Are you afraid of the dark? If so, then you may want to avoid the deserted alleyways of Cornmarket after nightfall. This area of Dublin’s inner city is said to be the stomping ground for a creature of unimaginable horror, a monster that lurks in the shadows, waiting for unsuspecting passersby to stray too close. That creature is the Dolocher, a foul and predatory demon whose craving for human flesh has sent shivers down the spines of Dubliners for generations and the story of his genesis is one of the city’s most intriguing legends. It concerns a prisoner by the name of Olocher who found himself incarcerated in the once-infamous Newgate Prison (colloquially known as Black Dog Prison), an imposing structure whose massive stone bulk occupied a substantial parcel of land near Christ Church Cathedral from 1783 to 1893. Legend has it that on the eve of his execution for the crimes of rape and murder, Olocher decided to cheat the hangman by committing suicide in his cell. However, many believe that his tortured soul continued to linger on after death, stalking the city streets in search of revenge. On the very night of Olocher’s demise, a prison guard was attacked by an unknown entity, leaving him paralyzed down one side. The guard described the creature as having the body of a man and the head of a pig. For weeks afterward, numerous women came forward to say that they had been attacked by a similar-looking entity. Indeed, such was the level of frenzy among the local community that rabid mobs were said to have roamed the streets killing every black pig they came across. But the creature that came to be known as the Dolocher was never found. Some say he haunts Cornmarket to this day, hiding in the shadows. Lurking in the dark …
