The Legend of the Phantom Highwayman (11 page)

In my research into stagecoaches, highwaymen and various other matters for this story, a number of people and publications were of great help to me.

When I was looking for details of the Londonderry mail coaches, Mr J. W. Vitty of the Linenhall Library in Belfast was good enough to delve into his records and provide me with the information I required.

For more general information, I relied on an article called
‘The Age of the Stage Coach'
by Professor J. L. McCracken in
Travel and Transport in Ireland
, edited by Kevin B. Nowlan (Gill and Macmillan, 1973).

As for the highwaymen mentioned, I found two books very helpful –
The Highwayman in Irish History
by Terence O'Hanlon (M.H. Gill and Son, 1932), a copy of which was given to me by Rena Dardis of The Children's Press, and
The Irish Highwaymen
by Stephen Dunford (Merlin Publishing, 2000). My thanks also to John Lafferty of Derry for telling me about the outlaw, Shane Crossagh.

I also drew from
Old Ballymena
, a history of the town during the 1798 rebellion, published in the local
Observer
newspaper in 1857 under the title of ‘Walks About Ballymena', then published in book form by Charlie Watson in 1995 and reissued for the bicentenary of the rebellion by the Mid-Antrim Historical Group in 1998.

The first poem quoted in this book by Mr Stephenson is
The Death Coach
by T. Crofton Croker, who was born in Cork in 1798. James Lyons included it in his book,
Legends of Cork
(Anvil Books, 1988).

The second poem quoted by Mr Stephenson, about the vanishing lake of Loughareema, is
The Fairy Lough
by Moira O'Neill. I was privileged to hear a lecture by Cathal Dallat at the Hewitt International Summer School in Carnlough, in which he referred to the fate that befell Colonel McNeill and his coachman at Loughareema, which he translated as
Loch an Rith Amach
, the running-out lough.

As far as poteen and poteen making are concerned, I heard many a story from the late Tim Kelly of Luggacurren in County Laois. Needless to say some of those stories are reflected in the
Highwayman,
and I am grateful to him and his wife, Kathleen.

TOM McCAUGHREN is one of Ireland's leading authors for young people.

He has written five adventure books –
The Legend of the Golden Key, The Legend of the Phantom Highwayman, The Legend of the Corrib King
(new editions of all three published by Mercier Press in 2011),
The Children of the Forge
and
The Silent Sea
.

He has also written three books for teenagers. Two of these –
In Search of the Liberty Tree
and
Ride a Pale Horse
– are set against the background of the 1798 rebellion. The third –
Rainbows of the Moon
– is a highly acclaimed thriller. Set on the Irish border during the recent ‘troubles', it has been translated into several languages.

As well as several shortlistings, his books have won a number of awards for literature. These include the Reading Association of Ireland Book Award 1985, the Irish Book Awards Medal 1987, the White Ravens Selection 1988 (International Youth Library, Munich), the Young Persons' Books of the Decade Award 1980–1990 (Irish Children's Book Trust), and the Oscar Wilde Society's Literary Recognition Award (1992).

A journalist and broadcaster, Tom McCaughren was RTÉ's Security Correspondent for many years. He is married and has four daughters.

The Legend of the Corrib King

Wings that whistle, Legs that fly... So begins the mysterious invitation that Tasper, Cowlick and his sisters Rachel and Róisín get from Uncle Pakie, asking them to come to the Corrib at dapping time. The kids are intrigued by the strange invitation and head off to to the West of Ireland in search of some fun.

But when they get there, Uncle Pakie has disappeared, leaving behind him an even more mysterious poem… With their cousin Jamesie, a mine of local information, they set out in a horse-drawn caravan to explore the countryside and find the missing Pakie. All they have to guide them are the clues in the poem…

ISBN: 978 1 85635 801 9

The Legend of the Golden Key

'A delightful book' 
The Sunday Independent
.

A tale as old as time, 'The Legend of the Golden Key' is about a beautiful young girl who defies her miserly father and his promise of a fortune in gold and chooses instead to wed her penniless lover. The lovers disappear but what of the fortune? One summer day five young hopefuls decide to solve the mystery of the Golden Key. The story story behind the legend is about a beautiful girl in old Ireland who defies her father and his promise of a fortune in gold, and instead chooses to run off with the pennyless love of her life. The pair disappear, but what of the fortune? Tasper and his friends start their quest at the castle, where strange things begin to happen on the grounds and unexplained lights are seen in the sinister fairy fort.

Can they solve the riddle? Will the treasure be found?

ISBN: 978 1 85635 801 9

For more information and titles, please visit the Mercier Press website 
http://www.mercierpress.ie/tommccaughren

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