Although, loosely based on the macabre and cruel character of Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler, a 15th century prince of Wallachia in Transylvania, a region also renowned for stories of vampires and werewolves, Stoker had plenty of material to draw on from early and contemporary Irish history.

The Great Famine (1845-47) and subsequent cholera outbreaks fuelled many stories of horror and of people being buried alive. In Celtic times storytellers were passed on of dreadful tales of the "undead", those who were destined to wander the earth forever seeking the blood of others. These ghouls were known to have had bad blood or droch fhola (pronounced as druc ula!)

Image: Number 15 Marino Cresent

© www.patliddy.com
The above information was valid to the best knowledge available to the compiler but responsibility cannot be accepted for any unintentional inaccuracies or out of date data.