134 year-old long-lost story from famous Irish writer discovered by man browsing library

A long-lost story from Bram Stoker, the Irish author of one of the world's best known gothic horror stories 'Dracula', has been found in Dublin.

In a remarkable discovery, the short story by Stoker, has been unearthed 130 years after it was first printed.

The story was found while Stoker enthusiast Brian Cleary was doing research on the famous author in the Irish National Library in 2023.

The piece, entitled 'Gibbet Hill', was originally featured in the 1890 Christmas supplement of the Dublin Daily. After the story was first printed, it disappeared and remained undocumented until now.

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"I was just astounded, flabbergasted," Cleary told reporters after finding the story in 2023. "I read the words Gibbet Hill and I knew that wasn't a Bram Stoker story that I had ever heard of in any of the biographies or bibliographies."

And the biggest question, Cleary said, was: "What on earth do I do with it?"

Cleary contacted several Stoker biographers and experts, who confirmed that the piece was indeed Stoker's work.

Mr Cleary said that he was visiting the National Library of Ireland (NLI) to indulge one of his interests, researching historical literature and the works of Stoker, and while buried in the archives, he uncovered this hidden literary gem.

It is a dark story of a man travelling through the English countryside, who comes across a haunting story involving murders, hangings and demonic and malevolent children.

He explained that he had been searching the British Newspaper Archive at the NLI and had found an advert in the Dublin Daily Express promoting its Christmas supplement.

The supplement had been published on 17 December 1890 and when Mr Cleary kept digging, he uncovered the literary gem.

The text of Gibbet Hill is published in a new book and proceeds from it will benefit a charity that is close to Mr Cleary’s heart.

Mr Cleary told reporters that he experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss in 2021, and that it changed his life.

After having cochlear implant surgery, Mr Cleary was on leave from his work so that he could focus on intensive rehabilitation and it was during this period that he spent time at the NLI and devoted hours to indulging his interest in Stoker material.

Mr Cleary works at the Rotunda Hospital and proceeds from his book which centres on Gibbet Hill, will go to the newly-established Charlotte Stoker Fund, dedicated to research on preventable deafness in vulnerable newborns.

The first public reading of this haunting story will take place next Saturday as part of Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival 2024.