October 11, 2024 • 17 mins
Welcome back to Rogue Darkness! In this episode we’ll be delving into the sickening and heartbreaking case of Bridget Cleary, a woman from Ireland who was brutally murdered by her family, under the presumption that she was a changeling fairy, attempting to wreak havoc on the human realm.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
https://www.nationalarchives.i...
https://www.atlasobscura.com/a...
https://www.libraryireland.com...
All music used in this episode, as well as all other episodes of Rogue Darkness, are royalty and copyright free and available for public use through the Creative Commons.
Contact: roguedarknesspod@gmail.com
Follow me on my socials!
IG: https://instagram.com/rogue_da...
YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC...
X: @rogue_darkness
Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/rogued...
Rogue Darkness is part of the Darkcast Network. Check out all of the network’s other amazing podcasts at www.darkcastnetwork.com
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
https://www.nationalarchives.i...
https://www.atlasobscura.com/a...
https://www.libraryireland.com...
All music used in this episode, as well as all other episodes of Rogue Darkness, are royalty and copyright free and available for public use through the Creative Commons.
Contact: roguedarknesspod@gmail.com
Follow me on my socials!
IG: https://instagram.com/rogue_da...
YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC...
X: @rogue_darkness
Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/rogued...
Rogue Darkness is part of the Darkcast Network. Check out all of the network’s other amazing podcasts at www.darkcastnetwork.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Dark Cast Network. Welcome to the dark side of podcasts.
The world are ritualistic child abuse? They would do that,
replied Donal an insidious design right now to program and
(00:22):
influence the minds of our children. Forwards the occult and witchcraft,
Let's exclure the darkness of mankind one crime in a time.
Does it make you want to hate murdered? What does
it make you want to do? Welcome back to Rogue Darkness,
(00:43):
the podcast that uncovers how the misinterpretations and misinformation surrounding witchcraft,
the occult, and other beliefs have led many to do
unthinkable crimes. From ritualistic killings and the demons that live
in all of us, to exploration of the macabre and
delving deep into the unknown. Let's explore the darkness of
(01:03):
mankind one crime at a time. I'm your host of
the Grim and Gruesome Raven. Let's go rogue and get
right into today's chilling crime, the case of the gruesome
story of Bridget Cleary, an irishwoman whose life was taken
(01:24):
in a manner so bizarre it continues to haunt the
annals of criminal history to this day. But let's first
start off from the very Beginning in the rolling green
hills of County Tipperary, Ireland, in the year of eighteen
sixty nine, a baby girl was born who would become
a symbol of a tragic collision between ancient folklore and
(01:45):
modern reality. Her name was Bridget Cleary. Her story was
rooted deeply in a time and place where ancient legends
were weaved into the fabric of daily life, and the
supernatural was considered as real as the cold, hard ground
beneath one's feet. Bridget's life and shocking demise arose from
this complex milieu, creating a haunting tale that to this
(02:09):
day reverberates with the chilling echo of a crime. Deeply
intertwined with local lore and beliefs. The Ireland of the
eighteen hundreds was a place caught between two worlds. On
one hand, it was an era defined by sweeping societal
changes prompted by industrialization and modernization. On the other, it
(02:31):
was a land where, particularly in rural areas like County Tipperary,
centuries old superstitions, rituals and beliefs held fast. These tales
of banshees wailing in the night and mischievous fairies causing
mayhem were not mere bedtime stories, but a very real
part of everyday life. During this era, the societal norms
(02:54):
for women were particularly confining. They were largely expected to marry, bare,
chill ldren, and maintain a household. Their lives were often
dictated by the whims of their husbands and societal expectations. Education,
let alone a career, was a luxury many couldn't afford
or were forbidden from pursuing. An independent, successful woman was
(03:17):
not only a rarity, but also a figure that many
considered unsettlingly out of place. In this context, Bridget Cleary
was a true anomaly, a beacon of light that illuminated
the possibilities of a different path. Bridget wasn't merely an
obedient wife confined to her cottage's hearth. She was a
skilled dressmaker, a woman whose nimble fingers spun not just cloth,
(03:41):
but also an independent livelihood. Her fine craftsmanship brought her
not just monetary prosperity, but also a sense of self
reliance and personal accomplishment, sentiments that were seldom the lot
of women of her time. Her home, shared with her husband,
Michael Cleary wasn't just a modest cottage of stone and
(04:02):
thatch typical of rural Ireland. It was a relatively modern
dwelling with more comfort and convenience than most of their neighbors.
Their homestead was a testament to their relative affluence, standing
out amidst the simpler dwellings that dotted the Irish countryside.
Bridget's success as a business woman was unprecedented and extraordinary
(04:24):
for her time. A woman with a successful enterprise was
nearly unheard of in an age when women were largely
seen and not heard, confined to roles within the domestic sphere. Bridget, however,
had the courage to break from tradition to claim a
roll and a space that was usually denied to women.
Her skillful hands weaved not just cloth, but also the
narrative of a new, evolving Ireland where women could be
(04:47):
more than just wives and mothers, where they could be artisans, creators,
and successful entrepreneurs. Their prosperity and relative modern lifestyle set
them apart from the rest of their community, making them
object of curiosity and sometimes of envy and suspicion in
a society that was comfortable with age old traditions and
(05:08):
status quo. Bridget and Michael's different way of life was
both intriguing and unnerving. It was an embodiment of change,
a concept that not everyone embraced. In the chill of
March in the year eighteen ninety five, Bridget Cleary fell
into the icy grip of a debilitating illness. The precise
nature of her sickness remains shrouded in the mists of history. However,
(05:31):
speculation points towards the possibility of bronchitis or pneumonia. A
shadow of worry spread across her household as her health
plummeted with a startling quickness, her normally vibrant demeanor replaced
by a sickly pallor that seemed to grow graver with
each passing hour. Her husband, Michael Cleary, alarmed by the
rapid deterioration of his wife's condition, decided to turn towards
(05:55):
the assistance of the local doctor, hoping against hope for
some form of effective remedy. However, in the twilight of
the nineteenth century, medical science was still an underdeveloped field,
its understanding of human physiology and disease yet to take
robust shape. The doctor, after his visit, was at a loss,
unable to offer any real relief, leaving the couple with
(06:18):
a growing sense of desperation. In this dark hour, when
conventional medicine seemed to falter, Michael turned to Dennis Gainey,
a man colloquially known as the Fairy Doctor. Gainey was
reputed for his remarkable knowledge of local folklore and his
mysterious herbal concoctions, a beacon of hope for those whom
(06:39):
conventional medicine had failed. Late nineteenth century Ireland was a
country steeped in an ancient tapestry of folklore, where superstition
seeped into everyday life and shaped world views. The Fairy Doctor,
drawing from this mystical well of belief, suggested a theory
that sent shit down Michael's spine. He proposed that the fairies,
(07:04):
creatures deeply embedded in Irish lore, had spirited away Bridget
and replaced her with a changeling, a fairy impostor meticulously
crafted to mirror her appearance. From the modern lens, such
beliefs may seem like fanciful tales spun for the amusement
of children, yet in the rural hamlets of Ireland of
(07:26):
that time, they were as real and palpable as the
earth underfoot. These mythical beings were believed to inhabit an
enigmatic realm parallel to ours, a world from which they
could slip into ours via mystical pathways formed by fairy
rings and ancient forts. Feared for their malevolent tendencies, fairies
(07:47):
were notorious for abducting humans, particularly those who stood out
for their attractiveness or talents, such as Bridget. In the
days leading up to her tragic demise, Bridget had fallen
prey to a seemingly benign co while delivering eggs in Kylinegrana,
a place enshrined in local folklore as the site of
a fairy ring. As her condition deteriorated, her home turned
(08:09):
into a sight of growing concern, with relatives and neighbors
filling the rooms with hushed whispers about the supernatural nature
of her affliction. Amongst these whisperings, one voice rang louder
John Dunn, a neighbor who clung steadfastly to the dying
traditions of fairy belief. Dunn and others, persuaded by his
(08:30):
views were growingly convinced that the woman in the house
was not their Bridget, but a changeling left in her place.
The notion of a fairy changeling was deeply ingrained in
their folklore, a perfect duplicate set in place of a
real person, typically a woman or child, after they had
been whisked away by the elusive fairies. In the ensuing chaos,
(08:53):
there were frantic attempts to summon the doctor, the priest,
and the herbal doctor to the Cleary household. Despite their efforts,
Bridget's fever raged on unyielding. By the fifteenth of March,
the atmosphere in the Cleary cottage was thick with tension.
Michael Cleary, his mind warped by fear and superstition, started
(09:14):
challenging his wife's identity, demanding she state her name. The
situation turned more tumultuous when she hinted that his mother
had been taken by the fairies and claimed to see
police lurking at the window, desperate please for respite from
the escalating pressure. In the wake of the uncanny diagnosis
of Bridget's ailment, Michael was presented with a harrowing path
(09:37):
to reclaim his wife from the mythical clutches of the fairies.
The solution lay in the ancient folklore that dictated a
series of rituals and cures to evict the changeling and
rescue the victim from the supernatural realm. Thus it marked
the beginning of an eight day nightmare for Bridget, a
gruesome marathon that involved being force fed, dubious earth concoctions,
(10:01):
subjected to physical assaults, and a horrific finale that could
only be equated to a live immolation. During the days
leading up to the fateful Night, Bridget was tended by
a gathering of her friends and family. A myriad of
home remedies were administered, each carrying echoes of her impending doom.
An ominous precursor to her death was a ritual in
(10:21):
which she was accused of being a fairy, impersonating Bridget
not by outsiders but her own father and husband. In
a chilling enactment of their belief, urine was flung at
her and she was carried before the fireplace in an
attempt to drive the supposed fairy out. As the chill
of the night on March fifteenth descended on their home,
(10:43):
Bridget found herself in the grip of her husband and
some of her relatives, becoming the unwilling centerpiece in a
ghastly ritual. On that nightmarish night, he yanked at her
clothing and used a heated stick from the fire to
ignite the fabric. James Kennedy, a relative, pleaded with him
not to burn his wife, only to be met with
(11:03):
Michael's chilling response, She's not my wife. She's an old
deceiver sent in place of my wife. The gruesome act
culminated in Bridget being interred in a shallow grave a
mere quarter mile from their cottage. In a fit of
mannic frenzy, Michael Cleary resorted to the most extreme measure,
stripping Bridget and dousing her in oil and then setting
(11:27):
her aflame. The horrific event plunged the Cleary household into chaos,
further amplified when he locked Bridget's extended family inside the house.
Later that night, with Patrick Kennedy's assistants, he removed Bridget's
remains from their home, which were later discovered in a
nearby shallow grave. By March sixteenth, whispers of Bridget's mysterious
(11:52):
disappearance were swirling in the local community, prompting local law
enforcement to initiate a search. Michael Cleary, now a left husband,
claimed that his wife had been taken by the fairies
and seemed to be keeping a vigil for her return.
In the days following Bridget's demise, Michael Cleary found himself
on Kaylin Agranner Hill keeping a vigil for his wife,
(12:15):
whom he fervently believed would be returned by the fairies.
He declared she would come galloping on a white horse
through the Ring Fort, allowing him to cut her free
and return home together. This reunion, however, was thwarted when
authorities arrived on March twentieth. Eight people were apprehended by
the police for their involvement in Bridget's death. When Bridget's
(12:37):
burnt remains were unearthed from a shallow grave on March
twenty second, nine individuals had already been implicated in her disappearance,
including her husband. A coroner's inquest the following day concluded
a grim verdict death by burning. In the days that followed,
the grim discovery of Bridget Cleary's charred remains in a
(12:58):
shallow grave shook the country to go to its core.
The heinous nature of her murder, echoing with the primal
fears of a populace steeped in superstition, led to the
arrest and charge of nine individuals, including her husband, for
her murder. The incident quickly caught the media's attention and
was sensationalized as the last witch burning of Ireland. A
(13:21):
sensational two day trial in July eighteen ninety five ended
with Michael being convicted of manslaughter, while Jack Dunn, Patrick Boland,
and four of Bridget's cousins were also found guilty. This case,
a blend of tragedy and myth, was etched indelibly into
the collective memory of Ireland, a haunting reminder of a
(13:43):
not so distant past. The trial revealed the chilling details
of Bridget's final days. The court heard how Michael, convinced
his wife was not herself, had coerced his family and
neighbors into a series of rituals to rid Bridget of
the fairy curse. Michael Cleary never admitted to his crime,
(14:03):
always maintaining the belief that he hadn't killed his wife,
but rather the changeling that had taken her place. He
was ultimately found guilty of manslaughter and served fifteen years
in prison. The story of Bridget Cleary is a disturbing
testament to the dangers of superstition and ignorance. It shows
us the horrific lengths people can go to when fear
(14:25):
and belief overpower reason. It remains one of the most
chilling episodes of Irish history. A gruesome story of a
woman who fell victim to the most monstrous aspects of
folklore and belief. This tale of a supposed fairy abduction
and a murder born of desperate belief is one that
continues to haunt and fascinate. It's a grim reminder of
(14:47):
a past where myth and reality often intertwined, leading to
horrifying consequences. You enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to
Rogue Darkness on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps
us continue to bring you more stories of true crime
(15:09):
and the paranormal. Definitely let me know your thoughts on
this case and if you have any questions regarding it
or any other cases I've previously covered. You can always
contact me at Rogue Darkness pod at gmail dot com.
You can also always reach out to me directly on
my socials, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube are all at
Rogue Underscore Darkness. As always, be sure to share the
(15:33):
podcast with anyone who you think would like it, and
be sure to leave a rating and review over on Apple, iTunes, Spotify,
Good Pods, or anywhere else you can leave a review
to let other listeners know you enjoy the show, and
if you want some personalized shout outs and other exclusives,
definitely check out my Patreon by visiting patreon dot com
slash Rogue Darkness. You can also check out my Bonfire
(15:55):
shop if you want to get your hands on some
merch to support the show even further. As always, all
the links for everything discussed in my episodes are down
in the description box of the episode. And with that said,
that concludes this week's episode of Rogue Darkness. The darkness
is all around us, and I can confidently say that
(16:16):
reality truly is more terrifying than fiction. Until next time,
Dark Cast Network. Welcome to the dark side of podcasts.
The world are ritualistic child abuse? They would do that,
replied Donal an insidious design right now to program and
(00:22):
influence the minds of our children. Forwards the occult and witchcraft,
Let's exclure the darkness of mankind one crime in a time.
Does it make you want to hate murdered? What does
it make you want to do? Welcome back to Rogue Darkness,
(00:43):
the podcast that uncovers how the misinterpretations and misinformation surrounding witchcraft,
the occult, and other beliefs have led many to do
unthinkable crimes. From ritualistic killings and the demons that live
in all of us, to exploration of the macabre and
delving deep into the unknown. Let's explore the darkness of
(01:03):
mankind one crime at a time. I'm your host of
the Grim and Gruesome Raven. Let's go rogue and get
right into today's chilling crime, the case of the gruesome
story of Bridget Cleary, an irishwoman whose life was taken
(01:24):
in a manner so bizarre it continues to haunt the
annals of criminal history to this day. But let's first
start off from the very Beginning in the rolling green
hills of County Tipperary, Ireland, in the year of eighteen
sixty nine, a baby girl was born who would become
a symbol of a tragic collision between ancient folklore and
(01:45):
modern reality. Her name was Bridget Cleary. Her story was
rooted deeply in a time and place where ancient legends
were weaved into the fabric of daily life, and the
supernatural was considered as real as the cold, hard ground
beneath one's feet. Bridget's life and shocking demise arose from
this complex milieu, creating a haunting tale that to this
(02:09):
day reverberates with the chilling echo of a crime. Deeply
intertwined with local lore and beliefs. The Ireland of the
eighteen hundreds was a place caught between two worlds. On
one hand, it was an era defined by sweeping societal
changes prompted by industrialization and modernization. On the other, it
(02:31):
was a land where, particularly in rural areas like County Tipperary,
centuries old superstitions, rituals and beliefs held fast. These tales
of banshees wailing in the night and mischievous fairies causing
mayhem were not mere bedtime stories, but a very real
part of everyday life. During this era, the societal norms
(02:54):
for women were particularly confining. They were largely expected to marry, bare,
chill ldren, and maintain a household. Their lives were often
dictated by the whims of their husbands and societal expectations. Education,
let alone a career, was a luxury many couldn't afford
or were forbidden from pursuing. An independent, successful woman was
(03:17):
not only a rarity, but also a figure that many
considered unsettlingly out of place. In this context, Bridget Cleary
was a true anomaly, a beacon of light that illuminated
the possibilities of a different path. Bridget wasn't merely an
obedient wife confined to her cottage's hearth. She was a
skilled dressmaker, a woman whose nimble fingers spun not just cloth,
(03:41):
but also an independent livelihood. Her fine craftsmanship brought her
not just monetary prosperity, but also a sense of self
reliance and personal accomplishment, sentiments that were seldom the lot
of women of her time. Her home, shared with her husband,
Michael Cleary wasn't just a modest cottage of stone and
(04:02):
thatch typical of rural Ireland. It was a relatively modern
dwelling with more comfort and convenience than most of their neighbors.
Their homestead was a testament to their relative affluence, standing
out amidst the simpler dwellings that dotted the Irish countryside.
Bridget's success as a business woman was unprecedented and extraordinary
(04:24):
for her time. A woman with a successful enterprise was
nearly unheard of in an age when women were largely
seen and not heard, confined to roles within the domestic sphere. Bridget, however,
had the courage to break from tradition to claim a
roll and a space that was usually denied to women.
Her skillful hands weaved not just cloth, but also the
narrative of a new, evolving Ireland where women could be
(04:47):
more than just wives and mothers, where they could be artisans, creators,
and successful entrepreneurs. Their prosperity and relative modern lifestyle set
them apart from the rest of their community, making them
object of curiosity and sometimes of envy and suspicion in
a society that was comfortable with age old traditions and
(05:08):
status quo. Bridget and Michael's different way of life was
both intriguing and unnerving. It was an embodiment of change,
a concept that not everyone embraced. In the chill of
March in the year eighteen ninety five, Bridget Cleary fell
into the icy grip of a debilitating illness. The precise
nature of her sickness remains shrouded in the mists of history. However,
(05:31):
speculation points towards the possibility of bronchitis or pneumonia. A
shadow of worry spread across her household as her health
plummeted with a startling quickness, her normally vibrant demeanor replaced
by a sickly pallor that seemed to grow graver with
each passing hour. Her husband, Michael Cleary, alarmed by the
rapid deterioration of his wife's condition, decided to turn towards
(05:55):
the assistance of the local doctor, hoping against hope for
some form of effective remedy. However, in the twilight of
the nineteenth century, medical science was still an underdeveloped field,
its understanding of human physiology and disease yet to take
robust shape. The doctor, after his visit, was at a loss,
unable to offer any real relief, leaving the couple with
(06:18):
a growing sense of desperation. In this dark hour, when
conventional medicine seemed to falter, Michael turned to Dennis Gainey,
a man colloquially known as the Fairy Doctor. Gainey was
reputed for his remarkable knowledge of local folklore and his
mysterious herbal concoctions, a beacon of hope for those whom
(06:39):
conventional medicine had failed. Late nineteenth century Ireland was a
country steeped in an ancient tapestry of folklore, where superstition
seeped into everyday life and shaped world views. The Fairy Doctor,
drawing from this mystical well of belief, suggested a theory
that sent shit down Michael's spine. He proposed that the fairies,
(07:04):
creatures deeply embedded in Irish lore, had spirited away Bridget
and replaced her with a changeling, a fairy impostor meticulously
crafted to mirror her appearance. From the modern lens, such
beliefs may seem like fanciful tales spun for the amusement
of children, yet in the rural hamlets of Ireland of
(07:26):
that time, they were as real and palpable as the
earth underfoot. These mythical beings were believed to inhabit an
enigmatic realm parallel to ours, a world from which they
could slip into ours via mystical pathways formed by fairy
rings and ancient forts. Feared for their malevolent tendencies, fairies
(07:47):
were notorious for abducting humans, particularly those who stood out
for their attractiveness or talents, such as Bridget. In the
days leading up to her tragic demise, Bridget had fallen
prey to a seemingly benign co while delivering eggs in Kylinegrana,
a place enshrined in local folklore as the site of
a fairy ring. As her condition deteriorated, her home turned
(08:09):
into a sight of growing concern, with relatives and neighbors
filling the rooms with hushed whispers about the supernatural nature
of her affliction. Amongst these whisperings, one voice rang louder
John Dunn, a neighbor who clung steadfastly to the dying
traditions of fairy belief. Dunn and others, persuaded by his
(08:30):
views were growingly convinced that the woman in the house
was not their Bridget, but a changeling left in her place.
The notion of a fairy changeling was deeply ingrained in
their folklore, a perfect duplicate set in place of a
real person, typically a woman or child, after they had
been whisked away by the elusive fairies. In the ensuing chaos,
(08:53):
there were frantic attempts to summon the doctor, the priest,
and the herbal doctor to the Cleary household. Despite their efforts,
Bridget's fever raged on unyielding. By the fifteenth of March,
the atmosphere in the Cleary cottage was thick with tension.
Michael Cleary, his mind warped by fear and superstition, started
(09:14):
challenging his wife's identity, demanding she state her name. The
situation turned more tumultuous when she hinted that his mother
had been taken by the fairies and claimed to see
police lurking at the window, desperate please for respite from
the escalating pressure. In the wake of the uncanny diagnosis
of Bridget's ailment, Michael was presented with a harrowing path
(09:37):
to reclaim his wife from the mythical clutches of the fairies.
The solution lay in the ancient folklore that dictated a
series of rituals and cures to evict the changeling and
rescue the victim from the supernatural realm. Thus it marked
the beginning of an eight day nightmare for Bridget, a
gruesome marathon that involved being force fed, dubious earth concoctions,
(10:01):
subjected to physical assaults, and a horrific finale that could
only be equated to a live immolation. During the days
leading up to the fateful Night, Bridget was tended by
a gathering of her friends and family. A myriad of
home remedies were administered, each carrying echoes of her impending doom.
An ominous precursor to her death was a ritual in
(10:21):
which she was accused of being a fairy, impersonating Bridget
not by outsiders but her own father and husband. In
a chilling enactment of their belief, urine was flung at
her and she was carried before the fireplace in an
attempt to drive the supposed fairy out. As the chill
of the night on March fifteenth descended on their home,
(10:43):
Bridget found herself in the grip of her husband and
some of her relatives, becoming the unwilling centerpiece in a
ghastly ritual. On that nightmarish night, he yanked at her
clothing and used a heated stick from the fire to
ignite the fabric. James Kennedy, a relative, pleaded with him
not to burn his wife, only to be met with
(11:03):
Michael's chilling response, She's not my wife. She's an old
deceiver sent in place of my wife. The gruesome act
culminated in Bridget being interred in a shallow grave a
mere quarter mile from their cottage. In a fit of
mannic frenzy, Michael Cleary resorted to the most extreme measure,
stripping Bridget and dousing her in oil and then setting
(11:27):
her aflame. The horrific event plunged the Cleary household into chaos,
further amplified when he locked Bridget's extended family inside the house.
Later that night, with Patrick Kennedy's assistants, he removed Bridget's
remains from their home, which were later discovered in a
nearby shallow grave. By March sixteenth, whispers of Bridget's mysterious
(11:52):
disappearance were swirling in the local community, prompting local law
enforcement to initiate a search. Michael Cleary, now a left husband,
claimed that his wife had been taken by the fairies
and seemed to be keeping a vigil for her return.
In the days following Bridget's demise, Michael Cleary found himself
on Kaylin Agranner Hill keeping a vigil for his wife,
(12:15):
whom he fervently believed would be returned by the fairies.
He declared she would come galloping on a white horse
through the Ring Fort, allowing him to cut her free
and return home together. This reunion, however, was thwarted when
authorities arrived on March twentieth. Eight people were apprehended by
the police for their involvement in Bridget's death. When Bridget's
(12:37):
burnt remains were unearthed from a shallow grave on March
twenty second, nine individuals had already been implicated in her disappearance,
including her husband. A coroner's inquest the following day concluded
a grim verdict death by burning. In the days that followed,
the grim discovery of Bridget Cleary's charred remains in a
(12:58):
shallow grave shook the country to go to its core.
The heinous nature of her murder, echoing with the primal
fears of a populace steeped in superstition, led to the
arrest and charge of nine individuals, including her husband, for
her murder. The incident quickly caught the media's attention and
was sensationalized as the last witch burning of Ireland. A
(13:21):
sensational two day trial in July eighteen ninety five ended
with Michael being convicted of manslaughter, while Jack Dunn, Patrick Boland,
and four of Bridget's cousins were also found guilty. This case,
a blend of tragedy and myth, was etched indelibly into
the collective memory of Ireland, a haunting reminder of a
(13:43):
not so distant past. The trial revealed the chilling details
of Bridget's final days. The court heard how Michael, convinced
his wife was not herself, had coerced his family and
neighbors into a series of rituals to rid Bridget of
the fairy curse. Michael Cleary never admitted to his crime,
(14:03):
always maintaining the belief that he hadn't killed his wife,
but rather the changeling that had taken her place. He
was ultimately found guilty of manslaughter and served fifteen years
in prison. The story of Bridget Cleary is a disturbing
testament to the dangers of superstition and ignorance. It shows
us the horrific lengths people can go to when fear
(14:25):
and belief overpower reason. It remains one of the most
chilling episodes of Irish history. A gruesome story of a
woman who fell victim to the most monstrous aspects of
folklore and belief. This tale of a supposed fairy abduction
and a murder born of desperate belief is one that
continues to haunt and fascinate. It's a grim reminder of
(14:47):
a past where myth and reality often intertwined, leading to
horrifying consequences. You enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to
Rogue Darkness on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps
us continue to bring you more stories of true crime
(15:09):
and the paranormal. Definitely let me know your thoughts on
this case and if you have any questions regarding it
or any other cases I've previously covered. You can always
contact me at Rogue Darkness pod at gmail dot com.
You can also always reach out to me directly on
my socials, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube are all at
Rogue Underscore Darkness. As always, be sure to share the
(15:33):
podcast with anyone who you think would like it, and
be sure to leave a rating and review over on Apple, iTunes, Spotify,
Good Pods, or anywhere else you can leave a review
to let other listeners know you enjoy the show, and
if you want some personalized shout outs and other exclusives,
definitely check out my Patreon by visiting patreon dot com
slash Rogue Darkness. You can also check out my Bonfire
(15:55):
shop if you want to get your hands on some
merch to support the show even further. As always, all
the links for everything discussed in my episodes are down
in the description box of the episode. And with that said,
that concludes this week's episode of Rogue Darkness. The darkness
is all around us, and I can confidently say that
(16:16):
reality truly is more terrifying than fiction. Until next time,
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