Author: ghostcatcherireland

Victim Support Sponsored Ghost Hunt, January 2014- The Ancient Ram Inn, Gloucestershire

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On 11th January 2014 members of Victim Support’s South West Victim Care Unit held a sponsored ‘ghost hunt’ at the Ancient Ram Inn in Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire.

The Ancient Ram Inn is considered one of Britain’s most haunted B&Bs and is reputedly haunted by at least twenty ghosts. It is claimed that it is so haunted it can no longer be used as a functioning B&B and instead opens its doors to budding ghost hunters.

Members of the South West Victim Care Unit challenged themselves to see how long they could last out in this creepy building. A Ouija Board was used in “the bar” and several vigils were conducted in “the bishop’s room”. There were a few strange occurrences in the bishop’s room, such as a candle stick falling over, tapping noises coming from the fireplace, a brass bed warmer swinging and banging over the fireplace, a door knob rattling when nobody was at the door and long scratching noises coming from the door.

Were these down to a pranksters or spirits of the dead? You can find out for yourself if you spend a night at the Ancient Ram Inn.

Despite finding no concrete evidence of the afterlife, all members of the South West Victim Care Unit enjoyed their spooky experience, which raised £775 for Victim Support.

An more detailed write up of this investigation with additional photos will follow shortly.

 

Using the Ouija Board at the Ram Inn

Using the Ouija Board at the Ram Inn

2009-2014 Ghost Catcher UK & Ireland© All rights reserved. All my posts are copyright and if you do wish to refer to them or use anything from them on your site, please ask permission first

The Whispering Mummies of St Michan’s Church, Dublin

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In 2010 I took my mother on a visit to an unusual and macabre attraction in Dublin: the mummies of St Michan’s church. Located near Dublin’s Four Courts, St Michan’s church is Dublin’s oldest parish church north of the River Liffey. Founded in 1095 and named after a Danish Bishop and built on the site of an ancient oak grove, the present church dates from 1685. Until the 16th century monks from Christchurch Cathedral the church congregation and from 1547 it was part of Christchurch Cathedral parish. Restored in 1998, St. Michan’s now belongs to the Protestant Church of Ireland. The church retains many of its original features such as the galleried interior and organ. The organ dates from 1724 and is one of the oldest in Ireland that is still in use. It is claimed that Handel practised for the first performance of ‘Messiah’ on this very organ.

Beneath the church lay the vaults, which are the main attraction to the church. Here many of Dublin’s most influential families from the 17th-19th centuries were interred. The Shears brothers, who were executed by the British following the Rising of 1798 and a copy of the execution warrant is also on display in the crypt, where it instructs the condemned men to be hung, drawn and quartered. Also interred in the vault are the Earl’s of Leitrim who lay in highly decorated coffins. Many of the bodies deposited in the vault are in such an excellent state of preservation that their features are discernible and they bones and skin intact. The conditions for mummification are caused by a combination of the dry atmosphere of the vaults, methane gas emanating from the ground and the limestone walls which are resistant to moisture acting together to dry out the bodies. The most famous mummies in the vault are those of the alleged crusader, the thief and the nun. The crusader, mummy believed to have been a soldier returned from the Crusades, has had his legs broken and crossed, in order for it to fit the coffin. He lies with one of his hands is lifted slightly in the air and legend has it that those who touch his finger will have good fortune. The mummy known as the thief has had his feet cut off and his right forearm is missing, some say as punishment for his crime. Recent scientific and historical research however, has disputed the validity of the stories surrounding the crusader and the thief.

Our visit to the church was on a wet and dismal day in June. After looking around the church our tour guide and 6 other people entered the underground vaults through a metal door and clambered down some very wet steps. There was a passage in front of us and in the dim light, alcove areas could be seen which contained the ornate coffins of the well to do departed. The tour guide explained who the coffins belonged to, what the family names and crests were and then we moved on toward the end of the passage, where we saw the open coffins and the mummified bodies. Towards the end of the tour my mother wandered to the end of the passage where there was a part that had not been excavated. She told me that while she was peering into this area she became aware of voices around her, “a sort of whispering, murmuring noise” and felt it was rather oppressive in the passage. She said she began to sense that there were many people around her, pressing close, which was not the case. She remembers “I did not feel frightened, just aware of this whispering and I could not make out any words, but I felt as if I was in a press of people. There was no wind entering the passage the metal door had been firmly shut behind us and I could not account for the noises.”

It is interesting to note that there have been previous reports of strange whisperings and voices heard within the vaults, as well as reports of being touched by unseen hands. Could it be that the vaults contain the restless spirits of the dead, or is it more likely that visitors to the vaults experience movements and sounds caused by ‘infrasound’? Infrasound refers to extreme bass waves or vibrations with a frequency below the audibility range of the human ear. Although these waves cannot be heard by the human ear, they can be felt and have been shown to produce a range of effects in some people including anxiety, extreme sorrow, and chills. Perhaps this would account for my mother’s feeling of oppressiveness in the passageway, the feeling of being in a press of people and hearing ghostly whispers.

Haunted vaults or not, my mother is undeterred: “I very much enjoyed it. I would not mind going again, but I certainly would not want to be there on my own….”

Visitor Information

Address: Church Street, Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Public transport: Bus: 134 from Abbey St.

Tours: Mon-Fri 10-12:45, 2-4:45, Sat 10-12:45

Admission Prices:
Adults €4.00
Children €3.00
Students and Seniors €3.50
Family (2 Adults + 2 Children) €12.00

References

2009-2014 Ghost Catcher UK & Ireland© All rights reserved. All my posts are copyright and if you do wish to refer to them or use anything from them on your site, please credit this site.

Ross Castle Investigation November 2010

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This investigation followed the regular format of walk arounds and vigils in individual rooms. However, this investigation was different in that the focus was on experimenting on a séance in the lower tower room.  The purpose was to communicate with spirits and a planchette and alphabet cards laid out on the table were used.

One concern of individuals taking part in this séance was that of safety. Therefore the member of the team; who had tried some controlled experiences or instructions in what it feels for spirits to come close; was chosen to lead the proceedings. The member of the team who has had experience of working in spiritual development circles explained that, just as with living people, not all spirits are friendly. Also, if the spirit in contact was murdered this may create strong unpleasant feelings among those who have not had such experiences with communicating with in the past. Therefore, those who were prepared to be ‘touched by spirit’ were chosen to take part in the séance.

Here it was attempted to make direct communication with spirit through the participants’ psyches or ‘higher selves’. Instead of deciphering feelings from spirit, questions were asked.  A protection ritual was led by the team leader, which sought to protect the participants with a white light. This meditation was used more to get the participants into the correct mindset for connecting with spirit, though it also sought to create a psychic protection barrier.

The participants were asked to keep an open stance, with legs uncrossed, feet on the floor and a finger always on the planchette. This was done in order to keep spirit energy flowing and to align chakras. Crossing legs or arms would create interference and disrupt energy flow.

According to the leader of the séance, spirit does not move the planchette, but communicates with the participants’ psyche or energy field to make them move the planchette where it wants it to go. Here spirit works with the participants’ spirits in order to physically move the planchette, as the spirit communicating has no physicality in order to do this itself.

The séance leader called for any spirit to come to the table. This could have been any spirit whatsoever, not necessarily a spirit attached to the location. It could have been a spirit connected to an individual in the room or any spirit that wished to communicate. Those spirits who did not wish to communicate were not forced to.

The details of the séance will be kept confidential at this time in order to allow further unbiased investigation. However, one event of interest occurred while speaking to a mischievous spirit. Here one member of the group had chosen to remain in the living room below. However, the mischievous spirit announced that it wished to play a game with this member of the group. A loud bang was heard from downstairs and upon checking it was found that a change in air pressure in the living room, due to the heat from the log fire, had caused a door to slam loudly on its own. Could this have been due to a mischievous spirit playing a prank on the individual in the room, or merely natural causes?

Those individuals who participated in the séance had minimal experience of using a planchette and were sceptical of such methods. It was clear that quietly all individuals at the table had been conducting their own experiments to catch out fakery. However, all individuals came away from the séance saying that if someone was controlling the planchette it was very cleverly done as it was almost impossible to push the planchette in a controlled way. Seemingly the planchette moved where the spirit in communication desired it. All in all it was a very interesting experience, worthy of further experimentation and research.

 

2009-2014 Ghost Catcher UK & Ireland© All rights reserved. All my posts are copyright and if you do wish to refer to them or use anything from them on your site, please ask permission first

‘First Irish case’ of death by spontaneous combustion

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Photo by Du01b0u01a1ng Nhu00e2n on Pexels.com

A man who burned to death in his home died as a result of spontaneous combustion, an Irish coroner has ruled.

Michael Faherty, 76, died at his home in Galway on 22 December 2010.

Deaths attributed by some to “spontaneous combustion” occur when a living human body is burned without an apparent external source of ignition.

See here for the full story:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15032614

333 Phenomena

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Photo by Ivan Oboleninov on Pexels.com

Over the years there have been frequent reports of a variety of unusual phenomena experienced between 3-4am, particularly heightened at 3:33am. Such phenomena as individuals waking up at this time for no logical reason, reported experiences of ‘sleep paralysis’ and more frequent reports of paranormal activity are associated with this time frame.

3am is often referred to as “Dead Time” or the “Devil’s Hour” as it is the time when paranormal activity is at its peak. Demons are said to be more active at this time rather than spirits. The popular Christian theory is that Jesus Christ died at 3pm, the opposite of 3am, and so 3am is the most active time for demons who wish to defy Christ and mock the Holy Trinity.

3:33am is thought to be the time for the ultimate mockery of the Holy Trinity with it also being half of 666; the number of the Beast. It is said at this time the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest, allowing demons and spirits to communicate or cross over more easily than at other times.

Those who research the field of the paranormal state that spirits can be active 24/7 and that there is no concrete evidence to indicate that 3am is more active than any other time.  However, paranormal activity may appear to occur more often at night as conditions of darkness are more suitable for conducting paranormal research. It is easier to see light anomalies or apparitions in the darkness and many items of paranormal research equipment are better able to pick up on activity in dark conditions.  The senses are also intensified at night, which may give the impression that there is more paranormal activity occurring at that time due to everyday noises and tricks of the light creating mistaken paranormal experiences.

It has also been noted that many deaths occur between 3-5am as it is at this time that the body’s immune system is more vulnerable. Those who are terminally ill or very elderly are more likely to pass away at this time due to the body being weakened. Some researchers cite this as a theory as to why more spirits are active at this time, correlating with their times of death.

333 phenomena has also been reported by individuals who recognise repeated patterns of these numbers in their daily life such as waking up at 3:33am or seeing these numbers everywhere. Due to the theory that these numbers are a mockery of the Holy Trinity, individuals may have assigned religious meaning to these numbers causing psychological suggestion and leading the subconscious to pick out these patterns. This can go as far as subconsciously programming the body to wake up at this time.

It does seem naive for anyone to be able to claim that 3pm was the exact time of the death of Jesus, as at present religious scholars still disagree on what date this even took place. Therefore it seems imprudent for the number 3 to be ascribed mystical and religious meaning. Historically many people believed that midnight, the ‘witching hour’, was a period of greater activity for witches, demons and ghosts, with people avoiding going out at night due to this.  It seems likely that our primeval fear of the dark, when early humans were more vulnerable to predators, has been retained and as a consequence superstition and religion has been used to apply meaning to our fear of the dark and the unknown.

2009-2014 Ghost Catcher UK & Ireland© All rights reserved. All my posts are copyright and if you do wish to refer to them or use anything from them on your site, please ask permission first

The Voice in the Baby Monitor, West Cork, Ireland

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A few months ago I was contacted by a family living down in West Cork who were being plagued by the activities of a poltergeist resident in their home. The family lived in an old farm-house on Mizen Head. The family had tried to research the history of the house but found out very little other than it being the old family home of their landlord. Next to the residence is an even older crumbling house, so the land appears to have been in use for a few hundred years.

The word “poltergeist” comes from the German word “poltern”(to “rumble”) and “geist,” which means “spirit.”  Poltergeist literally means “noisy spirit”, although a poltergeist is neither a spirit nor a ghost according to parapsychology experts. The nature of poltergeists has long been a subject of debate within paranormal circles and poltergeists are usually described as an invisible force and entity, rather than spirits.

Poltergeists differ from what is normally thought of as ghosts. Ghosts are generally considered to be the spirits of dead people. They can be intelligent and interactive, or merely an imprint playing over events of the past.  Poltergeists on the other hand are a different kind of spirit or entity. These particular spirits seem to be able to interact with the material world sometimes with malevolent force, often moving objects, making rapping noises and other activities.

Many in the paranormal investigation field believe that the majority of poltergeist activity is not due to ghosts, but is due to uncontrolled psychokinesis; it is therefore caused by living people. Despite this theory, there is still a small amount of cases that can not be explained naturally and so poltergeist activity may be caused by a ghost manifestation or by a person unknowingly causing psychokinesis effects.

According to the family the house was very active and they felt there may be two spirits occupying it. One of these spirits they feel is harmless and they were happy to live with it, but the other they felt was more sinister and would have  liked to have had it cleared from the house.

In the baby’s room they once heard a disembodied voice on the baby monitor saying “Don’t worry, I’ll look after you”.

In the main bedroom they have heard whistling and footsteps, particularly walking around the bed. They have all been in the kitchen and heard these footsteps coming from the bedroom above. The lady of the house had a wrought iron mannequin in this bedroom and saw it move despite it being extremely heavy.

The couple both saw the shadowy outline of a man on the landing. The figure appeared to be tall; around 6ft. They reported being downstairs and seeing legs walk across the top of the landing. They heard walking up and down the stairs.

In May 2010 they experienced the living room door repeatedly opening despite being left closed. They also found the stair gate open several times on this date despite being left closed. A week before this the kitchen door was also opened by itself.

The couple have also felt as if they have been ‘prodded’ by unseen hands and have experienced something blowing near their ear while watching television. Items have also gone missing for several days at a time only to reappear in a place which had already been searched.

The couple have several children and their children have not  reported any paranormal activity or become scared. It is unclear as to whether the children were present in the house or not during any incidents mentioned. The lady of the house  in particular seemed concerned about the unpleasant entity she felt is present in the house and would like to have a ‘clearing’ if possible. She reported having sleepless nights due to feeling scared.

This residence is very worthy of investigation to see if the poltergeist activity is due to a spirit manifestation or psychokinesis unknowingly caused by a living resident of the house. However, the family have recently and suddenly moved away from the house. Whether this was due to the strain of living in a haunted residence, or other reasons, is not known at present.

Ghost Hunters Guide

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– Remember to always be respectful of ghosts & spirits We want to be taken seriously.

– We always want to present ourselves as being the one in control. Conduct yourself as a professional at all times.

– Self confidence and control will radiate like a beacon of light and thus serve as a shield of protection Never seek out entities on your own; a team of two or three works well, while larger groups would be better to split up.

– Listen to your instincts and your intuition, draw from the power within. You will find this to be your greatest resource.

– Commit yourself to the task at hand until it is done. A combined effort makes the team a whole intricate working structure.

– Go into an investigation with a kind heart and a gracious attitude. But most of all with the knowledge that most so called hauntings can be explained (i.e. a house settling.) And as strange as it may seem, you must also consider the mental and emotional state of the occupants. Paranoia, delusional aspects and mental illness in general may be a consideration.

– Be familiar with all aspects of the supernatural; know the entities that you pursue. The more you know, the more confident you become. And always try to have a scientific standpoint.

– Consider all aspects of an investigation before you go; a walk through ahead of time is always advisable. A history check is helpful as well; anything you find out before hand will be to your advantage.

– Make sure others outside your team know where you are when on an investigation. And of course a mobile phone is a must.

– Know your limits; it’s ok to be scared. Even the most hardened and expert investigator will have at some point been at least a little frightened. So do not listen to the gobshites who tell you otherwise.