EPISODE SEVEN : ABHARTACH

Vampires are … Irish !?

Welcome to season two and a happy St. Patrick’s Day from all of us at Irish Gothic ! No, you haven’t drank too many pints of the black stuff, you read that right - the legend of the vampire finds its origins in the Irish legend of the Abhartach. Join Chris and Spence as they reveal how all of your fanged favourites find their origins in a humble field just outside of County Derry/Londonderry. 

The Irish Gothic Podcast explores the origins of Irish Folk tales. myths and legends in all their dark, fantastical glory and how these vivid yarns continue to resonate across the world to this very day. 

Join Hosts Chris Patterson and Spence Wright as they fuse their love for all thing's horror with a wellspring of Irish lore. 

From the terrifying figure of the Dullahan to the origins of Halloween itself, if it’s a yarn you’re after, pull up a chair and let ‘Irish Gothic’ fill your ears. 

Hosts: Chris Patterson & Spence Wright 

Producer: Rebecca Alcorn 

Production Company: Causeway Pictures 

Bibliography: 

Learn more about the Abhartach here !

https://yourirish.com/folklore/abhartach-irish-vampire

https://northwordni.org/your-stories/abhartach/

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Checkout our other podcast - Hostage to the Devil, real life stories of exorcism and possession. Wherever you get your podcasts.

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www.causewaypictures.com

Transcript

0:22

I know all the folks round these arts and parts. Can't say I know you. Leastways. Not yet. But I dare say I know what you'll be wanting. Some of the crack, maybe. How we yarn with your sup, is it? No harm in that. Come on over. Warm yourself, hmm? I'll warn you though. If it's the old Begara and Blarney shenanigans you're after, you'll not hear them from me. Well, if such, like, pleases you, you sit on. I'll fill your ears. And see what story is meant for you. On this dark old night.

chris-patterson_2_10-23-2024_181531 1:27

I'm Chris

spencey-guest437_2_10-23-2024_181541 1:28

I'm Spence

chris-patterson_2_10-23-2024_181531 1:29

And this is the Irish Gothic Podcast.

chris-patterson_1_03-10-2025_191125 1:41

They say good things come in small packages, but this week our package is full of blood lust and death, and also could have been the forerunner to one of the most horrific characters in modern literature. This is the legend of aver talk.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 2:09

Hello there, Spence. It's 2025.

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 2:12

It's great to be back. Chris, you're looking very well. The audiences just have

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 2:16

Well, they will have to trust you. Yeah., this is the show that we should have our green beers out for, because this is certainly on St. Patrick's

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 2:23

Indeed. I know we are already done with Sym Patrick's episode. We, we got so excited. We released it too early,

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 2:29

That was a bit of bob planning on our, behalf.

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 2:32

The excitement got the better office on that I did as promised Christopher, to ish. Well, I got to the base camp of Slush it was very, very slippery days. We didn't risk going any higher up, but I would say that just, and anybody should check out or some public podcast is a very mysterious and mythical placement. It was quiet and you could very easily see how that could be a, a place where legends could be given birth. It was a super, super atmosphere, Roundup one, you know, but I didn't quite make it to the top body.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 3:04

Well, I mean, apparently he was a slave and he used to walk up and down at Barefoot. Which is why people do that on a day like today. Now I might walk up, but I'm not walking up at Barefoot. I can tell you that.

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 3:16

A little too intrepid for me. Yeah.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 3:17

Yes, yes. This week we are doing adv tech

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 3:31

Hmm.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 3:32

The legend of Ireland's earliest vampire chieftain.

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 3:36

And I think this is one of those stories, Chris, that. We're lucky to be able to count this as one of our own legends, have our own little steak, no pun intended I've been working on that all week.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 3:44

Have you, have you? Yeah. High stakes. High stakes.

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 3:47

stakes. There we go. I know a little bit about it, but I'm not as familiar with it as it would be per say, you know, Dracula and things like that. So I'll let you lead me.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 3:57

well, let me, take you back to county London Dairy In the fifth century, EK was a. Fearsome dwarf Tarren who ruled over an area of county London dairy. Now, size and stature we've talked about before, we're much prized in ancient Ireland with our giants and so forth. They may well all talk about tall warriors and strong farmers, but EK was, and EK means and Irish.

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 4:24

Oh.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 4:25

Apparently No, that's what I'm seeing. But it appears that when he was born, he was given the short end of the stick,

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 4:31

Okay. See Chris that sounds okay. You know, a short tyrant and it's hard to make the leap from that to vampire. But I do remember reading that he was known or considered to have kinda magical interests. He was dabbling in the ArcHa arts. And you start to see that creeping into his personality. And, and he used these things to perpetrate cruelties on his own people not just his enemies.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 5:04

Well, he certainly did. Yes he was first mentioned a collection by Patrick West and Joyce called the Origins and History of Irish names and places. So there's a place called Al. In county London dairy,

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 5:18

Yes. Yes.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 5:19

and he was considered a dwarf magician and a dreadful tyrant to people. He perpetrated great cruelty on people. The legend, which was well known in Irish literary circles, sees a group of peasants in county dairy rebel against a death pot, with the help of a neighboring chief in Kathy, they attempt to kill ock. On multiple occasions the operative word here being attempt because they killed him numerous times buried him numerous times, but he rises from the grave and demands bold of blood in compensation.

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 5:54

Oh, and now we're starting to see pardon the pun again, bleeding into each other. So he demand blood sacrifice his resurrection.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 6:00

Well, he demands blood. Yeah, blood to drink.

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 6:03

Oh. Oh,

Chris Patterson 6:04

So one of the things with the first time, like and I, that's sort of killing multiple times, reminds me of, Rasputin the Mad Monk

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 6:12

Mm.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 6:13

In Russia. Where they apparently killed him and knifed him and poisoned him and shot him and he still wouldn't die. But they killed him and they buried him, and the next day he was up and about. So as you say, you can already see the similarities between AV talk and a certain Romanian prince.

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 6:33

Absolutely. And, and the similarities get even more, prominent Chris, because I think one of the ways that the peasantry killed him on at least one occasion, uh, you'll love this. They ran him through with a sword made of view wood and buried him upside down surrounding his grave with thorns. And then a top degree of a large rock. So I'm thinking, you know, you would, that's is that stake through the heart, know, vampires buried at a crossroads. This guy's buried standing up. So, so again, you can see those little sort of treasure fire if you like, flying out from way, way back and into the minds of riders, in the future, you know, that definitely, there's definitely an overlap. Definitely an overlap.

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 7:15

Well, actually the sword made of YouTube was given to them by a local Dr in desperation they had went to the local Dr. I. Later on in versions, it becomes a Christian hermit. would say that's after our landing of St. Patrick. But at this period, they went to a local druid who to find out the proper remedy for dealing with a member of the undead. Well, as you say, they run'em through, they buried'em upside down and they to the grid over the large rock, and apparently that had the desired effect.

squadcaster-53e9_2_03-10-2025_192010 7:51

was that Dr. Lake or Van Healthing?

chris-patterson_2_03-10-2025_192010 7:54

Well, this is it. I mean, van Helsing of course is the, the all knowing. He's, he's the person who destroys Dracula at the end of the book and at the end of every film. But you know, without him, the Dracula he would keep on going and murdering forever. So to have a, knowledge, a fountain of knowledge to go to is very much in the way of these tales. There always is somebody to go to.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 8:22

And actually today, Spence, you can go and visit Avox grave. It is locally referred to as a giant grave, and it comprises of a large rock with two smaller rocks under a Hawthorne. And it located just north of Mcara and County London Dairy in Furrows, Northern Ireland, where we're sitting right now.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 8:44

Chris, I'm gonna stop you there because I know you're tempted to give exact coordinates to where this. Dormal is, but they have to remember the cautionary deal because that the tree had not worn that if you disturb the rocks on the grave, his royal blood ness may well return.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 8:58

Well, it's funny you should say that because, later on we'll talk about some friends of ours who made a film that that very same thing did happen.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 9:07

Oh, wow. I, I know there was a documentary, my as well. I mean, I've seen a photograph of the site and it's, you know, again, it's like everything else. It's striking. There was a documentary by a fella, ga, is it the um, leak of Gentleman series. He's a huge horror, a fish at yes, ga mark. GA is,

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 9:26

yes.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 9:27

and I'm sure he done a show here on the B, BC and went and visited the site as well. And again, we'll get we linked to that and stick it in the show notes. But I, you know what I love about it, Chris? It's like all these things in Irish Gothic the fact that, you know, okay, we're lucky we live in, in Northern Ireland. We can go and see them, but anyone visiting these things are all there. They're still there. All these things are within touch and distance, which also gives it a wee level of danger as well when you're talking with this guy.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 9:51

that's it. I mean, we're not gonna say where they are, but anyone can find them. Um, and they can go to most of the places. Well, a Cave of Cats was one in our last season. They can definitely go and

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 10:00

Yeah.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 10:01

Experience it for themselves. Northern Ireland and indeed Ireland is very welcoming to people coming in. But this is where it gets interesting, I think.'cause this is where we talk about certain Transylvanian prince and similarities of a book that was written in the 1890s by an Irish man called Brahm Stucker. Can you guess any guesses there? Spence?

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 10:25

I honestly, I'm thinking, is it the dad and loving it?

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 10:28

Oh, straight on I, well, it's Bridget Jones'. Diary. Oh, of course it's Dracula, that masterpiece of horror, but is it as original as we may think?

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 10:57

Well, I, I know Chris from reading, and I came to this writer's work very late from Embarra to say, but I know Sheridan Le who in 1872, about 25 years before Stoker's Dracula, he's sort of been credited being one of the godfathers of vampire fiction in his female vampire fame story Carmilla. and again, an Irish man, you know, so did Sheridan's work influenced bro stickers and did the legend that we are talking about influenced both of them.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 11:26

Well, it's interesting because when you look at St. Stucker, St. Stucker did not get any information about vampires firsthand from Sylvania. In fact, he never even went there.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 11:39

Really.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 11:39

Yeah, it was, it was never his intention to have his vampire come from Transylvania. he didn't base his original story on the historical Dracula not only did Stucker know very little about Vlad, there was. Never any association with Vlad and vampires. there was association with Vlad Impaling people. there's plenty of, books you can read about the original paler impaled people on massive stakes, but. There was no talk of Vamir in any way around Vlad at that point. And there was no talk of vampire in the intervening years between his death and the writing of Dracula.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 12:23

It is amazing, Chris, when we talked about Sleepy Hollow and how. Writers, pick things from their, from the people around them, from their childhood, from the folk stories they were told. And then suddenly, you know, news stories were born. And I remember one of the things that was, was referred to in relation to Dracula was when they talked about the character of, Lizzie. and, and you know, same where she's on, on the bed and everyone's huddles around her in a real effort to save her. And one of the things that up this was that there was a memorial sculpture inside Irish EMPAs church in Mon, and that's known as the depart Glance. And that showed a woman on her death bed, people gathered around her, and the sculpture was dedicated to Maryanne Wera by her husband. William Westra, and that is of course, you know the character name in Dracula

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 13:29

We're starting to find these little golden nuggets of proof that vampires originally came from Ireland. I think we've said this before, but we know from Stoker's notes that the central character in his 1897 novel was originally going to be called Count Vampire Par.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 13:47

Oh, right.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 13:48

So that's W-A-M-P-Y-R. The idea to insert the name Dracula came later. After the crux of the story had been developed, in fact, Dracula wasn't even the original title of the novel.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:00

No.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:01

from his first 541 page manuscript now owned by the co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen,

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:08

What? Hi Doug, come about.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:11

stocker's original title for what would become Dracula was the Undead.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:16

Oh. Oh, that's quite cool too. But it's that hard. You imagine. New director. How did the Microsoft guy end up with that manuscript?

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:24

It was discovered in a barn in the 1980s, and I'm sure it was worth a lot of money. And the co-founder of Microsoft,

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:32

Who doesn't need any money?

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:33

he doesn't need any money. No.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:35

It would be a guy, the guy who finds it.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:37

you know, he would probably bought it there and, know. for not more than it's worth, but you know, he has the original 541 page manuscript. I mean, it must be an amazing site to see.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 14:50

But definitely see,'cause all these overtones leading back there of attack the par, the control, the inability to stay dead, the blood sacrifice, the wooden sticks. Then see how that all can get melded and infused with stoker's writing give us Michael, that's one of the most enduring horror monsters.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 15:10

Just to put a final thing on the Brahm Stucker, Dracula and where he got his ideas from. I think we talked a little bit about this in the headless horseman. Where we said that the rider of the headless horseman had spent a lot of time at Oscar Wilde's house with Oscar, Wilde's wife and Oscar, and they talked about different Irish myths and legends. Well, funny enough, there was another person who often went round for tea at their house, and that might have been, uh, a Mr. Bram Stoker. So even if Bram wasn't up on his Irish Myths and Legends. I certainly think that those teas might have, opened up a new world for'em.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 15:48

Oh, absolutely. Well, what? What a table to be gallery drawing me. must have been between those folks.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 15:55

It definitely sounds like wild was a major influence on a lot of these horror writers. In terms of passing on a stories and myths and legends. It must have been a really interesting time to sit around that table and they were just soaking it all in.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 16:12

Yeah. And we're still feeling the ripples of that now. And movies and of course across the world, Chris, different versions of vampires, in India, the battle, is described as an nondead creature, a bit like a bat. And from our vamp prim stories, and it hangs upside down on trees in cemeteries and cremation grounds. the Pasha, the return Spirits of evil deers, or those who died in sin also can have vampire attributes. Think there's probably no end of versions of this tonight. Will we ever know for sure that, the one in that little field in macra is the original?

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 16:49

Well, I think he is, Spence, what's your most favorite vampire film?

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 17:08

Ooh.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 17:10

Have you got one or does it take a couple?

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 17:12

Do you know what? I think I have one was experience of watching it as much as anything else. Salem's lot. During my formative years, I'm sure you remember Chris was screened as a two parter on the BBC you know, a movie effectively, and people of my age shouldn't have been watching it, but we all did. And that scene with the child vampire scraping the window, it really got into my DNA, introduced me to the work of Steven can, et cetera. So purely for the impact off it me that would. I mean, there's so many. I love me. I love 30 days a night. I love track. But no, Ferra looks at the cracking show. I haven't seen yet today. I've obviously seen the original, so, but I'm gonna go with Sam's lot bit because I think it left a real mark on me.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 17:59

I have an interesting fact about Nosferatu'cause Nos Ferra Two was written after Dracula. And if you know the story of Nosferatu, it is very much the story of Dracula and Tucker's wife sued not the makers of Nosferatu, the original Phil Black and white film and won. So now the St. Stucker estate. Gets money from Nosferatu.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 18:25

Really, my goodness. I don't know why I would just assume, you know, plagiarism and libel and suing as being a modern phenomenon. But there you go people were out back then too, so yeah. Okay. that was basically the unofficial movie version Stokers Drager,

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 18:42

I mean, they tried to change. I mean, it was count or lock. You know, and he came to the country and he fell in love with a woman. And was very similar. The plot points quite a bit,

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 18:53

Yeah but what was your favorite film part? Maybe B, Chris and why?

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 18:56

I think there's a lot of them. Um, mean, I mean, the Lost Boys, one of my favorites.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 19:03

of course.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 19:04

Uh, but I think it's very much a story of its time, if that makes sense. Got the music, it's got everything else.

squadcaster-53e9_3_03-10-2025_193103 19:10

I mean, mentioned the NRIs film based around that.

chris-patterson_3_03-10-2025_193103 19:14

Yes. the film by a couple of friends of ours was made in 2021. It was a film called, the Boys from County of Hell. And that depicted someone disturbing the grave of Aver Talk and the big man coming back. Very good I think it's on shutter. if anyone wants to have a look at it, certainly it's a northern Irish based film. But certainly, there's no end to the vampire legend.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 19:37

The right one in. Well, it don't let the right one in or let the right one in

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 19:40

Was that the right one then? Yeah, it felt so original when it came out and that sort of urban, gritty to it, even though the subject matter was so fantastic. Oh.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 19:49

Well, this is one of the things. I mean, how many times do people try and reinvent the wheel, the vampire? you go back to Buffy the Vampire Slayer or bleed where the vampire sort of explode into ash and disappear and I've always wondered what would be the consequence of you murdering a vampire and the body still being there? I mean, how do you explain that in modern day?

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 20:12

Yeah. Yeah. Uh, that's, well, it hasn't been done, has it? That that's, that's one worst thing out the old idea number. Cruncher.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 20:20

this vampire killer is seen as a serial killer,

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 20:25

Uhhuh.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 20:25

you know, because the bodies don't go anywhere. So, but you know, I think it was easier to answer that question when they sort of. Exploded

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 20:32

Uhhuh.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 20:33

there was another one that I remember, which is quite well, say dark, but Dark was in the title. It's called Near Dark

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 20:40

Yes.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 20:41

Back. And it had most, it had a couple of,

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 20:43

Millions.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 20:44

yes it did. It was a film just after Aliens was made. I think it was made in 87 and I think Alien's 86 maybe. But it had. A really interesting take on vampires and how they got around during the day. But when you think about it, the rules, and we often talk about this on stuff we're developing Spence, that the rules are very important when you're developing a character.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 21:07

Yeah.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 21:08

And has happened has elements of these rules have come down. Through Irish mythology and probably mythology from other parts of the world, but they've all been honed down into maybe 10 things that a vapi

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 21:22

Mm-hmm.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 21:24

can't have you. Sunlight through the heart. Beheaded.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 21:28

and the holy water and,

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 21:30

Yeah. All that. And crosses,

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 21:33

and interesting Chris, on that, you know, I guess we touched upon this in different forms and nearly all our episodes. Funny enough, because when you talked about the original legend there. It was a dred, so it was a religious figure killed with a religious magical weapon that you stick. But you can see how Christianity then enters the story because we look at how they're, beaten and defeated now. holy water. It's the cross, it's the faith, it's the holy one. Um, so the iconography and the, the people kinda change, but the essence is the same.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 22:07

well, most definitely. I mean, I'm gonna, I'm gonna date myself here and sort of refer back to there was a season of Dr. Who with Sylvester McCoy, and it was a bit of a mix of the fog and and the vampire film. And it was about Viking vampires a Russian invasion in England in 1940s. And they raised up Viking vampires. But one of the scenes that interested me in that I remember a long time watching it was, one of the Russian soldiers had to walk through the batch of vampires and. He took off off his hat as Russians hammer and sickle. And the woman said to him, no, you need a cross. And he said, it's not the object, it's the faith.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 22:46

Ah, there you go.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 22:48

That also happens, I believe in seal's lot. He holds it up and he says, no, you have to have faith. And he's able to take the cross off, the preacher.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 22:56

Whereas the writer character, I think, does he not fashion across at the two sticks?'cause he believes it'll work. Whereas you say the Holy Mama didn't have the just enough faith, the face old Burlow. Hello.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 23:07

Is it the play on faith that defeats these, you know the holding up of the cross and,

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 23:12

Yeah.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 23:13

know, the holy water that burned them,

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 23:15

Mm-hmm.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 23:15

Because they're evil.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 23:17

The purifying light of sunlight, it's almost godly and angelic in itself. You know, it's, I suppose every monster has to have that way of defeating it, and if the Christian belief can make that tie it's fear and protection.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 23:43

Well, who's your favorite? Dracula?

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 23:45

I did love Christopher Lee. There was a sort of feral savage ness about him.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 23:50

I definitely think I was a Lee fan. I could go back to Bella, go back right back to Bella Zi. who in another tidbit, was buried in his director outfit.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 23:59

We'll see.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 24:00

He was indeed. I mean, there was typecast and then there was what happened to him? He was buried when he died in his Dracula outfit. I I think vampires are very much, part of our culture now. Even though they, I say don't exist, I assume they don't exist. I haven't been bitten by one or seen one, but they don't exist. But they're very much part of our culture and nobody really questions. A Vampire TV show or a vampire film.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 24:26

And you don't have to spend like most movies or stories, you've gotta establish those rules. They've almost been absorbed into or global sort of consciousness by osmosis. You know, new series, just barely have to even touch on the rules. We just know them. Whether they're real, et cetera. Would you then, Chris. Think about going to that field in London, dairy and removing a couple of little stones. Would you,

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 24:46

Well, I would, uh, I think I would, I think, I think I, I, you know, there might be something else down there that's worth money, but I can oil, probably oil or something like that. But it's interesting because I was looking online, just before we did this, and there's a lot of people talking about, vampires, real vampires in New Orleans.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 25:04

Hmm.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 25:05

And, and not people murdering people, but people drinking blood. Like it's sort of vampire clubs, that type of thing, that sort of interview with the vampire New Orleans, that type of on race job. But there is a certain subculture where people blood lit for better, of a better reason, and they will take, and I guess blood is a very important part of the whole legend because blood the life that keeps them going.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 25:35

Yeah. Yeah.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 25:37

But they can never die unless specific things happen.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 25:40

This is probably more humorous than scary. My wife and I many years ago, Chris did like to hear that story. were in Florida. We were sat at a bar and there was a man sitting beside us and he had slicked hair, you know, very Christopher Lee slash Ray Rearden for old snooker fans. And he had these headphones on and he was staring intensely. I could see him in the mirror, so I guess that was a sign, but my wife was obsessed with this guy and she tapped him on the shoulder and she popped the earphone out of his ear and said, what are you listening to? And out out of the phone came this really weird chanting. It wasn't music. It was strange, strange chanting. He turned around and he smiled and he had two fouled teeth and he said, I have a va. He put his headphone back in and stared straight ahead, and we drank up and got back to

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:28

Oh,

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:29

cooked toot. Sweet.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:31

I would imagine. So did you, do you know the reason vampires weren't seen in mirrors?

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:37

Is, this isn't a joke, is it? No.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:38

No, no, no. It's not a joke.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:40

I dunno.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:41

The reason they weren't seen in original murs is because murs were backed with silver.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:46

Oh.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:46

in modern times, we don't back murs with silver, I believe. So it would make sense that they could see, you could see a vampire of me. Now,

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:53

So he could have been real then.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 26:56

who knows, he didn't jump up and rip your head off. He didn't walk into, what is it? The the titty twister in. Um,

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 27:03

a regular pace.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 27:05

and from Dust till Dawn,

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 27:07

I kept thinking that scene in Lost Boys, you wanna could sw it in off the sea, to the pier there.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 27:12

what always got me about that scene in Lost Boys was you had this sort of bird noise over them. And it was like,'cause the interesting thing about Lost Boys was until the end, didn't ever see them fly. It was always the camera. It was a bit like Jaws.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 27:27

Yes. Yes, it did.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 27:28

It was always the camera coming in and it.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 27:30

did the hard work. Yeah.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 27:31

It really did that. It really did that work. I mean, I, we could go, we could talk all night about different types of vampires, but I think that when it really comes down to it, no matter who tries to invent, re, or reinvent the vampire, it always comes back to the basics of sucking blood. It always comes back to very much. You know, those basics.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 27:57

Yeah.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 27:57

I think in recent years with the decline of religion, it has come away a bit from that sort of religious icon iconography.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 28:04

I agree.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 28:05

But most definitely I think that, you look at the old Hammer films, you go back as far as Dracula, a Bella leg, and know, even as far back as not farra to the film, it definitely spell bounds an audience.

squadcaster-53e9_4_03-10-2025_194220 28:18

A hundred percent Chris, and maybe the last word of warning to any of our dear listeners who happen to be downing through how we feel the M around, they see a couple of unusual stones under our Hawthorne tree. best just to leave them be. Yeah.

chris-patterson_4_03-10-2025_194220 28:33

I'd say so.

chris-patterson_5_03-10-2025_200147 28:54

So Spence, that was the legend of aver talk. I know we got a bit away at the end there with our love of film and television, but, I most definitely think if you look into Uck, you're really gonna believe that vampires originated in Ireland. Like every good story.

squadcaster-53e9_5_03-10-2025_200147 29:14

Like all good storage masters, contractual.

chris-patterson_5_03-10-2025_200147 29:17

It definitely is. And we've got a Kraken one next week, a kraken one. Next week we're gonna do the history of the re

squadcaster-53e9_5_03-10-2025_200147 29:25

And I can't get much more Irish than that.

chris-patterson_5_03-10-2025_200147 29:27

you cannot. But here we are on the Irish Day, the global Irish Day, St. Patrick's Day. So happy St. Patrick's Day to all our listeners and we will see you next week with our sticks.

squadcaster-53e9_5_03-10-2025_200147 29:39

Take care folks.

29:47

Looks like your story has found you. I wish It were another. But what's meant for you, won't go by you. I'm sorry. Ach, now. No need to look so scared, eh? Enjoy the fire. Have a sop. Sure. Is it all just Irish Gothic? All just Irish Gothic.

chris-patterson_10_10-17-2024_205438 30:28

You can find us at iris gothic pod on Instagram or X, or if you want to support us, please buy us a coffee

spence_9_10-17-2024_205215 30:36

and look, while you're there, give us a follow to keep up with all things in the Irish Gothic Podcast. Send us any Irish myths, legends, stories that you'd like us to delve into next.

chris-patterson_10_10-23-2024_190653 30:46

The Irish Gothic Podcast was brought to you by Causeway Pictures. It's hosted by Chris Patterson and Spence Wright. And was produced by Rebecca Alcorn. All rights reserved.

chris-patterson_10_10-17-2024_205438 31:00

Check out our other podcast, Hostage to the Devil, which delves into the dark world of possession and exorcism. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts.