This is a very famous Irish story, and I posted it up on here yonks ago but I thought some of the newer members would be interested in it.

Father McSweeny, an Irish priest, returned to the town of his birth after years of travelling and following his priestly calling.
He took up the position of Parish Priest and was a conscientious and hardworking man. He was always busy, and performed all his priestly duties with merit.
However, for some reason that no body could fully explain, nobody to a liking to him. People never had, and ever since he was a small child, others had felt uncomfortable and squeamish in his presence.

On many nights, long after the townspeople had crept into their beds, a light could still be seen burning in Father McSweeny's study. People often wondered what went on so late into the night, and if there was something sinister going on, but it was never discussed. Father McSweeny's elderly widowed mother lived nearby and adored her son. Not wishing to upset the old woman, people never voiced their suspicions.

Whilst still fairly young, Father McSweeny suddenly took ill. The nature of the illness was a mystery, and different doctors diagnosed different ailments and treatments. However, they all agreed on one thing - that the mystery illness was extremely serious.
Father McSweeny accepted his sickness silently and without argument. Even as the illness grew worse and he began to waste away, he seemed to accept that he would die, as he did within a few weeks.

Despite their suspicions and reservations about him, the townsfolk decided to give Father McSweeny a big funeral, as befitting any parish priest. After all, he had worked hard and for many years. But in truth, the townsfolk may have also felt a little guilty about the secret thoughts they had had about him, and perhaps even a little relief that he would no longer be among them.

The cemetary was in the hills several miles outside of town, and McSweenys' frail mother was too old to attend the graveside service, but practically everyone else from town was there to pay their last respects. When the service was over, everyone got into cars and rode back into town to pay a courtesy call on the priests’ mother.

It was growing dark by the time the procession of cars was leaving the cemetery. A mile or so from the cemetery, the driver of the lead car noticed a figure walking up the road toward them. Walkers were rare in this part of the country, so the passengers were anxious to see who this might be. As the figure was illuminated by the car headlights, its face could be seen.

The figure on the road was indeed a familiar one ~

It was Father McSweeny. There was no doubt about who it was, yet his lifeless body had just been lowered into his grave. The witnesses all noticed something, and they all agreed that he had changed...

His always pale skin was an ashen white. His eyes were wide open and unblinking, and they glittered with an unnatural brightness. His lips were drawn back, exposing strong white teeth and bloodless gums.

The figure silently walked the entire length of the funeral procession, and gave no sign of recognition. Everyone saw him, but not a single car dared to stop. Indeed, they began to drive faster and the passengers began whispering to each other about what they'd seen.
The badly shaken mourners arrived at the house of Mrs McSweeny, and agreed not to mention anything about what they'd seen, for she was deep in grief and did not need to hear of this horrific sighting.
There was no reply when they knocked on the door, and when one of the women looked through the window, she saw the old woman lying face-down on the floor.

They broke down the door and found the elderly woman was not dead as they had feared, but merely unconscious. When she had come round, she told them that a short time ago she had heard a knock at the door. Knowing that everyone in town was at the funeral, she first peered through the window to see who her visitor might be - and saw her son.

"You saw his face?" someone asked.

The old woman hesitated and began to cry, "Yes I saw his face. It was my son but he had changed. He looked different - so fierce and wild. His eyes were wide open and his lips drawn back. And his skin - he was white as....I believe I saw the ghost of my son."

The old woman said that she wanted to open the door for him, but the sight of his malevolent features made her feel so terrified that she had doubted that it was really her son. The shock and fear made her loose consciousness.

Father McSweeny was never seen again, but for years people talked about that night. The townspeople remembered the final sighting of the of the priest.
The creature wore an expression of inhuman cruelty. Perhaps this was something in his character that he was able to disguise during his lifetime, and that may have been why he made people feel uncomfortable and even a little fearful......or maybe at the point of death, something else slipped into his corpse...something that had waited a long time to take his body.

I remember this story!

Cuh-reepy!!!

Cool story! Thanks!
I remember hearing one like it, from my Irish Grandfather, when I was little. He had an odd habit of trying to scare his grandchildren to death.

I'd never heard of it before. I like it! Very Freaky, thanks dancin'hamster!

I've never heard this before but thanks for posting it. That's pretty creepy.

If they'd just have given Father McSweeney a hug every now and again this never would have happened.

Creepy read, but really good...thanks...Now I'm off to read "Holiday"...

lol

Dancin'Hamster... never heard the story before but it gave me the chills just the same... ty

Oooh yay!!

Thanks for replying everyone!!
It is a creepy story. Gave me the proper willies

Is Father Mcsweeney a werewolf?

I remember hearing this story a long time ago. Nice rendition of it.