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The Haunted Librarian

~ Researching, investigating, and writing about the paranormal.

The Haunted Librarian

Category Archives: Castles

Escaping to Ireland: History Meets Paranormal

04 Friday Dec 2020

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Castles, Prisons, Travel

≈ Comments Off on Escaping to Ireland: History Meets Paranormal

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Desmond Castle, Leap Castle, Mike Ricksecker, Oubliette

I’m daydreaming of my post-COVID travel plans. One excursion that looks totally enticing is Mike Ricksecker’s Ancient Mysteries of Ireland trip next July.

Scheduled to begin July 1, 2021, this 9-day/8-night adventure offers a variety of mystical and haunted locations in Ireland. In true Irish fashion, there are a lot of castles on the itinerary.

The first stop is Blarney Castle, where one can kiss the Blarney Stone, a ritual where a person lays on her back, leans down with the assistance of castle docents to kiss the stone upside down. Back 20 years ago, my mother did it. I declined. The act supposedly confers upon the person the “gift of gab.” The person was to obtain the ability to speak eloquently. However, the “gab” implies the ability to speak unnecessarily—not really a trait I’m seeking.

Desmond Castle, Leap Castle, and The Leap image.

One stop that does hold my interest is Desmond Castle (Kinsale) where in 1747 a fire broke out killing 54 prisoners, most who were of French descent. The tower house structure is known locally as the “French Prison.” The building was donated to the town of Kinsale in 1791 and has served as a prison and poor house. There are several ghost stories attached to the building.

The oubliette discovered in the “Bloody Chapel” in Leap Castle.

Probably the most intriguing castle on the tour is Leap Castle (believed to be built circa 1250 CE, though some sources date it at 1500s). The striking feature of this castle is the discovery of the oubliette, an underground dungeon with wooden spikes. During a period of renovations in the “Bloody Chapel,” workers located human skeletal remains in the chamber. A watch dating from the mid-1800s shows that the act of impaling people was used quite recently. Tourists report two tales of hauntings: The Red Lady and ghost children Charlotte and Emily.

Jameson Distillery Midleton, Spike Island Prison, and Kindred Spirits.

The itinerary includes several favorite tour destinations like the Jameson Distillery Midleton; Spike Island Prison, once the largest prison in Ireland dubbed “Ireland’s Alcatraz”; and “Kindred Spirits” a stainless-steel monument honoring the Choctaw Nation (U.S. Native American Indian tribe). Book your tour by following the links below. This tour combines history with interesting locations that would capture any paranormal investigator’s imagination.

For more information:

https://www.hauntedjourneys.com/mike-ricksecker-s-ancient-mysteries-of-ireland

https://www.wetravel.com/trips/mike-ricksecker-s-ancient-mysteries-of-ireland-mysterious-adventures-tours-llc-cork-28046528

https://www.hauntedjourneys.com/mike-ricksecker-s-ancient-mysteries-of-ireland

#FunFactFriday #TheNunMovie Trailer Dropped

15 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Castles, Catholic Church, Haunt Jaunts, Horror Movies, Uncategorized

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#FunFactFriday, #TheNunMovie

Poster

#FunFactFriday #TheNunMovie Trailer Dropped

The highly anticipated prequel to the fantastically successful Conjuring franchise opens in theaters on September 7, 2018. The official trailer dropped this week and has had over 4 million views. This week’s #FunFactFriday involves this movie. Read the entire article at https://www.hauntjaunts.net/funfactfriday-thenunmovie-trailer-dropped/.

Opening Today: Cure for Wellness

18 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Castles, Horror Movies, Movie Reviews, Uncategorized

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castle hohenzollern, cure for wellness, dane dehaan, gore verbinski, horror films, thrillers

cure3

Opening Today: Cure for Wellness

One of this year’s anticipated films Cure for Wellness opened in US theaters today. A young Wall Street employee (played by Dane DeHaan) is sent to a “mysterious wellness center” to fetch the missing company CEO (Harry Groener). Seems simple enough. However, this $40 million epic production clocks in at 2 hours and 26 minutes. That’s nearly 30 minutes longer than most motion pictures. Judging by the mixed reviews, it may be too long to endure.

eels

Filmed in 5 months, the movie features the picturesque Castle Hohenzollern located in Germany. Director Gore Verbinski is known for epics and box-office blunders. Depending on the review, he may have scored both. The New York Times calls it a “riot of film references. With eels.” Deadline.com claims it to be an “overloooooooong saga.” Seriously. They had all those Os. Finally, Vox offers “The 5 Stages of Watching…” stating that it is a “thoroughly distracting film.” Time will tell—say like Tuesday—if it’s worth the ticket price.

 

Rated R for adult content, graphic scenes, nudity, and an overabundance of eels.

 

Hampton Court Palace “Ghost” Is Great Trickery

27 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Breaking the News, Castles, Ghost Stories, In the News, Photography, Urban Legends

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Tags

dame sybil penn, Ghosts, hampton court palace, king henry viii, photography, the grey lady

Hampton Court Ghost

Hampton Court “Ghost”

Hampton Court Palace “Ghost” Is Great Trickery

The Internet was abuzz this week and not just with renegade llamas. Twelve-year-old schoolgirl Holly Hampsheir was touring Hampton Court Palace with her cousin Brook McGee. With her smartphone, Holly snapped a picture of her cousin’s backside and low and behold a ghost appeared. The girls claim that they did not immediately notice the ghost until they reviewed the pictures. News of a possible image of the Dame Sybil Penn, a.k.a. The Grey Lady, quickly spread. Unfortunately, the picture is a fake.

Hampton Court Palace is plagued with sadness. Anne Boleyn resided at the palace before her beheading in 1536. Another wife of King Henry VIII Jane Seymour died weeks after childbirth at the palace in 1537. Another wife Catherine Howard was imprisoned at the palace prior to her beheading in 1542. All three supposedly haunt the palace. Hampton Court has a lot of reasons for activity.

The latest claim involves Dame Sybil Penn. Dame Sybil was a servant to four Tudor monarchs. She lived at Hampton Court. She died in the late 1500s from smallpox. Rumors of her haunting began shortly after her tomb was disturbed around 1829. However, no one has ever taken a picture of Dame Sybil, or any of King Henry VIII’s former wives, until now.

The image is a fake. Although a “photography expert” was consulted and claimed not to find tampering, the image has several tale-tell signs. First, the image is too colorful. The “ghost” appears in the center of the image. Noticeably, the spirit looks elongated. Further, the figure is either hovering or incredibly tall. Finally, there is simply too much hair. Never has a piece of evidence been so clear. Nor has there been any evidence of this type found at Hampton Court. This is just too good to be true.

See for yourself  and feel free to comment.

Update: Seems another true expert on photography Mick West debunked this image as a panorama glitch in the iPhone. Please read his incredibly interesting article Debunked: Hampton Court Ghost Photo [iPhone Panorama Glitch]. Huge thanks to Mick for clarifying!

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Archer Paranormal Investigations

Archer Paranormal Investigations

The Haunted Librarian

Marietta, Georgia

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