Archive 81 Presents... Wooden Overcoats: "Conversations with Ghosts—Bridget Keegan"

Release Date: November 11, 2025
Episode Featured: "01 – A Body In A New Place" (Sample episode: "Bridget Keegan" from Conversations with Ghosts)
Presented By: Dead Signals, David K. Barnes (from Wooden Overcoats)
Main Cast:

• B (Mal Fleming): The living attendant of Grey Briar Cemetery, whose task is to help spirits pass on.
• C (Bridget Keegan): Ghost of a long-serving maid, still tending the mausoleum after death.

Overview and Main Theme

This episode is a showcase crossover where Archive 81 introduces listeners to Conversations with Ghosts, a new audio drama exploring themes of loss, history, memory, and the burdens that bind souls to our world. In this sample episode, Mal Fleming interviews Bridget Keegan, the ghost of a maid who has spent over a century cleaning the cemetery’s mausoleum, exploring her life, her attitude toward death, and the rituals that define existence—both in life and beyond.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to the Crossover and Content Warnings (00:00–02:11)

• David K. Barnes humorously introduces Conversations with Ghosts and contextualizes its themes: "It's a mix of horror and wistfulness and sort of history...about loss, history, and the things we leave behind."
• Addresses the series’ heavier topics: death, swearing, but nothing violent.

Mal’s Opening Interview and Bridget’s Reluctance to Move On (02:11–04:10)

• Mal Fleming (B) opens a direct, gentle conversation with Bridget (C), asking about her readiness to "pass on.”
  • Bridget is polite but firmly content to remain: “I'm perfectly content here. I'm not lazing about, mind. I keep myself busy.” (C, 02:47)
• Fleming tries to probe, but Bridget keeps the focus on her ongoing “work” maintaining the mausoleum, suggesting a strong attachment to routine and place.

The Life and Perspective of a Working-Class Ghost (04:10–09:13)

• Bridget describes her duties—cleaning, preparing the widow Dotson, preserving tombstones—and her sense of purpose in these tasks.
• She recalls receiving more free time in death than life, highlighting inequities: “I now have more than the customary half day on Sunday and one full day a month, which is almost more than I know what to do with.” (C, 04:01)
• Mal notes that very few actual records exist about servants' lives, prompting Bridget to share the reality of service, community among maids, and her family’s emigration from Ireland.
• Reflection on what it meant to be a "Bridget"—once a common name for Irish maids—and the stereotypes and invisibility faced by women like her.

Class, Routine, and Finding Agency in Death (09:13–13:33)

• Bridget gives a detailed account of her employer, the widow Dotson; strict but not cruel, fair compared to others.
• Description of 19th-century service life: long hours, tight routines, camaraderie among maids, and small acts of defiance or survival (e.g., parish naps when locked out after curfew).
• Explores the difference between her and her employer even in the afterlife, with Widow Dotson retaining her routine and appearance within her mausoleum.
• Bridget emphasizes her need to hold onto secret parts of herself, even in service and after death: “In service you have to keep hold of the secret parts of yourself or else you'll go mad.” (C, 11:47)

The Emotional Weight of Moving On, Memory, and Sympathy (13:33–17:09)

• Mal offers sympathy, but Bridget pushes back against pity: “My life was not one to be pitied. ... There was joy in my life. The widow Dotson didn't have that.” (C, 13:33–16:32)
• Bridget recounts an outing to Coney Island, moments of happiness, and the pride she takes in her work despite its hardships.
• Mal and Bridget debate the difference between sympathy and pity, with Bridget reluctantly accepting the former.

Uncovering the Truth About Bridget’s Death (17:09–18:33)

• Mal reveals he’s researched an obituary implying Bridget died in a carriage accident, but she denies it.
• Bridget provides her own hazy memory: “Some confusion. A sharp pain on the back of my head, I expect. ... Not seemly to think about one's death. And I would ask you not to bring it up again.” (C, 18:40)

Philosophical Closure—Purpose in Life and Death (18:33–21:56)

• Mal questions why spirits like Bridget and the widow Dotson remain; Bridget says routine and comfort keep them bound.
• She stresses agency in staying: “I will leave when I'm good and ready, Mr. Fleming.”
• The episode closes with Bridget’s philosophy on the afterlife: "I cannot be sure that this is purgatory. ... But I can be sure that. Or I must believe that one must do the best they can with the circumstances presented to them, both in life and in death.” (C, 21:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bridget on routine in death:
  "I clean the mausoleum, make sure the widow Dotson is ready for her day, preserve the tombstones..." (C, 02:59)

• Bridget’s defiance against pity:
  "No, I won't be pitied, Mr. Fleming. I simply will not." (C, 16:32)

• On the afterlife and acceptance:
  "Or I must believe that one must do the best they can with the circumstances presented to them, both in life and in death. Do you understand that, Mr. Fleming?" (C, 21:05)

• On finding joy despite hardship:
  "There was joy in my life. The widow Dotson didn't have that. ... There was a Sunday when Rose, another of the girls...we went to Coney Island together. ... There was joy in my life." (C, 16:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00] Introduction and show context by David K. Barnes
• [02:11] Mal Fleming initiates the interview with Bridget Keegan
• [04:10] Bridget reflects on her free time and spirit society
• [06:11] Bridget discusses class, life in service, and immigration
• [09:13] Details about the widow Dotson and daily routines
• [13:33] Bridget firmly rejects pity; shares a rare joyful memory
• [17:09] Discussion about Bridget's death circumstances
• [18:33] Insights into why some spirits remain
• [21:05] Bridget's closing philosophical thoughts on life and afterlife

Tone and Style Notes

• The dialogue is bittersweet, marked by dry humor, gentle banter, and an undercurrent of melancholy.
• Bridget is proud, wry, and philosophical, pushing back against both judgment and easy sentimentality.
• Mal is earnest, curious, and respectful, serving as both interviewer and surrogate for the listener’s empathy.

Utility for New Listeners

This episode serves as an accessible gateway to Conversations with Ghosts, providing a complete, emotionally resonant ghost story rich with historical detail and emotional nuance. The focus on working-class voices and the complexity of moving on adds depth not often found in traditional supernatural fiction.

For more nuanced, hauntingly human stories, subscribe to Conversations with Ghosts wherever you get your podcasts.