Spooky Comics - Haunted Stories from PRONI's archives

This comic book was produced by participants of a virtual engagement programme led by the Making the Future team at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

The programme brought together young illustrators aged 7-15 based across Northern Ireland and border counties during the Halloween break in 2020.

Throughout the week, they delved into the archives at PRONI to uncover five stories of witches, ghosts and ghouls from across Ulster.

They also learnt the art of comic book creation and worked with writer, illustrator and YouTuber John D. Ruddy, who helped them write, draw and colour their one-page spooky comic story.

Making the Future Facilitators Laura Aguiar, Community Engagement Officer & Creative Producer Lynsey Gillespie, Curator Making the Future is a regional programme being delivered by the Nerve Centre, National Museums NI, PRONI and Linen Hall Library and is supported through â‚Ź1.82m of EU funding under the PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

COMIC BOOK DESIGN Paul Monk Thanks also to our Nerve Centre colleagues Niall Kerr and Jude Mullan for their support.

Lived Once, Buried Twice (1705) In 1705, Margorie McCall fell ill with fever and died. She was hastily buried for fear of the fever spreading and that should have been the end of that. However, she was to become one of the most famous women in Lurgan.

During her wake, the family created a commotion, trying but failing to pry a precious and valuable ring from Margorie’s finger, for fear it would be taken from her grave.

She was buried in the Shankill graveyard with the jewellery still attached.

Body snatchers and grave-robbers were not uncommon in the 18th century – medical students needed something, or someone, to practice their skills and research, therefore these‘resurrectionists’forged a career in supplying this market with what they needed, through any means they could, raiding the graves of the recently deceased.

The night Margorie was buried, thieves recovered her body and tried in vain to remove the ring. A knife was produced, with the intention of removing her finger. At the first cut, Marjorie was awoken from her apparent coma, dazed and mumbling and the criminals ran for their lives.

Margorie arrived back home and knocked on the door where her grieving family were recuperating after the difficult day – her husband fainted in shock at the sight of his dead wife.

Margorie lived on following the ordeal and when she did really pass away, she returned to her final resting place for a second time. Her headstone says "lived once, buried twice".

PRONI Catalogue Reference: D2380/3: McCollum and McCall Papers , photograph of Margorie McCall’s tombstone (Shankill Graveyard, Lurgan).

ALFIE McCALLUM, CO. ARMAGH

rory diver, co. down

NIMROD GODE, CO. DOWN

KEVIN CURRAN, CO. ANTRIM

JAMES HODKINSON, CO ANTRIM

EMMA HODKINSON, CO. ANTRIM

ZOE FITZSIMONS, CO. DOWN

The M1 Ghost (1962) This story relates to sightings of a female ghost in her late teens/early twenties trying to hitch a ride from passing cars on the new M1 motorway, Northern Ireland’s first and longest motorway.

Visit the Northern Ireland Screen Digital Film Archive website to watch Charles Witherspoon as he interviews William Nesbitt for Ulster Television News about his paranormal encounter during a drive along the motorway. He further describes this experience and tells the interviewer about other psychic encounters.

According to Mr Nesbitt, she was “quite an attractive looking girl she was, in what I could see. Absolutely full, there was no ghostly look about her…she had on a grey-green suit and a dark coat while she sat beside me in the car”.

PRONI Catalogue Reference : Digital Film Archive: UTV Archive

EABHA BLOOMER, CO. TYRONE

AILBE DOHERTY, CO.DOWN

CORMAC MCCONNELL, CO. DOWN

Iarlaith rogan, co. antrim

CADHLA HARDING, CO. DONEGAL

LILY MCKINLEY, CO. DONEGAL

ODHRAN GIRVAN, CO. TYRONE

The Bewitched Cow (1807) An account of an unsuccessful attempt at witchcraft in Carnmoney, Co. Antrim: A melancholy event took place on Tuesday night in the house of Alexander Montgomery Taylor at Carnmoney Meeting House. Various reports are in circulation concerning it, but we believe the following is pretty correct.

It appears Montgomery had a cow which continued to give milk as usual but of late no butter could be produced from the milk. An opinion which had been too long entertained by many people (...) was occasioned by the cow having been bewitched.

Various spells were pointed out which would prove effective in discovering the witch or atleast in destroying her power over the cow (...) 12 women were brought to the house, who, after certain essential ceremonies, proceeded in a solemn manner to bless the cow.

This however also failed of success and the cow was nothing better.

At length, the family were informed of a woman called Mary Butler, who lived at Carrickfergus (...) They accordingly went to her and after due consultation brought her to their house.

On Tuesday forenoon, the sorceress got a quantity of the cow’s milk which she proceeded to churn (...) The churn failed of success and no butter was produced. Three men who drank of the milk were seen afterwards seized with excessive sickness (...) occasioned by some noxious ingredients which she had infused into the milk.

The enchantress then informed the family that after nightfall she would try another spell which could not fail. Accordingly, after 10 o'clock at night, she gave orders to Montgomery and a young man who was accidentally there to go to the Cow House and turn their waistcoats inside out, and, in that guise, to stand close by the head of the cow until they heard from her.

They immediately went out and did as she desired whilst Montgomery’s wife, his son, a lad about 20 years of age, and an old woman (...) remained in the house to witness the astrologer’s operations.

She then caused the door to be shut, the chimney to be stopped and every crevice that would admit air to be carefully closed up. What other measures she pursued are not known but we proceed to state the dreadful result: Montgomery and the young man, who went into the Cow House, remained there for several hours until it was daylight. The young man then went and knocked at the door, but, not receiving any answer, looked through a window and beheld the four persons inside lying stretched on the floor.

Alarmed at what he saw, he called to Montgomery and they immediately broke open the door when they found the mother and the son both dead and the other two nearly (...)

One of them died in a few hours, but Mary Butler, the sorceress, recovered and has been committed to jail.

PRONI Catalogue Reference : D3113/7/237: Correspondence in George Benn’s Papers Tanderagee, Co. Armagh.

EVE KEMPSTON, CO. ANTRIM

TIERNAGH Harding, co. donegal

The Beechmount Ghost (1989) On the evening of 2 June 1989, the Skillen family found their lives plunged into a living nightmare at their home at 91 Beechmount Grove.

The ghost of a woman around 30 years old five-foot tall with black hair very pale and dressed in a Victorian dress appeared to John with an angry look on its face.

The manifestation seemed to target John, attacking him by throwing him against the fireplace with such force it left him half-conscious.

The attacks increased, despite visits from priests and psychic mediums to try and exorcise the ghost. The aggression increased, with John being thrown over the bannister and left injured - but no one else could see her.

Her presence was felt by others by an extreme coldness and the sound and touch of her bustling dress passing by visitors. Its presence grew with such intensity that the family were forced to flee their own home.

It became well known as it was happening, with up to two hundred people gathering outside the house at times, and it made the radio and newspapers.

PRONI Catalogue Reference : Footage from UTV Archive: Interview with Sheila St Clair

greg burns, co. down

caoimhe mcgroggan, co. antrim

MARIA CURRAN, CO. ANTRIM

The Phantom Priest (1828) Ghost Story in the diary of Richard Meade, the third Earl of Clanwilliam, October 1828. 40 years ago, a knight of Malta had gone to Messina, Sicily, to examine the ancient monuments of the cathedral there. The caretaker had returned to lock up the church, believing that the visitor had left. He had no choice but to settle down in a confessional to try and get to sleep.

But he couldn’t sleep, for the hours on the clock kept him awake.

Midnight came and the commander became aware of a thin, flickering light near the robing room (…) the door opened, and a human figure came forth, carrying the sacramental plate, dressed in the full robes of a priest.

Surprise gave way to horror when the commander saw a death’s head under the priestly cowl.

The phantom priest ascended the steps of the altar and in a hollow voice called out – “is there a good Christian here who will say a mass for my soul’s repose?”

He waited for an answer, then returned towards the robing-room.

The clock struck one and he witnessed a repetition of what he had seen previously.

With this appeal for Christian help, he felt he should answer, but fear stopped him.

The clock struck two – again the same repetition occurred, only this time he stepped out of the confessional. He took the plate from the monk’s skeleton hand, and as best he could he went through the ritual of mass.

The spectre then said, “one hundred years, night by night I go through the penance that has been adjudged to me. Thou alone hast answered my appeal and now my soul may be at rest. For this service, I can requite thee, by giving thee warning whenever thine own dissolution shall approach”. The next day the caretaker returned, finding the visitor, lying at the foot of the high altar, still insensible.

Two years later, the commander, not an old man and in good health, called to his friends that he had seen the monk of Messina, who said he had three days to live and to prepare for death.

His friends tried to dispel what they considered a delusion, but he suddenly fell ill and died on the third day.

On a subsequent repair of the cathedral, a skeleton in Monk's robes was discovered upright, sealed in the wall near the robing room - the sentence of some fearful crime.

PRONI Reference : D3044/F/4: Diary of Richard Meade, third Earl of Clanwilliam.

ADAM KEHOE, CO. LONDONDERRY

CORMAC DOHERTY, CO. DOWN

DYLAN BARRETT, CO. ANTRIM

LOCHLAN CONWAY, CO. DOWN

Making the Future is a project supported by the European Union's PEACE IV Programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).