The Legend of the Phantom Highwayman
Page 9
‘But why were they swapping cargoes?’ asked Rachel. ‘That’s what I don’t understand.’
‘It’s very simple really,’ explained Peppi. ‘That way the ship ended up with a cargo of poteen and Customs papers to say it was spa water.’
‘Well, you’ve got the ship,’ said Cowlick, ‘but what about the big still? You didn’t find that.’
‘But we did,’ announced Peppi. ‘The papers we found at the plant show that Max had organised supplies from all the people who were making poteen as a small business. Grouping them together, he made it into one big business. And mending machinery was only a cover for keeping in touch with them. So the big still was all around us – the wee stills of the glen and the mountain. It was staring us in the face and we couldn’t see it.’
‘A sort of co-op,’ suggested Mr Stockman.
‘Or spider’s web,’ said Róisín, thinking of Rathlin.
‘Exactly,’ laughed Peppi. ‘He had it organised just like a spider’s web. But unlike the spider, he had to give up, thanks to yourselves.’
‘Was your theory right then?’ asked Rachel. ‘That the phantom highwayman was a decoy, to take attention away from what they were doing at the Spa?’
‘I think it must have been,’ said Peppi. ‘But, oddly enough, none of them admit knowing anything about the phantom of Hugh Rua.’
‘There you are,’ said Tapser. ‘What did I tell you? I think the ballad is right. His spirit does still ride in the glen.’
Mr Stockman smiled. ‘Well, don’t forget what I told you. The glen has a lot of secrets, and so have its people.’
He winked at Peppi and Peppi added, ‘That’s right. I mean, who’s to say who was haunting the High Road? Sure if it comes to that, who’s to say it’s Mr Stephenson up on top now, and not Hugh Rua?’
Tapser smiled. He knew Peppi was only joking. But even if he wasn’t and Hugh Rua had stolen another coach-and-four, he was certain they had nothing to worry about. After all, he had ridden with the phantom highwayman before! Anyway, there were much more pleasant things to think about now than phantoms and smugglers. There was a song in the air, and he knew there were the amusements and many other treats in store for them at what the song called ‘the Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle O.’
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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.
About the Author
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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To William Rodgers