According to English folklore, those born at certain hours could see ghosts. The crucial time was generally said to be midnight. In Irish folklore, those born in the chime hours would have the second sight.
The term "born in the chimehours" likely refers to the old monastic hours of night prayer (Matins) which were marked by the ringing of bells.
Famous quotes containing the word hours:
“In the middle of the night, as indeed each time that we lay on the shore of a lake, we heard the voice of the loon, loud and distinct, from far over the lake. It is a very wild sound, quite in keeping with the place and the circumstances of the traveler, and very unlike the voice of a bird. I could lie awake for hours listening to it, it is so thrilling.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)