Scary Stories and Fairy Tales by Joanne Glymond

As Halloween approaches, we invite you to explore the rich tapestry of local folklore that has enchanted generations. This week, the spotlight falls on eerie legends, ghostly encounters, and tales of the mystical Fae that once roamed the Mourne landscape.

One of the museum’s most treasured items is Fairies in Mourne, a captivating book by Hugh Irvine. This collection of firsthand accounts reveals the deep-rooted belief in fairy folk—mischievous, magical beings known for playing tricks on unsuspecting humans. Among their most chilling pranks was the swapping of human babies with changelings, fairy children left in their place. One tale from Pontzpass recounts a family’s eerie suspicion that a neighbour’s child was not quite human.

Fairy trees, often solitary hawthorn or ash trees encircled by protective stone, were considered sacred. Cutting one down was said to bring misfortune. Irvine’s book tells of two teachers who, while caravaning near Bloody Bridge, ignored a local’s warning and felled a thorn tree. That night, tragedy struck. As they attempted to photograph the moonlit Blue Lake, one of the men fell 150 feet to his death. Locals whispered that the fairies had exacted their revenge.

Nestled in the heart of Rostrevor, the Fairy Glen has long been steeped in local folklore. It was once believed to be the dwelling place of the Brooneys - a mischievous race of fairies whose antics were so feared that villagers avoided the glen after dark. The winding trail is lined with ancient hawthorn trees, traditionally thought to be fairy portals, where the Brooneys would emerge at nightfall to dance to the haunting strains of a fiddle. Rostrevor’s magical charm has captivated many, including renowned author C.S. Lewis, who is said to have drawn inspiration from the area for his vision of Narnia.

Moyry Castle, too, holds its own dark legend. After its construction, soldiers at Lord Mountjoy’s garrison shot a local man believed to be a spy and a wizard. His familiar - a large black cat - allegedly avenged him by killing the guards and destroying the army’s livestock, leaving the soldiers starving and terrified.

Ghost stories also haunt the museum’s archives. One of the most poignant is the tale of Lassara, daughter of the MacGuinness clan chief. She fell in love with a wandering harper, but their planned elopement ended in tragedy when he was shot on the banks of the Clanrye River. One stormy night she managed to flee her captors and raced up the steps of the keep and jumped into the same waters in which her lover had met his fate. Now Narrow Water Castle is said to be haunted by their two ghosts. On stormy nights you can hear the notes of a harp while the ghostly figure of Lassara drifts down from the battlements into the water below.

Another spectral tale is that of the ghost train of South Armagh. First heard in the early 1900s near Aghyallogue, the train’s phantom whistle echoed through “The Wellington” in Killeen but always vanished before reaching “Barney’s Bridge.” Locals gathered at the gateman’s house for ceilidhs, hoping to hear the train. Though it disappeared for decades, its memory resurfaced when a troop train was blown up near the same townland twenty years later, leading many to believe the ghost train had been a harbinger of doom.

These stories, preserved and shared by the Newry and Mourne Museum, offer a glimpse into the region’s mystical past. Whether you believe in fairies or not, they’re sure to send a shiver down your spine this Halloween.