The Paranormal Database

Richard Costen

Location: Ardmore - Ardogina House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Richard died trying to escape from the law for a crime he did not commit. He can be heard screaming, choked to death on the reins of his horse. The spectral Jeremiah Coghlan reportedly rides on the back of a white horse - if seen, the viewer will die within a year. Finally, Sir Francis Prendergast, a psychotic murderer, stalks nearby woodland.

A ghostly fishing boat in the mist.

Nellie Flemming

Location: Ardmore - Whiting bay to Glencairn Beach
Type: Other
Date / Time: 1940s
Further Comments: Two groups of fishermen half a mile out to sea observed a large fishing boat heading towards them. Even though the boat made no sound and did not create any waves, the fishermen pulled back their nets fearing that the vessel contained customs officers and hid in the nearby coves for the boat to pass - but it had vanished. A fortnight later, a huge storm hit the area and a local schooner named 'Nellie Flemming' was lost without trace, and the fishermen became convinced that the 'Nellie Flemming' was the strange boat they had seen.

Curse of Ballinacourty

Location: Ballinacourty - Ballinacourty house (no longer standing), and general area
Type: Curse
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A mother whose son was hanged by a local sheriff for being 'lazy' cursed all who lived in the area to endure the heartbreak she felt.

The Magicians

Location: Ballinalee - Private residence
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1960s
Further Comments: It was said that the original owners were magicians and that one of their spirits remained in the house. Sickness plagued one of the occupants, but when they moved out in 1968, the illnesses ceased.

Gunman

Location: Butlerstown - Coach House restaurant
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: It is claimed this location is haunted by a gunman shot dead by the British in 1921.

Moving Mary

Location: Cappoquin - Melleray Grotto
Type: Other
Date / Time: 16 August 1985
Further Comments: The statue of the Virgin Mary animated on this day, speaking to visitors and answering their questions.

White Woman

Location: Lismore - Glencairn Abbey
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The abbey was once haunted by a young woman dressed in white. She was seen and heard moving in the upper part of the building, though it is said the haunting stopped once a Major discovered a heart in a metal box in the attic and gave it a proper burial.

Second Earl of Tyrone

Location: Portlaw - Gill House
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: October 1693
Further Comments: The Second Earl of Tyrone and Nicola Hamilton agreed that the first one to die should appear post-mortem to the other. Many years later at Gill House, Nicola (now Lady Beresford) encountered the ghost of the Earl, who touched her wrist. The spectre left a blackened mark and caused the joint to shrivel up; Lady Beresford covered the area up with a black ribbon which she never removed. It is worth noting that the same story is told about a house in Dromore.

Presence

Location: Templemichael - Templemichael Castle and Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Several unconfirmed stories speak of this location being haunted, but no one can say for sure by whom or what.

A ghostly nun wandering the roads.

White Nun

Location: Waterford - Back roads of Presentation Convent
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Little is known about this ghostly white nun who walks along the roads after dark.

Banshee

Location: Waterford - City centre
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A banshee is said to have been observed sitting on walls around the city centre, wailing whilst brushing her hair. Her cries are said to upset nearby dogs.

Dark Haired Woman

Location: Waterford - Private house in the Grange area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1999
Further Comments: A family reported that a middle-aged woman with her dark hair tied up in a bun had haunted their home for twenty years. She often stood on the staircase, watching the occupants go about their business.

Light Switching

Location: Waterford - Private residence, Ballybricken area
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 2008-2013
Further Comments: A resident here reported all the lights in the house turning themselves off (without the trip switch kicking in), footsteps being heard, and the kettle turning itself on.

Jack Hayson

Location: Waterford - Quay
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Late nineteenth century
Further Comments: Eli Hayson peered from the window of his house which overlooked the quay and watched his twin brother Jack emerge and come running towards him. Jack appeared terrified and was being chased by three men. Before Eli had a chance to act, all four figures vanished. Not long after, Eli heard that his brother had drowned at Cork, fifty miles away.