A man and his daughter, traveling through Ireland late in the 19th century, are waylaid by a washed out bridge to an old castle. There, they hear a tale from the resident about an unfortunate man who first sold his daughter, then his soul, for money.

An American father and daughter traveling in late 19th century Ireland are held up at an out-of-service bridge and entertained by a strange character who tells them the story of the estate on the other side of the bridge.

William Donovan and his daughter, Constance, while traveling in Ireland at the turn of the century, are detained by a damaged bridge. While it is being repaired, they visit nearby Castle Carrickmoran, a moldering old building darkened by the ivy growing over it. They are surprised by a short, elderly man dressed all in green (except for square-buckled black shoes) who refuses to identify himself but proceeds to tell them a story they can scarcely believe.

This is a crazy story, unless I am missing some important detail. I simply don't understand the "deal" that Sir Sheamus made with Paddy's ghost. First of all, what did Paddy do that was so bad that he was doomed to hell? He was just an ordinary young man who wanted to marry Maureen, and all he wanted to do was rescue her from being sold into an unhappy marriage with a man she didn't love. As Sir Sheamus said, he was "taking her in lust" and I am not sure what that means. Paddy wanted to marry her. Is he condemned to hell just for wanting a wife? Also, didn't he love Maureen, so wasn't it more than just lust? Huh? I don't get it. In the second place, since Sir Sheamus was guilty of murder, which is the worst sin of all, and he was doomed to hell anyway, what did he have to offer Paddy as part of a deal? Paddy's ghost said, "my soul for yours" so how would that work unless Sir Sheamus was NOT doomed and offered his soul as a sacrifice to save Paddy? In this story, that wouldn't make sense, since Sir Sheamus is already doomed, so what has he got to trade? It sounds like they were both doomed, so how could either one save the other?

On top of that, according to religion, the only way a soul can be "saved" is to be forgiven directly by God, and the Devil already had them both, (in this story), so neither one of them had the power to make ANY sort of deal.

Well, I guess since Sir Sheamus wasn't totally doomed because he was still alive. He could pray and fast, and be "forgiven" before his death, which would be the only way he could be "saved" anyway. (It was already too late for Paddy.)