When Irish Statues Moved, TheJournal.ie MiracleHunter.com, Michael O'Neill BBC Newsnight, 1985 RTE News, 1985 Sound: Gregorian chant, Kevin McLeod Wind sound effect, Behind Design

Bonus episode: I love horror podcasts, and in this episode I analyse some of the most popular ones. I investigate the history of horror novels, found-footage movies and 1970s supernatural phenomena in order to discover the range of influences on some of my favourite shows. Music: Theme music: Kevin Gill Resident Evil GBC Theme Horror Piano Theme: Private Hell Productions Dreamy Ambient Background Loop: Alexander Blu Sad Piano: Alexander Blu Sources: Analogue Ghosts of the 70s and Hauntology by Celluloid Wickerman Podcasts Mentioned: The Black Tapes The White Vault Tribulation Archive 81

Welcome to part 2 of our investigation of the very strange story of Bridey Murphy. With his subject Ruth Simmons speaking as a rather fiesty 19th-century Irishwoman, hypnotist Morey Bernstein does everything he can to find proof of the woman's historical existence. Investigators come all the way to Cork in Ireland to find out what they can, and I weigh the evidence myself, and give my own Corkonian take on Bridey's incredible story. Tune in to hear the conclusion to one of the strangest stories Ireland has ever witnessed.

The short Irish film Foxglove provides the focus for some thoughts about Irish horror. Why does our relationship with landscape shape the type of scary stories we tell? How does our folklore, filled with mischievous beings and otherworlds, seep into our film culture? And what do terrible Jaws rip-offs tell us about environmentalism? It's all in this week's episode! Relatively spoiler-free, but if you want to watch the film - it's very short! - the link is below.

In 1950s Colorado, a housewife under hypnosis begun speaking as though she had lived a past life, as Bridey Murphy, a Cork woman living in the year 1806. The wealth of information she provided about her past life stirred up an interest in reincarnation; her info was so thorough that researchers were able to go to Ireland to find if if this mysterious woman had ever actually lived. Join us for a remarkable true story of hypnosis, telepathy, and multiple lives. Part 1 of 2. Main Sources: The Search For Bridey Murphy, Morey Bernstein, 1956, Avon Books Music Credits: Main Theme by Kevin Gill Old Movie Projector Effect by Audio Productions

In Victorian England, the Irish occultist Cheiro told fortunes for the rich and famous. When Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, his patron Lord Carnarvon was already jittery with fear of ancient curses, thanks to the warnings of this Irish psychic. To investigate how this came to be, we have to delve deep into the world of the European upper classes of the early 20th century, and understand their obsession with all things occult and spooky. Main sources: The Mummy's Curse, History of a Dark Fantasy, Roger Luckhurst, Oxford, 2012 Tutankhamun: The Exodus Conspiracy, Andrew Collins & Chris Ogilvy-Herald, Virgin Publishing, 2003 A Study of Destiny, Cheiro, 2006 edition, University of Tampa Press Palmistry For All, Cheiro, 1916 Music Credits: Main theme by Kevin Gill Horror Piano Theme by Private Hell Productions Opening theme from The Mummy (1932) by Karl Freund, using Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’

Welcome to the first episode of Strange Ireland! When the flying saucer phenomenon first shook the world in the late 1940s, there was an eccentric Irish aristocrat right at the heart of this strange new topic, helping to shape the movement from its early days. Sit down and have a glass of tipple with us and learn about Desmond Leslie, the early UFO contactee movement and Leslie's friendship with arch-flying saucer guru George Adamski. Get ready to experience a very strange First Contact! Main sources: Desmond Leslie (1991 - 2001) The Biography of an Irish Gentleman, Robert O'Byrne, Lilliput Press, 2010. Flying Saucers Have Landed, Desmond Leslie & George Adamski, London Laurie, 1953. Music Credits: Theme by Kevin Gill