Is there a secret tunnel in O'Connell Street? Who stole the Irish crown jewels? And did the word 'quiz' originate in Dublin as the result of a bet? Urban legends are the funny and frightening folklore people share today. Just like the early folk tales that came before them, these stories are formed from reactions to events in the modern world, and are often a window into our current values. For the first time, Brendan Nolan explores the power of Dublin's urban legends – murky stories whispered in classrooms and backstreets, and ripping yarns passed on across the bar. Urban legends may sometimes just be the best of rumours, but the real question is about the truth that lies behind them?

Presents descriptions of hundreds of urban legends and their variations, themes, and scholarly approaches to the genre, including such tales as disappearing hitchhikers and hypodermic needles left in the coin slots of pay telephones.

Who stole the Irish crown jewels? Is there a secret tunnel in O’Connell Street? And did the word ‘quiz’ originate in Dublin as the result of a bet?Urban legends are the funny and frightening folklore people share today. Just like the early folk tales that came before them, these tales are formed from reactions to events in the modern world, and reflect our current values. For the first time, Brendan Nolan explores the power of Dublin’s urban legend – murky stories whispered in classrooms and back streets, and ripping yarns passed on across the bar. Urban legends may be just exaggerated rumours, but they embed themselves into local folklore. The real question is, what truth lies behind them?

Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle, a land of history and mystery, beauty and enchantment. But there's much more to this jewel of the North Atlantic than meets the eye. Hans Holzer is a renowned ghost hunter who has traveled the world trailing the elusive spirits of souls anxious to be sent beyond the Veil. Here he recounts his fascinating journey across this island in search of its soul...and its spirits. There is an 18th-century swordsman who defends the hidden treasure of Ballyheigue Castle, a proud house now gutted by fire; Princess Orloff, originally known as Angelica Parrott, who returned home to haunt a jealous sister; Lilith, a young inhabitant of eerie Skryne Castle, who was strangled with foxglove fronds in 1740; Mary Masters, a young girl who refuses to forget her horrible death and continues to haunt Dublin's Shelbourne Hotel; the ghost at Number 118 Summerhill, Dublin who sends workmen into a panic; and many more.

"Together, these new wives' tales merge as an American picaresque, a compilation of myths that keep the telephone wires humming and cocktail parties doubly fueled".--Time.

Galway artist Roisin Cure presents snapshots of life in the City of the Tribes in bold ink and vibrant watercolor. Her sketches show the beautiful details of Galway's pubs, the musicians and buskers, the exquisite medieval stonework, the marine environment, the vibrant nightlife culture, and the local colorful characters. These striking pictures are accompanied by recollections of conversations the artist had while sketching. This book is a unique souvenir of Galway, of a city that is famous for the arts and yet has so little in the way of visual art. It is a very timely book, released in advance of Galway 2020, when the city celebrates being European Capital of Culture.

An anthology of the most chilling urban legends of all time collected by the maestro himself. Urban legends are those strange, but seemingly credible tales that always happen to a friend of a friend. For the first time, Professor Jan Harold Brunvand, "who has achieved almost legendary status" (Choice), has collected the creepiest, most terrifying urban legends, many that have spooked you since your childhood and others that you believe really did occur—even if it was one town over to some poor hapless coed who left a party early only to be followed by a man who just got loose from a mental hospital. From the classic hook-man story told around many a campfire to "Saved by a Cell Phone," these spine-tingling urban legends will give you goose bumps, even when you know they can't be true. Still, you'll continue to check the backseat of your car at gas stations and look under your bed at night before praying for sleep.

Presents the basic stories behind urban myths and legends from around the world, along with examples of each, and groups them by theme, which includes city life, horror, accidents, disease, animals, sex, merchandise, murder, and the supernatural.

Have you heard the one about… • Walt Disney’s frozen body? • Coca-Cola owning Santa Claus? • Alligators living in New York City sewers? We all love a good story. But where do the urban legends, conspiracy theories, and old wives’ tales we hear every day really originate? Albert Jack explores the best, strangest, and funniest of the tales so many of us take as gospel, and uncovers some eye-popping true stories that are even more far-fetched than their mythical counterparts. From Robin Hood to JFK’s brain, from hamsters under carpets to mysterious travelers, you’ll never be short of a scary or bizarre anecdote again.

Now available in paperback, this pioneering collection of essays deals with the topic of how Irish literature responds to the presence of non-Irish immigrants in Celtic-Tiger and post-Celtic-Tiger Ireland. The book assembles an international group of 18 leading and prestigious academics in the field of Irish studies from both sides of the Atlantic, including Declan Kiberd, Anne Fogarty and Maureen T. Reddy, amongst others. Key areas of discussion are: what does it mean to be ‘multicultural’ and what are the implications of this condition for contemporary Irish writers? How has literature in Ireland responded to inward migration? Have Irish writers reflected in their work (either explicitly or implicitly) the existence of migrant communities in Ireland? If so, are elements of Irish traditional culture and community maintained or transformed? What is the social and political efficacy of these intercultural artistic visions?