Canon O’Hanlon is best known in Laois for his History of the Queen’s County, a two-volume work outlining the history of County Laois from the earliest times to the 20th century. Expertly researched and annotated, this is an invaluable reference work. Although an academic historian Canon O’Hanlon also valued the folklore of his native county and country. As a young boy in pre-famine Laois he listened to stories by the fireside and understood the importance of preserving this intangible heritage.
In 1870, under his nom-de-plume ‘Lageniensis’ Canon O’Hanlon published Irish Folklore: Traditions and Superstitions of the Country. He dedicates an entire chapter to Halloween. Find below pages from All-Hallows’ Eve, with its Various Divinations and Festive Customs. The complete work and collections of folklore captured by Canon O’Hanlon are available in Laois Local Studies, along with folklore, superstitions, ghost stories and local beliefs and customs gathered by a range of local historians including Daniel O’Byrne, Helen Roe, Johanna O’Dooley and Tony Scully.
The image above is Memento Mori, “To This Favour” by the American artist William Michael Harnett (1848–1892). It is a great example of the open source artwork available on JStor, accessible in Laois Libraries.
