Long-lost Stoker story is found by a Tuam man

First read Stoker during St Jarlath’s schooldays

IT’S a Tuam man who has found that his discovery of a long-lost story by Bram Stoker (author of Dracula) has hit the headlines on media sites around the world in recent days.

Brian Cleary, originally from The Fairgreen in Tuam, has lived in Dublin much of his adult life. His love of Bram Stoker novels and his own passion for writing were the perfect blend that resulted in a remarkable find in the National Library.

The Stoker story, titled Gibbet Hill, was found by Brian in a Christmas supplement of the Dublin edition of the Daily Express published in 1890. The story doesn’t appear in any of Stoker’s bibliographies and has been undocumented up to now.

Speaking to The Tuam Herald on Monday, Brian admitted he was surprised by the level of interest in the story, which will have its premiere public reading this weekend in the Rotunda Hospital where Brian is a pharmacist.

The discovery led Brian to work on the publication of a book that features Gibbet Hill along with Brian’s words on how he found the long-lost piece of work. Proceeds from the book will go to the Charlotte Stoker Fund, to fund research into preventing deafness in vulnerable newborns.

It is a cause close to Brian’s heart as he also has another unique story in that he was the first person to avail of a singular ear cochlear implant from the HSE via the Treatment Abroad Scheme. Brian woke one morning ......

Read the full story in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald, on sale in shops or buy our digital edition here