A Spooky Thread

johnfás wrote:

I'd love to say we dug them up and sold the bones to others with a fetish for that particular area of history... but we didn't. I stood there and he said 'there is Paul Henry's grave, you see his paintings sell for hundreds of thousands, but he has a pauper's grave discernable only by the pebbles which sit on top of it, the markings on the headstone long since weathered'. I said ummm hmmm... and on we went.

Is that true, johnfás: surely we could do better for Paul Henry ?

Damn, there's that knocking at the window again. It think its only a branch, but since I found the new dog cold and stiff on the doorstep this evening, I don't really want to go and check.

It is true indeed, he is buried in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Enniskerry. The only reason the stones are even on top of the headstone is that the man responsible for the upkeep of the cemetary was tired of having to tell people which was his grave. It also happens to be the cemetary where the brave nobility of the clann of johnfás have been laid to rest in recent times.

Poor cactuses poor dog - it really was a very very cold day day -
brutal and cold .. unnaturally cold you could say

johnfás wrote:

It is true indeed, he is buried in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Enniskerry. The only reason the stones are even on top of the headstone is that the man responsible for the upkeep of the cemetary was tired of having to tell people which was his grave. It also happens to be the cemetary where the brave nobility of the clann of johnfás have been laid to rest in recent times.

The placing of a pile of stones on an important burial place was a very old tradition, I know a country graveyard where it is still done, on top of a cairn, every time there is a burial.
It would be nice if something could be done to mark his grave permanently though. Isn't there an artist's society of someone who would do it?

Auditor #9 wrote:

Poor cactuses poor dog - it really was a very very cold day day -
brutal and cold .. unnaturally cold you could say

Dank, clammy and as cold as the grave, thank you Auditor #9.

cactus flower wrote:

johnfás wrote:

It is true indeed, he is buried in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Enniskerry. The only reason the stones are even on top of the headstone is that the man responsible for the upkeep of the cemetary was tired of having to tell people which was his grave. It also happens to be the cemetary where the brave nobility of the clann of johnfás have been laid to rest in recent times.

The placing of a pile of stones on an important burial place was a very old tradition, I know a country graveyard where it is still done, on top of a cairn, every time there is a burial.
It would be nice if something could be done to mark his grave permanently though. Isn't there an artist's society of someone who would do it?

Perhaps the members of Aosdána would take up the cause. That said, I doubt there are that many people interested. There are a number of interesting people buried in St Nahi's graveyard, which cactus and I have discussed before, none of whom have particularly notable burials. I would think it likely that is the way they preferred it.

johnfás wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

johnfás wrote:

It is true indeed, he is buried in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Enniskerry. The only reason the stones are even on top of the headstone is that the man responsible for the upkeep of the cemetary was tired of having to tell people which was his grave. It also happens to be the cemetary where the brave nobility of the clann of johnfás have been laid to rest in recent times.

The placing of a pile of stones on an important burial place was a very old tradition, I know a country graveyard where it is still done, on top of a cairn, every time there is a burial.
It would be nice if something could be done to mark his grave permanently though. Isn't there an artist's society of someone who would do it?

Perhaps the members of Aosdána would take up the cause. That said, I doubt there are that many people interested. There are a number of interesting people buried in St Nahi's graveyard, which cactus and I have discussed before, none of whom have particularly notable burials. I would think it likely that is the way they preferred it.

Is there anyone alive with so little ego as to not be secretly pleased by the thought of a trail of pilgrims laying flowers at one's grave?

Yes, is the short answer. I know quite a few people who would not be secretly pleased by it. My grandparents were very much against that sort of thing for their own funerals, very self defacing in many ways. They gave heavily to their Church, stained glass windows etc and at their request, not one of them bears their names or any mention of them (which is sad in some ways) - the point of their donation was not self promotion.

I think there are alot of people like this, it just isn't that interesting to report on them over the opening of the latest shop in Dundrum... which is Hamleys by the way... which is one of my favourite shops by the way .

johnfás wrote:

Yes, is the short answer. I know quite a few people who would not be secretly pleased by it. My grandparents were very much against that sort of thing for their own funerals, very self defacing in many ways. They gave heavily to their Church, stained glass windows etc and at their request, not one of them bears their names or any mention of them (which is sad in some ways) - the point of their donation was not self promotion.

I think there are alot of people like this, it just isn't that interesting to report on them over the opening of the latest shop in Dundrum... which is Hamleys by the way... which is one of my favourite shops by the way .

Are you sure that your grandparents didn't have a quiet and reasonable feeling of satisfaction that they would be well remembered for their self-effacing and appropriate gift?
Yes. Fair enough.

What's good in Hamleys? Dundrum not rattling around empty and windblown ?

I would think they probably did not have such feelings. The only people who are aware of the gift would be those immediately present, in 10 years nobody will know where or who they came from. That is how they would like it. Such people exist and they are plentiful - I come across them all the time but I won't bore you with anecdotal stories .

Hamleys is a toy shop, it is full of toys and all things which remind me of youth. I have a big thing for board games and Hamleys do a good stock of them, though I note they don't have half as good a stock here as in London. For the girlfriend there is teddies galore - we bought a Snoopy teddy on Monday.

Auditor #9 wrote:

Poor cactuses poor dog - it really was a very very cold day day -
brutal and cold .. unnaturally cold you could say

The kitten, cactus?

You live in an old house - are there old lovers, separated by death, who want to be reunited? Is that Cathy tapping on the window for her Heathcliff?

Heathcliff who hanged Isabella's dog...

Anyone ever had a supernatural experience?

I hope that isn't too personal a question... perhaps I have opened a whole can of worms here.. cactus will be telling us about the time a banshee ran down the driveway, auditor about the time a headless corpse was seen bouncing around on the burren and kate with dastardly tales from the midlands...

johnfás wrote:

I hope that isn't too personal a question... perhaps I have opened a whole can of worms here.. cactus will be telling us about the time a banshee ran down the driveway, auditor about the time a headless corpse was seen bouncing around on the burren and kate with dastardly tales from the midlands...

I dreamt of the 'future' once or twice - does that count ?

Have you lived this dreamt future yet - if you have that would certainly be worth writing about.

Daydreamers are very dangerous people, T.E. Lawrence (he of Arabia) once said that "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dream with open eyes, to make it possible."

I`d be sceptical about these things other than the thing with my grandfather which i would explain as some sort of instinct.

I saw my own death in a dream and a date. An accident in my fifty sixth year. I`m thirty now.

As for the supernatural thing I had an overwhelming feeling of a need to contact my grandfather on the day he had a heart attack. (no previous health problems and I`d not seen him in ages so it`s not that I noticed anything.)

I was also present at a poltergeist attack on someone but, although I think that he imagined it, there`s no doubt that his fear was genuine.

My Dad got cancer years ago I knew he was sick before he told me and what it was but, again, I wouldn`t put that down to any pyschic ability just to noticing something on some subconscious level. I`ll never forget his surpise at my lack of surprise.

johnfás wrote:

It is true indeed, he is buried in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Enniskerry. The only reason the stones are even on top of the headstone is that the man responsible for the upkeep of the cemetary was tired of having to tell people which was his grave. It also happens to be the cemetary where the brave nobility of the clann of johnfás have been laid to rest in recent times.

That's a nice graveyard, if it's the one I'm thinking of.

I always find those subconscious coincidental/not coincidental incidents really interesting. Situations where you for some reason put a plaster in your pocket, go out and someone cuts their finger. Interesting stuff.

ibis wrote:

johnfás wrote:

It is true indeed, he is buried in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Enniskerry. The only reason the stones are even on top of the headstone is that the man responsible for the upkeep of the cemetary was tired of having to tell people which was his grave. It also happens to be the cemetary where the brave nobility of the clann of johnfás have been laid to rest in recent times.

That's a nice graveyard, if it's the one I'm thinking of.

There is only one as far as I am aware and yes it is a nice one. Up the top of the hill, near a field of horses by the Summerhill House Hotel. We have no connection with the Church there but owing to an unforeseen family circumstance about 15 years ago (a sudden death and the necessity to find a grave) we now have a few plots in it.

I`ve little doubt that people have much stronger instincts than they think. You look at a footballer in action and how much he perceives without really being aware of it. It `s the same for all of us it`s just that we don`t need to be aware of it most of the time.

True that, perception is a very interesting thing. People say that first impressions should not count but they tend to and in alot cases they also happen to be correct. I'd like to think that is to chance because I don't believe in first impressions, but there you are - a quandary as they say.

johnfás wrote:

Anyone ever had a supernatural experience?

A weirdly mild one - mostly I think I'm naturally spook-resistant. Waiting for a train at Leuchars station (Fife, Scotland), on a nice summer evening. There was a woman walking up and down the platform, occasionally standing in front of me and tapping her foot - the noise of high heels was quite distinctive. If you're male you can tell a lot from the sound of footsteps - like whether the woman making them is worth looking at...I'd have said she was about middle height, youngish, long legs, slim, young, fairly impatient - but of course she wasn't there. Nobody there but me and the station-master - it's a small station.

The oddest thing was thinking "oh well, that'll be a ghost then" and getting on my train. Didn't even think about it again for ages, although it's not every day invisible women walk around in front of me.

anmajornarthainig wrote:

I`ve little doubt that people have much stronger instincts than they think. You look at a footballer in action and how much he perceives without really being aware of it. It `s the same for all of us it`s just that we don`t need to be aware of it most of the time.

Yes I agree, intuition is just our brains working faster than our ideas can keep up with.

ibis wrote:

johnfás wrote:

Anyone ever had a supernatural experience?

A weirdly mild one - mostly I think I'm naturally spook-resistant. Waiting for a train at Leuchars station (Fife, Scotland), on a nice summer evening. There was a woman walking up and down the platform, occasionally standing in front of me and tapping her foot - the noise of high heels was quite distinctive. If you're male you can tell a lot from the sound of footsteps - like whether the woman making them is worth looking at...I'd have said she was about middle height, youngish, long legs, slim, young, fairly impatient - but of course she wasn't there. Nobody there but me and the station-master - it's a small station.

The oddest thing was thinking "oh well, that'll be a ghost then" and getting on my train. Didn't even think about it again for ages, although it's not every day invisible women walk around in front of me.

Good story, well told, Ibis.

johnfás wrote:

ibis wrote:

johnfás wrote:

It is true indeed, he is buried in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Enniskerry. The only reason the stones are even on top of the headstone is that the man responsible for the upkeep of the cemetary was tired of having to tell people which was his grave. It also happens to be the cemetary where the brave nobility of the clann of johnfás have been laid to rest in recent times.

That's a nice graveyard, if it's the one I'm thinking of.

There is only one as far as I am aware and yes it is a nice one. Up the top of the hill, near a field of horses by the Summerhill House Hotel. We have no connection with the Church there but owing to an unforeseen family circumstance about 15 years ago (a sudden death and the necessity to find a grave) we now have a few plots in it.

My mother was very keen on being buried in it (once dead, anyway) when she lived n Enniskerry - being a notorious witch, of course, she hadn't a chance.