haunting

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

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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.

What are Ghosts?

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“To himself everyone is an immortal. He may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead.” Samuel Butler, Immortality.

The label ‘ghost’ is a broad term which means different things to different people and in popular usage it is used to describe the disembodied soul or spirit of the dead in connection with a haunting. Another similar term is an ‘apparition’.  A ghost can be the non-conscious apparition of a past living person, an imprint or ‘recording’, unable to interact. A ghost may also be a disembodied personality, able to interact with the living. Ghosts may be visible or they may make their presence known to the living by making noises, causing cold breezes and cold spots, by creating smells and through moving objects. Ghost may not always be human; some may be phantom animals, spectral inanimate objects such as ships or even non-human energies such as angels or demons.

According to a Harris Poll conducted into religion and other beliefs in 2003 51% of the public of America, including, 58% of women, and 65% of those aged 25 to 29 believe in ghosts. Belief in ghosts may be a culturally influenced superstition reflecting our own fears of mortality as a belief in ghosts gives hope that the human personality survives death and is therefore immortal. A belief in ghosts may also reinforce our belief in the mysteries of the universe.

Many cultures and religions believe that in an afterlife or underworld where souls go after death. Some believe that souls travel to a place in the sky; some believe they rest at the bottom of a lake or even on the moon. Almost all cultures in history have believed at some point in the ability of spirits of the dead to return to the land of the living. These spirits may be malevolent or benevolent. Cultures that believe or believed in ancestor worship take spirits as fact. The spirits of their ancestors survive after death and interact with the living. Reverence is shown to the ancestors to keep in good favour and wise men and women communicate with them. The belief in ghosts has a long tradition and the first ghost stories can be found in ancient Greek literature. Pliny the Younger (c.61-c113) believed in ghosts due to his interest in two authentic cases concerning haunted houses in Athens.

According to Christian theology the soul joins God in heaven or Satan in hell. The soul can also end up in between in purgatory. Catholicism accepts that souls in purgatory may return to the realm of the living as apparitions to ask for prayers from the living. Protestants however do not believe that the dead can return. They see ghosts as being demons and evil entities pretending to be the spirits of the dead.

Spiritualists believe that ghosts are the souls of the dead trapped on the earth plane. These souls are confused or do not realise that they are in fact dead. It is the role of Mediums to communicate with these lost souls and help them move on. This can be done during seances, through channelling or via use of a spirit board (ouija board.)

According to tradition ghosts remain in the land of the living for a variety of reasons. They may return to give a warning or perhaps to advise and comfort humans. They may be vengeful and seek to right a wrong or obtain justice. They may need to return to request a proper burial or to confess some guilt so that they may rest in peace. Some ghosts may remain to guard or protect property which belonged to them in life or they may even return to inform heirs of the location property or treasure due to them. They may also guard over or protect a person who was dear to them in life. Other ghosts return or remain in a place that they loved or hated in life or they may even remain due to being unaware that they are dead.

It is a common misconception that ghosts only appear at night. Many appear in daylight; however visual apparitions are more often seen at night. It is believed that the greatest number of people die between the hours of 2-6am, which is one theory as to why more ghosts manifest during these hours. Ghosts are also more visible in the dark as they are thought to consist of energy, often manifesting in the form of light anomalies. In daylight these anomalies are more difficult to see with the naked eye.  Individuals may be more sensitive and receptive to clairvoyance when in a relaxed state or while asleep at night and so may have an increased likelihood of seeing an apparition. However, some experts believe these states may also create hallucinations of ghosts.

Another popular misconception is that ghosts are frequently to be found haunting graveyards. The majority of ghosts are not seen in graveyards, but are more often to be found in houses and buildings.

The majority of ghost reports have natural explanations such as tricks of the light created by foggy conditions or excessive electrical charges in the atmosphere during thunderstorms among many other explanations. However a small percentage of cases baffle experts and remain unexplained at present. There is also still no consensus amongst paranormal researchers as to whether ghosts are real or fantasies created by the human mind or if they are psychic remnants of past events playing over like a psychic recording or if they have personality and intelligence. However, it is hoped that further research over time will yield evidence and explanations to one day prove or disprove the existence of ghosts.

References:

  • Keene, P, Bradley-Stevenson, G and Saunders, B, 2006, The Ghost Hunter Chronicles. New Holland, London.
  • Underwood, P, 1999, Peter Underwood’s Guide to Ghosts & Haunted Places. Piatkus, London.
  • O’Keefe, C, and Fielding, Y, 2007, Ghost Hunters: A Guide to Investigating the Paranormal. Hodder, London
  • Danelek, J, 2006, The Case For Ghost: An Objective Look at the Paranormal. Llewellyn Publications, Minnesota
  • Guiley, R, 1997, The Guinness Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. Guinness Publishing, London
  • Harris Interactive, 2009, The Harris Poll® #11, February 26, 2003: The Religious and Other Beliefs of Americans 2003, http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=359, [Accessed 15th February 2010]

Ghosts of the Airfields

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Airfields are often believed to be haunted perhaps because of the volume of tragedy and activity that passed through them during the wars. In East Anglia, where there was a saturation of airbases, these haunted sites include RAF West Raynham, RAF Bircham Newton in Norfolk and RAF Tibenham in Norfolk among others.

RAF Bircham Newton has reports of an apparition of a man in RAF uniform haunting the squash court and ghostly footsteps have been heard. EVPs have recorded the sounds of an active airfield, such as voices, engines and the clank of machinery. The sounds of a phantom aircraft flying overhead has also been heard.

RAF Bircham Newton today

RAF West Raynham, which was recently used as a location for a Most Haunted Live week-long special, is believed to be haunted by several ghosts. There are reported sightings of a Polish pilot, who was shot down during WW2,  haunting the officer’s mess, the apparition of a suicidal mechanic hanging from the rafters of the armoury, and a particularly angry and bitter ghost of a high-ranking airman has been experienced in the chapel. The control tower here has also had reports of poltergeist activity and the Station Medical Centre has reports of the eerie sounds of otherworldly sobbing and screams.

The control tower at RAF Tibenham was used until 1975 as a club house by the Gliding Club and it was reported that a person in flying uniform, similar to those worn by the USAAF combat crews, had been seen on several occasions wandering through the rooms of the tower.

Local to me while growing up was Ludham old airfield which was known to locals to be haunted. It is said that on a certain moonlit nights a large airplane can be heard and seen landing on what was once the runway before bursting into flames.

Reports of haunted airfields are not restricted to East Anglia with reports abounding in the rest of Britain.It seems that the brave martys of WW1 and WW2 still linger,  in the airbases and airfields where they once lived and worked to protect their country.

Richill Castle Investigation, Co. Armagh, January 2010

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The first paranormal investigation of the year, my first as an official team member of BumpzInTheNite, took place at Richill Castle  in County Armagh.

The land on which Richill Castle is built was part of the lands under the control of the chiefs of the clan O’Neill who were kings of Ulster and claimants to the high kingship of Ireland. In 1607 Earls Hugh O’Neill and Rory O’Donnell fled Ireland with a hundred or so lesser chiefs. The lands then became property of the English Crown.

Francis Sacheverell, the owner of lands in 1610, first built  a house here. In 1660 the then owner Major Edward Richardson, an English officer who was M.P for Armagh and also High Sheriff of the County who was married to a descendant of Francis Sacheverell, decided to build a larger house on the lands. He designed and built an elegant and comfortable unfortified manor house and the lands surrounding it developed into a thriving village known as Richardson’s Hill. Over time this became shortened to Richill.

Members of the Richardson family were very high-profile and held in great esteem in the area, serving as M.Ps, as magistrates and military commanders, contributing greatly to the commercial and social life of the area. The wife of William Richardson, ‘Dolly’ Monroe, was a famous Irish society beauty.

In 1906 Major Berry owned and lived in Richill Castle with his wife Blossom. When Blossom died she was buried in the grounds, but on Major Berry’s death she was re-interred in Kilmore graveyard. In 1925 the Ministry of Labour in the Northern Ireland government used the castle as an agricultural college. The castle and lands later passed hands several more times until the present owners, the Lyttle family, purchased it. The Lyttles have restored much of the main building and gardens to its present appearance, but there is much more work and maintenance to be done to restore the building to its original grandeur.

Richhill Castle is so well-known for its ghosts that the Ulster Paranormal Society meets there regularly to experience the hauntings. Dolly Monroe, who was married to William Richardson, is its most famous ghost. According to the current owner, Gordon Lyttle, who has not seen any of the ghosts of the castle himself; “My sister-in-laws relatives have though – one of her sisters chatted to the spirit of a lady on the stairs and reckons it was Dolly. “I tend to resent the fact that people can see things, while I live here and I can’t. If they prove there is a ghost here I will accept it.”

We conducted our investigation by first doing a walk around so that we could familiarize ourselves with the building. After setting up our equipment including video surveillance cameras and a monitoring station we began the investigation proper. We started off in a room upstairs with a table in the centre. Both I and others in the group took turns to call out but with no reaction. I did feel footsteps on the floor boards at one point, but this could be attributed to somebody in habitation next door moving around, as the part of the building next door was part of the Lyttle’s private residence.

Next we investigated the ‘death room’, the room people inhabited when they were sick or dying. We conducted a séance here but had no activity to report. We did however find an interesting light anomaly in a photo taken of somebody sitting on the bed that almost looked like a smoky halo above his head.

We later investigated one of the bedrooms on the ground floor. Here a sensitive picked up on a little girl in long white socks standing near the window. However, he felt it was residual haunting, similar to a playback of a past event and as such there would be no response to our calling out.

We continued our investigation, repeating in the upper floor, but our endeavours were fruitless. Those in the monitoring station did record an unusual bang from the ‘death room’ when we were all in the room with the table which could not be accounted for and there were a few interesting light anomalies on the video footage, but other than that there was little of interest.

Death Room

Throughout the investigation all members of the team spoke of feeling quite comfortable and at ease in the castle, nobody reporting any eerie presences.

On this occassion we had no activity of interest, but we will however return to Richill Castle to conduct further investigations. Spirits do not perform upon command, just as living people do not, so we hope to return to Richill Castle in the hope that they will one day be more cooperative with us.

Ghosts of the Roadside

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In many parts of the world people report encounters with the spirits and ghosts who roam motorways and lonely back-roads. These spirits seem to be looking for a way home or appear to be hitchhiking to the destination they were heading for when death cleaved them from this mortal coil. Other people claim to have seen ghostly cars that disappear as they reach a certain bend or area of a road. Some people even report phantom carriages being pulled by ghoulish horses and driven by spirits dressed in period clothing.

One such report is located in Wroxham in Norfolk, England. Here is the story of the witness:

“It was about 11.30pm and my friend and I were coming home from an evening out. We had not been drinking that night and my friend was driving. We had travelled down that road many times before and the traffic was light. As we drove down the road towards Wroxham we came through an area that had tall trees on each side. We were not driving very fast; about 30 -40 mph. It was then that we both saw two red tail lights up ahead of us on the side of the road. As we neared them we realised it was a van parked half on and half off the road. There was no traffic behind us, only a couple of cars coming towards us. They were at enough distance to pass the van safely.  My friend indicated and we pulled out to pass the van. The car coming towards us flashed its lights , which was silly because there was plenty of room, so we just dismissed it.

As we passed the van, we realised it was on the bank and the passenger side had hit a tree. The van doors were open and there was a man standing at the open drivers side door. The van was lit up inside and as we passed I noticed there was a big gouge in the hedge and a tree branch sticking out; its bark shaved off. One of the headlights of the van was broken too. There was no one else, there was nothing in the road or anything so we drove on.

We had not gone far, about 100- 150 yards, when we thought we had better go back and see if we could help. We pulled in and turned the car round and went back. When we arrived at the area we saw nothing. There was nothing there; no gouges in the bank, no van, no tree branch, nothing ! We drove on until we could turn round. We were both rather scared. We went back the way we had come, but at the spot where we saw the van crashed there was nothing. We drove home rather fast after that.

The next morning my friend went back with her husband and myself and there was nothing to be seen; no marks on the road or hedge, no broken branches, no pieces of broken headlight. Nothing. Later on when we discussed it thoroughly and concluded that the car that flashed its lights at us was doing so because, although my friend and I definitely saw the van, maybe he did not, which caused him to react as he thought we were overtaking nothing ! I have travelled that road over a hundred times since then, probably more, at all times of the night and day and I have never ever seen anything since.

My friend and I share the same birthday and the same year, so maybe that was why we both saw the same thing or maybe this caused us both to hallucinate the same thing at the same time…….but I dont think so.”

There are many other such tales from all across the world and it seems such places have often been the site for traumatic unexpected deaths, such as by car crash.  Perhaps one day these lost spirits will find their way to their destinations, or perhaps they will forever dwell along the lonely roads where they met their death.