Bloody Irish: Great Irish Vampire Stories

Bloody Irish: Great Irish Vampire Stories examines vampire lore through Irish and wider Celtic traditions. Bob Curran discusses ancient beliefs about death, the importance attached to blood, and the ways older ideas were absorbed and altered by Christianity.

The book traces a changing image of the vampire, from an ancestor’s returning ghost to a hostile demonic figure, while presenting tales rooted in Ireland’s legendary and folkloric traditions. Its approach connects religious change with stories of the dead who return, blood-drinking creatures and threats within the familiar landscape. Rather than concentrating on the later aristocratic vampire of popular fiction, Curran’s collection places Irish accounts and Celtic beliefs at the centre of the subject.