Irish Myths, Magic and Miracles: What Do We Really Believe?

My name is Ardal. It is a real name, and I'm a real person. And this is Ireland, a real place, as well as an imaginary one. There are just a few things about my country I could do without, but mostly, I love it. To help me separate the myth from the reality, I'm going to consult this old guidebook to Ireland. It was written by the formidable Mr. and Mrs. Hall, an Anglo-Irish couple who condescended their way around the country, examining every facet of Irish life, for better or for worse. Idle, reckless, unprincipled. It was the drink, James. It was the drink. Their observations of Ireland and the Irish took root in the minds of their English readers. But was there any merit in them? Are we really a bunch of superstitious, God-fearing, whiskey sodden chancers? Or are we just like everybody else? Well, there's only one way to find out. Now, before I set off on my way around the country, I should remind you, I was once a walking, talking stereotype myself. Does he really exist, I mean? Yes, I was in Father Ted. I played the differently clever Father Dougal Maguire. And when we die, we're all going to go to heaven. Yes, what about it? Well, that's the bit I've trouble with. Having been a pretend priest, I know as well as anyone that Ireland is prone to all manner of unusual beliefs. So this time, I'm off to explore what Ireland believes in and why. Ireland is first and foremost a Celtic country, still partial to pre-Christian beliefs, which is why we're no strangers to the odd superstition. Try this one for size. If you kiss a magic stone in a castle in County Cork, you will be blessed forevermore with a gift of the gab. Written to attract the English visitor to Ireland, the Hall's guidebook loved this sort of thing. Few places in Ireland are more familiar to English ears than Blarney. The notoriety is attributable to the marvellous qualities of its famous stone. Now, Ireland is a small country, but I've managed to avoid this place my whole life. For me, it's always been a shameless exercise in paddywhackery, peddled to American tourists in big pants, pandering to every hokey notion they ever had about Ireland. But I might be wrong. The Hall's Victorian guidebooks helped make Blarney Castle one of Ireland's biggest tourist attractions. And it's all down to the magic power of the Blarney stone. 20 million people have kissed this perilously positioned chunk of stone, including Mick Jagger, Winston Churchill, and would you believe it, Laurel and Hardy. And now it's my turn, in about an hour, by the looks of things. There's loads of castles in Ireland, and there's loads of stone, and there's stories associated with every single castle, but this one has endured for hundreds of years. I don't... Over 600 years, yeah. People believe in it. I suppose the belief that people live in it, it does help them, you know. And that's the point. People want to believe in stuff like this. But how did the legend begin? Well, the lord of the castle once saved a woman from drowning, as you do. Needless to say, she was a witch, and she told him if he kissed the first stone he saw, he would be blessed with great eloquence. Because we Irish are reputed to be a bit chatty, the story does have a ludicrous plausibility about it. Do you think it's going to have some effect? I'm going to talk a lot today. Yeah? Yeah, even more or less so than usual. Well, was it the experience you were dreaming of? Change, man. So finally, it's my turn. The metal grill is handy. Before it was installed, countless would-be kissers slipped to their death. Let's see if I can find a good one. Ooh! Careful. Ooh, that was a... It's a sort of sense. Yeah. That was a smacker. Do you know, I'm speechless after that. I must have done it wrong. You could have this down as one of the world's most brilliant con tricks. But I think there might be something in it, given that they've been doing this for hundreds of years. You know, perhaps the stone does have magical properties, even though, according to the halls, I can't even be sure if that's the right stone. Here it is. The exact position among the runes of the castle is also a matter of doubt. Like in those days, I think you could either kiss a stone at the top of the building, or you could kiss one of these stones. Maybe there are some magical properties associated with it. People have been known to pocket loose chunks of stone in the hope they'll be blessed with perpetual luck. And why not? I'm assuming the current Lord of the Manor enjoys a chat. The same Anglo-Irish family have owned Blarney since the halls came here nearly 200 years ago. For Sir Charles St. John Colthorst, 10th Baronet, Blarney is the well that never runs dry. Well, so far, anyway. And you've had a few experiences over the last couple of years where people are taking stones from the building itself or from the grounds? It's mainly from the grounds. We get jiffy bags appear in the post every now and again. And then you get occasionally anonymous letters saying, very sorry we took this stone. We have had no luck since we left Blarney. Please return this from whence it came. The most emotive one was one from America where I think it was a priest writing on behalf of one of his parishioners where he said this individual had had no luck at all for the last two years. And the only connection they could think of was, had he done anything wrong? Well, he said, I'd taken a stone from the grounds of Blarney Castle. The moral of the tale, don't push your luck. I'm not a superstitious person, really, I'm not. But why tempt fate? Outside the towns and cities, Ireland is a sparsely populated place. You can travel for miles without meeting anyone, which is why it's not unheard of for country folk to put their trust and belief in a matchmaker to find them a mate. One of the last of his kind is to be found near the town of Ennis in County Clare. Immortalised here in the famous matchmakers bar in Listoun, Varna, Willie Daly is the most famous matchmaker in Ireland. But Willie himself operates from a remote farm in the middle of nowhere. Why you, Willie? What is it about yourself that can read people's souls? I suppose I'd have to say it's almost not that special. But all my life, I've had a great interest in people and I've had a great interest in everybody being happy, not just a minority of people. Excuse me now a second. Hello? Willie is on matchmaker duty day and night. Oh, no, no, I'm getting you, I told you. You wouldn't want to be in a hurry. I know, but I text you and I told you I'd get a girl for you, but I told you to take a couple of days. I mean, I'm not a magician. Sorry, sorry for saying that. They say that Willie is responsible for more than a hundred marriages. Why do people need your services? Why can't they just go to a pub and, you know, just mingle? Yeah, and that's a good question. Now, there's a certain amount of people, you know, if they're quite shy when they're a bit young, they find that they don't mix as good as others. What is that book? It's a matchmaking book. It belongs to my father, my grandfather and myself. So it's a lucky book. If you touch it with both hands, you'll be in love and married. Close your eyes for about seven seconds, you'll be in love and married in six months. If you only want to be in love, you touch it with one hand and you close your eyes. Now, if you're already married, you can touch it twice and you recreate quite an amount of romance, something similar to your honeymoon in the L.A. Can I have a go with that? You can. As I often said, I do, yeah. Do I have to think of anything? I suppose I'd better think of a way. Think about love, sir. Been happy, yeah. Sure, I couldn't be any happier. What is it about the human race as a species? Like, you know, in the animal kingdom, you know, you just go up to another animal at the watering hole and you just get down to business straight away. Yeah, yeah. What is it about us that it's such a long, winded process? Well, to be honest with you, in Ireland, it's a bit like that, but it's late in the night when every woman looks like Pamela Anderson. I'm just going to meet one of Willie's clients. Her name is Nicky, and she's looking for Willie to help her find love. Hello, Nicky. Hello. Hi, how are you? I'm very well, thank you. Oops. Willie. Sorry. Wow, and who's this? This is Milo. Hello, Milo. My fox-red Labrador. Willie's clients come from all over the world. Nicky's from the north of England. She's scouring Ireland for a man. So Willie's met me, seen me face-to-face, he's talked to me, so he's got an idea of what I want and who I am, so maybe he might get it right, because I haven't so far. But have you had a date? I've had two dates through Willie. And it just didn't work out? No, you kind of like, no. A girl knows, she gets a gut instinct. Well, I do anyway, I know straight away. What are you looking for, or can you actually even define that? I can't. That's the thing, it's like, I think if I knew what I was looking for, I'd just go out and find it, but because I don't know, I just keep thinking, I'll know when I meet that right person. What is it that Irish guys have to offer? I mean, you're obviously traveling around Ireland. Yeah, well, last year I went round Scotland, I did the whole west coast of Scotland. There's not one bloke in Scotland? Yeah, I met one. Oh, you did meet one? Yeah, I had a little summer relationship, it was lovely. I thought, let's try Ireland, let's, I've heard that the men have a twinkle in their eye. Milo has just created quite an aroma. Oh, has he? Yes. Oh, sorry. Do you think that might be a drawback? Willie has set Nicky up for a date later this evening. I've suggested Stinky Milo stay at home. Some people still believe in the power of matchmakers. This bar in Ennist Diamond is matchmaker Willie Daly's HQ. And tonight, Willie is going to make an introduction. Willie tells me there are something like 28 men to every woman in this part of Ireland. Nicky has come to the right place. Possibly. Hello, Kevin. How are you? Nice to meet you. Local man, Kevin Corrie, is a painter and decorator. And so Willie has somebody lined up tonight, and you haven't met her before? I've never met her before. So would you be apprehensive about that, or? No, I wouldn't be apprehensive. I'd never be apprehensive about a woman because I know how to treat a woman. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. And good luck. Pleasure. Pleasure meeting you. Willie. I've brought you a nice man. I've brought you a lovely man. Oh, hi, Kevin. This is Nicky, Kevin. Nicky. Yes, nice to meet you. I can't recommend him as being a very nice person. Oh, highly recommended. I know Nicky, I know Nicky, Kevin. You'll find that out in a while. Yeah. No, I've met Nicky. She travels with a dog, and I think if a woman has a dog, it's always a nice recommendation. It means that they're capable of love, you know? I mean, sometimes, you know, if a woman loves her dog, she'd love people as well. Do you have a dog yourself? I don't, actually. I'm not allowed. It's where I'm living. So, but I love animals. Love horse riding, love anything. Willie's lit the blue touch paper, but will sparks fly? My freedom is out on the beach. And you can go for a walk on the beach. Look at the sunset. Stuff like that. Or go up in the mountain, have a look out. I'm not so sure it's working out. I think they're both really lovely people. But, you know, Willie's the expert. I think you have a lovely personality. And I only know you a couple of minutes, but you have a lovely personality. Thank you. Well, fair play to Willie. He knows his stuff, you know. Yeah. And now, the verdict. Hello again. Well. Has Willie come up with the goods this time? Yes and no. Biggest stipulations is that I always wanted a man to be taller than me. I don't want to look down on a man. Well, Willie's quite a charming man. Touch of the shaman about him, touch of the guru. Many clearly believe in his magic powers, but I'm not sure Nicky did. It's time to leave Ennis Diamond's lonely hearts to their own devices. I wish them well. Mr. and Mrs. Hall married in 1824, without the help of Willie Daly. They spent the next 15 years touring Ireland, amassing material for their guidebooks. During that time, Ireland was very much part of the British Empire. As upright Protestants, the Halls were fascinated by the rituals and religious practices of a largely Catholic population. I've come north to Derry to see one of these rituals firsthand. If you spend any time in Ireland, sooner or later, you're going to end up popping your head inside a church. It's unavoidable. The Halls love this sort of thing. Their guidebook was into raptures. The manners and customs of the Irish afford ample scope from which to draw both entertainment and information. The courtships, the weddings, the christenings, the wakes, the pilgrimages to holy wells, all provide material for the pencil of the artist and the pen of the writer. Well, there you are. That's the Halls for you. I'm here because it's St. Columba's Day. The Halls would have given the right heat to observe what's coming next. I've joined local writer and churchgoer, Madeline Macaulay. And we're going to process to St. Columba's well, a few hundred yards down the road. But how did St. Columba create a holy well? Is it something you can just do as a saint? He struck the ground when there wasn't any water and he struck the ground and this well sprung up. And I mean, it's still there, the purest of water. It's covered over now, but it's the purest of water. This is where the ground was struck and the spring sprung. Today is the one day of the year when the lid is lifted on the sacred well. And now it's time to distribute the holy water. The people of Derry believe the water from this well still carries St. Columba's blessing from 1,500 years ago. In the Middle Ages, holy water was so highly valued, it had to be locked up overnight in case it was stolen. And it's still clearly in demand. Queues are forming and empty bottles are being produced everywhere you look. No shortage of belief here. A lot of people would still believe that it has curative powers. In the way that you would bring holy water from Lourdes or from Dunwell or from other places, they would take the water home and it is blessed. So they say this is holy water. Who am I to argue with the wisdom of crowds? You never know when you might need it. I'll just get a little bottle there. Put that up there. For my mother. People wouldn't drink it though, would they? Oh yeah, yeah, it's quite pure. Thank you very much. I mean, look at it. Thank you. Look at it, it's absolutely pure. No charge. There you are. You didn't believe that you'd get that. I didn't expect to get that. I was a bit hesitant at first to take it because I'm not a superstitious person really, not a religious person, but you know, I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth either. No matter how much you try to run away from the church and from the dogma and from the doctrine and from the rituals, you know, it kind of informs your every waking thought as well. So everything you do, everything you say, every decision you made, you know, is in some way measured against what you learned as a child. Holy water and holy wells connect us directly to our ancient pagan past. But there's something else about us physically that connects us directly to our Celtic ancestors. Something that is believed to be a part of our unique genetic makeup. And that is the colour of our hair. 2% of the world's population have red hair, yet 10% of the Irish people are redheads. Now this iconic postcard, it sums up Ireland for a lot of people, stereotyping us as a bunch of fiery, temperamental peasants. I mean, look at that little girl. She's clearly about to kick that donkey. But are redheads more Irish than the rest of us? I think the answer lies over here. Cronin's Bar in Crosshaven, just outside Cork City, is a redhead pub. You don't have to have the right hair colour to drink here, but it helps. Cronin's is a temple for the follicly flushed, a place where they gather nightly to share their belief that you're better off red. I've been told to look out for a red-haired lady called Jolene. Jolene? But where do you start? Who's Jolene? Where's Jolene? Oh, Irish! How are you? Nice to meet you. Hello, how are you? Nice to meet you. That's Cronin. Hi, I'm Cronin. The Queen. Jolene Cronin and her brother, Dennis, started the redhead convention back in 2010 as a bit of a joke. But they were amazed to discover how many redheads actually wanted to get involved. They're determined to make red hair something to believe in, something that reflects and celebrates their Irishness. They even elect an annual King and Queen. And all I could have ever seen was just a sea of red-haired people. That's the first vivid image that pops into my head when I talk about it. And there's comforting numbers. Yes. And beyond the crack, is there anything, like, important about redheads getting together? Absolutely. Well, there's a huge sense of community and, I suppose, kind of solidarity. Why, are you different? I mean, do you consider yourselves to be different? I mean, we obviously consider you to be very different. But do you consider yourselves to be? We are a little bit different, but in a good way, do you know? Have you ever experienced anything negative? Like, have you ever, you know, this thing we hear of gingerism, have you? Gingerism, I've heard a lot about gingerism. Yeah? I've heard so many stories from around the world of people who've been seriously targeted and bullied for being a redhead. And I think in Ireland, it's not that much of a problem because we do have a significant population of redheads. Is it true that some sperm banks will not accept sperm from people with red hair? Correct. That is fact. That's a fact. And they actually, a few years ago, stopped. Point blank, no more redhead sperm. Not in demand. Nobody wanted it. Happily, the sperm banks in question have since reversed their decision. So the great redheads of history like Boudicca, Galileo and General Custer can all rest easy. Redheads are so special, they even have their own song. Dye My Hair Later. ♪ I saw a redhead I see ♪ ♪ To hold me in a storm ♪ ♪ Till the sun shines in the morn' ♪ ♪ For a ginger to take my hand ♪ ♪ We'll fly beneath the summer sky ♪ ♪ We'll watch the fly for all the reds to try ♪ ♪ With sunscreen on our skin ♪ ♪ We'll hear the session sing ♪ ♪ In Crosshaven where the redhead flag is flying ♪ Never occurred to me that people would define themselves in terms of hair colour. But these people clearly have shared experiences and shared genetic heritage that compel them to form a group. And despite rumours, they're not going to die out when they're having this much fun. In the Victorian guidebook to Ireland, the halls boast that few counties contain finer ruins than County Clare. Well, I'm looking for something a little more conventional than this. I'm on a modern day pilgrimage with my trusty guide, Father John Kenny. I have been here before, but I don't remember the way. Okay, well, I hope somebody knows the way. Well, we'll let the guardian angels bring us along. So, what are we doing today, Ted? Confessions and mass and things like that, I suppose? Yes, stupid, things like that. It's great being a priest, isn't it, Ted? We filmed Father Ted 20 years ago in an old farmhouse here in County Clare. Question is, can I find it again after all this time? This road looks interesting. We'll try it out anyway. Yeah. Fingers crossed. I shouldn't do that. No. Or touch wood. Touching wood is good. That's the wood of the cross. Oh, is it? Yeah, touching wood goes back to Good Friday. But fingers crossed, yeah, and walking under ladders and all that stuff, that's silly. Father John's wood touching has paid off. The house itself has become a bit of a shrine to more intrepid fans of the series. Sadly, Father Ted is no longer with us. Have you ever seen Father Ted? Regularly. I suppose he's been a friend of mine since I lived in Achill Island in 1994. So you were a parish priest on an island? Well, I was a curate at that time, yeah. Oh, like me? I was on my own, so you were my buddies for a while on TV. Now then, who's for tea? Me, please, Mrs Doyle. Tea! Fick! Milk? Please, Father. Thank you. Tea was always on tap at Father Ted's house. And what do you say to a cup? Fick off, cup! Over 25 episodes, Father Ted mercilessly lampooned the priesthood. And my experience was that priests quickly tuned into it and quite liked it, anyone I ever met. Right up to Cardinal Basil Hume, even, believe it or not. I believe he was a fan. I mean, obviously, when I was growing up, the reverence for priests was so much greater and the respect and the deference. Yes, people would bless themselves in case the priest was carrying the sacrament. And you didn't greet him unless he greeted you because he was on a mission. I'm not, that's not my way of being a priest. I can even remember, like it was during the first series of Father Ted when we were filming it down here in County Clare. And it was before anyone knew about the show. I was in a shoe shop and I was just wandering around in the... In the gear. In the gear, yeah. And it was just at lunchtime or something, I was looking at shoes and the shopkeeper came over to me and he just said, just take them, take them father, whatever you want. They're yours. I must borrow your collar. That never happened to me. But I get you, yeah. There would have been, I suppose there's a next degree of that. Do you get free shoes especially? I don't, but I get free coffees now and again because they kind of figure it'd be nice for the priest. He'd recommend this place for a reception. Free shoes and free coffee. You can see the attraction. Father Ted's rather eccentric version of Catholicism is nothing compared to the reality of people's beliefs. Here, some people really do believe in miracles. Again, we see that this is a... I've come to a secret location to see firsthand some of the most powerful and sought after religious objects in the country. They are all connected with one particular saint. And because they're believed to have curative powers, they're lent out to the sick and dying. They are known quite simply as holy relics. This is the mitten that would normally go on public display. And that was to cover, to hide? That was exactly, his wounds would be continuously bleeding. So he got the stigmata in 1918 and he had that right up to a couple of days before he died. These mittens belong to Padre Pio. An Italian priest who allegedly suffered from stigmata, identical wounds to those received by Christ when his hands, wrists and feet were nailed to the cross. Many accused Padre Pio of being a fraud and a fantasist, faking his own wounds. But the Vatican made him a saint and his blood-soaked mittens have since achieved currency as powerful holy relics. This is the man himself? That's the man himself, indeed, yeah. Wearing the mitten? Wearing those mittens, yeah. He would have had to wear a few every day, obviously with the blood leaking from the stigmata in a sense. And you can see him just... Named after the saint, Pio Enright is the keeper of Padre Pio's holy relics. They were given to him by his father, Donal, who became friends with Padre Pio before his death in the 60s. This is the large heart bandage, which would have the blood on it. You can see a lot of the blood of Padre Pio on it. And the heart. Yes, and his heart, where he had the stigmata as well. And how can you be sure these are authentic? These were given to him directly by the friars in Italy. Yeah. And you've never had any doubt yourself? Yes, I would have, of course, especially when I was young. When faced with something that's indescribable or that really there is no solution at the end of the equation, you're always going to be sceptical. But there are some very clear cases that are actually even authenticated by professional people, oncologists, et cetera, et cetera, where there is no rational explanation. Pio has taken me to meet a young woman who was thought to be fatally injured some years ago. The fact that she survived, apparently through the intervention of holy relics, was held by some to be a miracle. John Ardell, how are you? Sophie Finucane was living in Manchester at the time. I didn't know that he had a gun inside the house. And he pulled the gun out and shot me at the side of my head. And the hospital was telling my dad and my mum and everybody that I was going to die. And they were saying, look, say your goodbyes, say your goodbyes, that's all they kept saying. Say your goodbyes, you won't make it through today, she won't make it through tonight, that's all they ever said. They took her for a brain scan and they told me that she was clinically brain dead, that there was no hope whatsoever. But that was the same day. John was desperate. His daughter was in a coma and unlikely to survive. John tracked down Pio's father, Donal. He begged him to bring Padra Pio's holy relics to Sophie's bedside, which Donal was happy to do. And he came in and he gave the day of praying with her. And of course, he was telling us all these wonderful stories of all these miracles where there's life, there's hope. And I said, Donal, what do you think? And he said, I don't feel she's a dying child. I'll never forget the words the longest day I live. So how long was Sophie in the coma then before she started to come around? Sophie was in a coma for 10 days. And they were telling me that if she didn't die, that she'd be badly brain damaged. I think my sister, my brother- It was at this point that Sophie began to stir. Make a circle around her and I was holding her hand and we were praying away. She started turning that ring, this very ring that I have on my finger. And she kept turning it and turning it. Donal said to me, I can tell you, he said, one thing for nothing. He said, no matter what they tell you inside in the hospital, he said, have no fear of her. He said, she's cured. He said, my work is done here. And he went out the door and he went home. And the two of you, you absolutely credit Donal and Padraig Peel. Absolutely, I wouldn't doubt it. I wouldn't doubt it for one minute of my life. Definitely, it was definitely Donal. You don't think it's possible that it was the medical profession? They don't even think it was possible. I have a DVD somewhere here in the house of the head neurosurgeon saying it was nothing they done. They had no hope. And you don't think it was just the power of your own, your willpower? I think a small little bit, but I don't know. She's very stubborn. Very, very stubborn. But yeah, Donal, like if Donal wouldn't have been there. So you're absolutely convinced it's a miracle? Yeah. Oh, everyone is, yeah. Yeah. In their guidebook to Ireland, published in Gentile, London, the halls were constantly harping on about how poor we were and how dirty our towns were as a consequence. But as you can see, we've pulled our socks up. Oh yes. And now being tidy has become a bit of an obsession. I've come to the Beara Peninsula in County Cork. But I could be visiting any town across Ireland because over the summer months, a sort of religious mania takes hold, expressed in day-glow paint and coloured bunting. Well, it looks pretty. It looks safe. But don't get too relaxed. You'll get in big trouble if you so much as drop a sweet wrapper or a piece of chewing gum, because you see, people are fanatical about their towns. No matter how old or young you are, everyone must do their bit to keep Castletown Beara immaculately tidy. Should you not be in school? Do you like doing things for the town? Yeah, it's nice to make it tidier. Yeah. Like everyone else in Castletown Beara, the children are devoted to the annual Tidy Towns competition. Started by an image-conscious government back in 1958, almost 900 towns and villages throughout Ireland now compete for the accolade of the nation's tidiest town. Anonymous judges scour the streets, noting down their observations, good and bad. Here we go now, look. Just one thing, only one thing the judges were slightly critical of. Yeah. An overabundance of signage on certain poles. Yeah. One pole near the silver dollar bar, seven brown signs pointing in various directions and could cause confusion. We have an example everywhere. So what do you do with the signs that are there? Well, could you not just pull a few of those signs down? Well, how are you going to find out where Kinmear is then? Well, do we know where the... No one needs to know where Iris is. Well, they do, actually. If you're going to Iris, you do. I suppose, yeah. Now look, the tourist information point, no one's ever going to see that sign. No, I agree with you, yeah. The Beara way, there's too much choice. 13, 14, 15. There's 16 different signs on that pole. Yeah, yeah. Like I'm confused now. Well, I wouldn't blame you. I would think you would win the competition this year if you got rid of seven of those signs. I leave Barry to consider my excellent suggestion and join the children, who are being rewarded for all their hard work in Izzy O'Donovan's ice cream parlour. So is this your favourite shop in town? Yeah. It's definitely mine as well. So what makes Castletown Beara so great, so special? We're on the sea. The scenery is absolutely stunning. We've got gorgeous mountains around us as well. And there's a gorgeous beach over in Alley. It's a big, lovely, sandy beach. And what about the people? Ah, well, the people make it, you know. And it's a small town, yeah, everyone knows everyone. And you've got the best ice cream in Cork. Yay! Which is a bit of a comfort. Well, it's a bonus having a good sweet shop in the town. Yeah, yeah. No one's ever going to argue that, are we? No, no, definitely. No one's ever going to leave the Beara in this way. They go collecting. Izzy's high-octane evangelism is typical of the proud Tidytown dweller. In last year's Tidytowns report, the people of Castletown Bear were congratulated on their efforts. But they didn't win the prize. The nearest village and biggest rival to Castletown Bear is Eyrie's. Now, the cocky swagger of this place may be down to the fact that last time it beat Castletown Bear by 35 points. The village was commended on its litter control. But if you look closely, you can see there are no bins in Eyrie's. You see, bins attract rubbish. But it looks like they don't have people either. And that's because the village stretches all the way down to the sea. And today is the day the beach gets its weekly clean-up, overseen by Eimear O'Neill. It's a bit tough, Eimear, isn't it? I mean, having to do, like, the town and having to do, like, here as well. Yeah. That's a bit unfair. Well, not really, no. I mean, this is part of the village as well. You know, a lot of people would use this place. You know, there's a lot of work, not just this. There's work put into the whole village itself. You don't seem to have any bins in Eyrie's. No, that's true, yeah. Is that deliberate? It is, well, it has been. We just found out, you know, there was bins. I think it's a problem all over the country, really, that there's any public bins. They just seem to get abused, you know, being people dumping. So it works not having bins. It does, yeah, but there is a call for it sometimes, you know, and we are going to trial one or two of them in the public areas. Sneak them out for an hour a day. Yeah, just to see, but they'll have to be closely, you know, monitored and kind of kept an eye on. And we have one at the moment in the sensory garden. A full-time sentry. We'll have to. Over the bin to make sure that people don't abuse. It'll be a job for somebody, yeah. My tour through this binless village culminates with the sanitary equivalent of a visit to the Louvre. The proud chairman of the Toilet Committee is Hugh O'Neill. Hello, Hugh. Hi, how are you? Congratulations. Welcome, Clarice. You have the place spotless. We do our best. Well, can we have a look at the shining jewel of the town? Well, you can, of course. I won't charge you. Thanks. Well, it's the only public toilet in Ireland that smells beautiful. Yeah? Yeah, I'd go that far. Right, okay. Yeah, they are, we're trying to... I could spend time in here. Not too much, no. No. Just enough. Wouldn't smell as beautiful if I did. Yeah. Yeah, no, lovely. Oh, yes, I know. Little spider there. A cobweb, yeah, yeah. Yeah. And I got rid of all them yesterday evening, but there are a few, there are still a few. Back again. Yeah, back again, yeah. Yeah, I'd say it was the Castellan bear people that planted that spider there. Don't say that. Yeah. No, it's, yeah. It's really something. Yeah. When it comes to belief, the halls, like many Victorians, were obsessed with the supernatural. Ireland has always had an abundance of ghost stories. So for the halls, it was rich pickings. The tale of the puka caught their imagination, a malignant fairy, half horse, half eagle, who tempts innocence onto its back. Carragonass Castle in County Cork is just the kind of place you might encounter a puka. Voices have supposedly been heard emanating from this 500-year-old building. This is what I think. I either read this or made it up. We're not the most rational people in the world. We don't subscribe to either or theories here in this country. We're both and people. We hold competing thoughts in our head at the same time. We're quite comfortable with this idea of contradiction. It's a Celtic thing. So if somebody asked me, for example, do you believe in ghosts? I would say, no, of course not. But that doesn't mean they're not there. Now I'm about to join a meeting of a local group of ghost hunters. Matthew, Jackie and Paul are typical of a rise in the number of people worldwide who take the supernatural seriously. They claim to have photographed a real ghost. That would be one of our most impressive. It does look like the figure of a man. Yeah. Or a human, anyway, of some sort. It looks fairly modern, is it? You wouldn't think, it doesn't look like a monk. Look, he could be flares. He could be wearing flares. He could be 60s either. But you're absolutely convinced by the sounds of it that it is a person. Yeah. Well, it would indicate that it would be The Cork Supernatural Society, as they styled themselves, used a vast array of Ghostbuster technology to record everything from invisible light to inaudible sounds. But to my eyes and ears, this is about something more fundamental. I mean, are you all believers? I'd be, I'm very sceptical. We have car evidence that would suggest there is something. What other kind of evidence? We're gonna play some audio for you now. Let's just listen. Yeah, I'm recording again. I heard a voice in the background. Yeah, but... Did you hear that? Yeah, I did, but is that not just someone's, like... No, that's what we can't figure out. Where were you when you were recording? We were in the Bannerkrieger Castle. But, like, how can you be 100% sure it wasn't just someone, like, hiding behind a door, or... We had the key for the place. Mike's been picked up. See, like, I suppose the difficulty I have is that why don't they just speak clearer? Nobody has the answer to that one. To prevent me asking more embarrassing questions, someone has thrust an electronic gizmo into my hand. It's reading, it's detecting something. Some EMF, some electromagnetic waves. I've been told to put the hardware down. It's time for the main event. We're going to speak directly to the other world. OK, is there anyone here with us tonight that would like to make contact with us? There is. Anybody here that would like to make contact with us? There's a recorder with a little red light just there on the window. If you just speak into that, it won't hurt you. We've come here as your friends. We mean you no harm. Can you come and say hello to us? Tell us your name? Can you tell us what year you're from? When did you live here? This could take a little while. Can you touch one of the people here that are present? Touch them somewhere, just so that we know that you can hear us. If there's anyone here with us tonight, could you make a bang sound for us? Could we hear your footsteps? You'll have to do it as loud as possible so we know it's you. Do ghosts exist? No, I don't think so. The Halls wouldn't be surprised at all by the antics of our Ghostbusters. Their guidebook was full of excitedly recounted stories of mischievous fairies and unquiet spirits. The difference is some of us believe we've actually seen them. We're irrational people, but with a healthy respect for the irrational. You know, we're still open to belief in God and ghosts and even miracles. Now, this could be due to our history, our deep-rooted Catholicism or perhaps our Celtic heritage. Or it might just be our very vivid imaginations.