Just outside the town of Garvagh on the way to the hamlet of Glenullin you will find the Slaghtaverty Dolmen , very probably a stone age burial, but no-one not even the brave archeologists from “Time Team” want to have a poke about anywhere near it .. and this is why.
Back in the far away times the land around what would become Garvagh and Glenullin was ruled by a rather nasty piece of work called Abhartach which aptly described his lack of height. He was short very short, bald, and had sharpened his teeth to points and practiced sundry “dark arts” , had he gone to Hogwarts he would definitely been sent to Slitherin by the sorting hat. The Locals hated him, making them do things they really did not want to do, there were stories of disappearances particularly of pale young ladies with nice necks that were not yet promised in marriage.
The locals discussed it and while “Pitchforks and Torches” were mentioned, it was pointed out by the wiser old folks that while it would be good to march and scream obscenities at the keep where Abhartach lived, it was much better to NOT be changed into spiders or snails!
So they dispatched their leader to go and have a chat to a neighbouring chieftain called Cathain, who had recently been converted to the new religion of Christ. He had a fine lineage of daring-do with a minor in inflicting serious injury to those he felt needed it.
Cathain was persuaded by their tales of awfulness to help. So he got his silver sword and magic shield and set off the the dark damp and deeply unpleasant keep of Abhartach.
The fight was mighty, Abhartach cast spells which bounced off Cathain’s shield (Inadvertently making some near by cows grow excessive hair thus creating what would become highland cows)
Cathain swung his sword many many times until he managed to stab the dwarf in the heart. Abhartach fell dead to the floor and was taken outside to the field and buried.
Everyone cheered and had too much to drink, BUT that night at midnight, Abhartach walked back into the hall and demanded a bowl of blood from those inside or he would curse them!
Cathain was summoned again, and they had another big fight and again Cathain Slew the dwarf and he was buried again, this time quite a bit deeper.
BUT .. once again Abhartach appeared in the keep at midnight demanding blood.
Cathain was well pissed off by this, normally when he killed someone they stayed dead, So he went to visit the then new church in nearby Errigal .. Run by Adamnon, who had yet to be promoted to a Saint. Adamnon was wise is such things and advised that Cathain did not use his Silver Sword but instead fashion a spear from a hawthorn tree and harden it in the church’s altar fire where he would then bless it. Once Abhartach was dead (again) the hawthorn spear should be left in place through his heart and then buried upside down so all the baddness could drain out and a large stone from the church yard should be placed above his feet.
Cathain did this and once again Abhartach was slain, this time with the Hawthorn spear and was buried as per the Saints instructions.
Abhartach never came back and just outside Garvagh there is a lone hawthorn in the middle of a field that grew from the heart of the evil dwarf. This tree never blooms. At its base is a large stone that is never ever touched by anyone!
It is believed that this story was read by Bram Stoker when he was doing the Civil Servant thing in Dublin early in his career, and it may have been the spark of the idea for Dracula … he sensibly moved the source from Garvagh which while a lovely wee town is hardly the place to start a Gothic Romance .. mind you it does have a pyramid but that is another story.