"If you're scared, don't go!" 4 Dublin legends that will send shivers down your spine

The streets of Dublin are quiet, sometimes too quiet. Between its cobblestones from another century and its often threatening grey skies, you can find yourself shivering. Jack-o'-Lantern won't always be there to protect you... or throw you into the Liffey!

The Leprechaun is an emblematic figure of the country, dressed all in green, the colour of Ireland, and wearing a frock coat and top hat like those worn 2 or 3 centuries ago. Over the years, he has even become the symbol of St Patrick's Day, the country's most important commemoration of the day St Patrick died in 461.

If you want to find out more, head to the National Leprechaun Museum, an interactive museum in Jervis Street. Here you can see the world in the famous leprechaun's own gigantic way. With huge pieces of furniture and gigantic crockery, you'll suddenly be miniaturised and adopt the point of view of the leprechaun, used to wandering around people's homes.

You'll learn all about the Leprechaun myth, which dates back to the 8th century. So this Leprechaun is an old hand! It's also a unique opportunity to see his cauldron full of gold coins at the foot of a rainbow. A fun visit for all the family!

The Leprechaun is presented to us as a prankster. But don't be fooled, he's only friendly enough to lure you into his trap! So beware, because his small size means he can slip into your home without you seeing him and, with his devious mind, he'll be able to play bad jokes on you that won't make you want to come back!

You're all familiar with Jack-o'-Lantern, because at Halloween he's represented by a hollowed-out pumpkin given a human face, if you will, with a mouth full of teeth! He's also reminiscent of the Leprechaun who, apart from his antics, is a bootmaker with a passion for shoes ("Leath brogan", its etymology, means "bootmaker").

The legend of Jack Lantern, which dates back to the 17th century, describes him as a cantankerous blacksmith who is also a fine drunkard. But Stingy Jack, as he's known, is above all very clever, to the point of deceiving the Devil himself! Having finally made a pact with the Devil, he has a notoriously demonic side. At Halloween, he returns to haunt the Irish countryside and the streets of Dublin, using his pumpkin as a lantern to see through the cold, foggy night.

The beautiful Molly Malone still haunts the streets of Dublin. And with good reason: she is a character whose sad life is sung in a traditional song that has become something of an Irish anthem. So much so that a statue of her was erected in 1987 to celebrate the city's first millennium. It can now be seen in St Andrew's Street.

The character is less frightening than the story: Molly is a young fishmonger whose life is hard. Her small shellfish business could not support her, and she was forced to prostitute herself after dark. Probably not an isolated case in the poor Dublin of the 18th and 19th centuries. She died of a fever contracted in the bed of her misfortune. And her ghost came back to haunt the streets of Dublin, still striving to sell "her cockles and mussels"! As fate would have it, there's no escaping it.

You never thought you'd be frightened by the bus! But it's a formula that's all the rage in Dublin, so much so that it now has a counterpart in London and Edinburgh. The idea is to take a night-time ride in a fully-equipped, customised bus through some of Dublin's truly haunted spots. We'll tell you real ghost stories and take you to places you really shouldn't go!

Once on the bus, you'll be introduced to such things as grave desecration and body snatching, according to Dr Samuel Clossey's own manual. You'll be taken to a secluded cemetery in the city centre, and then on to the haunted medieval staircase of St. Audoen's. In short, an evening where you won't be bored. Ideal for stag and hen parties.