An Irish Ghost Story: The Curse of the Maynooth Ghost Room

What compelled young priests in training to commit suicide in this room of Ireland’s national seminary?




“Almost every Irish person has been told some form of ghost story from their granny or grandad,” the Irish Mirror wrote in a recent roundup of the most haunted places in Ireland, “or even witnessed one themselves.”

In Ireland, imposing castle walls and ivy-covered manors loom like gray ghosts in the warm glow of the modern world. It is a culture where folklore from the country’s ancient pagan roots is interwoven with centuries of Roman Catholic superstition to create a unique culture in which fairies may swap your wife or child for a changeling—an evil look-alike—and it is common knowledge that the devil lurks in Loftus Hall.

Even within the hallowed walls of St. Patrick’s College, Ireland’s national seminary in Maynooth where priests have been trained for over 200 years, a malicious spirit seems to have taken up residence.

The suicides:

The first suicide happened in the early 1840s.

The gruesome scene was discovered after the resident of Room 2 missed the day’s lectures. When his friends went looking for him, they found him in his room soaking in a pool of his own blood from a self-inflicted gash across his throat.

Room 2 was vacant for the rest of the year.

The following year the room was assigned to a new, unwitting young man who, shockingly, was found dead under the exact same circumstances…throat slashed and razor in hand.

Sometime after that another resident of Room 2 was found lying on the ground outside Rhetoric House after he jumped from the third floor window. He was still alive, though barely.

Before succumbing to his injuries, the student told college authorities that he had seen a demonic face in the mirror that morning. He then became compelled by a powerful urge to end his life, and grabbed his razor uncontrollably. Struggling against what he believed was a demonic force manipulating him to cut his own throat, he threw himself through the window to make it stop.

After this incident a priest spent a night in the room hoping to determine what was causing young men to kill themselves. According to the legend, he was so horrified by whatever he experienced that when he emerged the following morning his hair had gone completely white.

He was never able to speak about what he encountered that night.




Room 2 was closed and eventually converted into the oratory it is today. It is also used as the History Department’s work room, so if you need to make copies or pick up your graded history exam, you’ll have to contend with whatever evil may still be lurking.

But don’t bring any mirrors into the Ghost Room hoping to see the demonic presence because, according to rumor, that is strictly forbidden.


http://www.cultofweird.com/paranormal/maynooth-ghost-room/

I suppose one could blame it on all that damp, drizzly and miserable weather over there...

Imagine all those poor wee young initiates, far from home, shut away in that dank and depressing greyness, realising that all that their futures held were long days of abstinence and introspection..

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

I suppose one could blame it on all that damp, drizzly and miserable weather over there...

Imagine all those poor wee young initiates, far from home, shut away in that dank and depressing greyness,  realising that all that their futures held were long days of abstinence and introspection..

That, and heavy drinking of sacramental wine.

eddie wrote:What compelled young priests in training to commit suicide in this room of Ireland’s national seminary?




“Almost every Irish person has been told some form of ghost story from their granny or grandad,” the Irish Mirror wrote in a recent roundup of the most haunted places in Ireland, “or even witnessed one themselves.”

In Ireland, imposing castle walls and ivy-covered manors loom like gray ghosts in the warm glow of the modern world. It is a culture where folklore from the country’s ancient pagan roots is interwoven with centuries of Roman Catholic superstition to create a unique culture in which fairies may swap your wife or child for a changeling—an evil look-alike—and it is common knowledge that the devil lurks in Loftus Hall.

Even within the hallowed walls of St. Patrick’s College, Ireland’s national seminary in Maynooth where priests have been trained for over 200 years, a malicious spirit seems to have taken up residence.

The suicides:

The first suicide happened in the early 1840s.

The gruesome scene was discovered after the resident of Room 2 missed the day’s lectures. When his friends went looking for him, they found him in his room soaking in a pool of his own blood from a self-inflicted gash across his throat.

Room 2 was vacant for the rest of the year.

The following year the room was assigned to a new, unwitting young man who, shockingly, was found dead under the exact same circumstances…throat slashed and razor in hand.

Sometime after that another resident of Room 2 was found lying on the ground outside Rhetoric House after he jumped from the third floor window. He was still alive, though barely.

Before succumbing to his injuries, the student told college authorities that he had seen a demonic face in the mirror that morning. He then became compelled by a powerful urge to end his life, and grabbed his razor uncontrollably. Struggling against what he believed was a demonic force manipulating him to cut his own throat, he threw himself through the window to make it stop.

After this incident a priest spent a night in the room hoping to determine what was causing young men to kill themselves. According to the legend, he was so horrified by whatever he experienced that when he emerged the following morning his hair had gone completely white.

He was never able to speak about what he encountered that night.




Room 2 was closed and eventually converted into the oratory it is today. It is also used as the History Department’s work room, so if you need to make copies or pick up your graded history exam, you’ll have to contend with whatever evil may still be lurking.

But don’t bring any mirrors into the Ghost Room hoping to see the demonic presence because, according to rumor, that is strictly forbidden.


http://www.cultofweird.com/paranormal/maynooth-ghost-room/

I know exactly what made them commit suicide. Potatoes. Or lack of.
Without potatoes, Irish people have nothing. There’s nothing else to eat or fuck or make furniture out of.

That’s why they’re all criminals.
Or Leprechauns.

Look, here’s a typical Irishman. No wonder they commit suicide.

Plus, you know how to tell a living Irishman from an Irish ghost, right?

The living ones are paler.

eddie wrote:


I know exactly what made them commit suicide. Potatoes. Or lack of.
Without potatoes, Irish people have nothing. There’s nothing else to eat or fuck or make furniture out of.

That’s why they’re all criminals.
Or Leprechauns.

Look, here’s a typical Irishman. No wonder they commit suicide.

How is any of the above even funny?

Its warped to say the least

You two seem to have both taken on a persona, which is neither of you is in reality

You seem to have created this imaginary world around you whilst apart to deal with this.

The above is not funny and in poor taste I have to say

For one the potato famine and two, talking about suicide

Neither are laughing matters

Happy that you take the piss out of the Irish and think such humour is funny. That is not an issue

The above was neither funny but quite sick and warped taken in context

Didge, you have NO idea what we are like in reality.
In reality, we are MUCH worse.

So what do you think of the OP?

eddie wrote:Didge, you have NO idea what we are like in reality.
In reality, we are MUCH worse.

So what do you think of the OP?

Sick and twisted shock humour is very easy to spot and does not take a genius to figure out, which you were never like before

I know Ben liked such humour when he stated about me being in an oven

Hey ho, still your post was very much appalling and it needs to be said

I dont care about the OP

I’ve always been like that? Jeez. I’ve even been reported for it.
Where have you been?

eddie wrote:I’ve always been like that? Jeez. I’ve even been reported for it.
Where have you been?

Really?

Show me a year ago and further back you using such statements?

And I will conceed I was wrong

Didge wrote:

eddie wrote:


I know exactly what made them commit suicide. Potatoes. Or lack of.
Without potatoes, Irish people have nothing. There’s nothing else to eat or fuck or make furniture out of.

That’s why they’re all criminals.
Or Leprechauns.

Look, here’s a typical Irishman. No wonder they commit suicide.

How is any of the above even funny?

Its warped to say the least

You two seem to have both taken on a persona, which is neither of you is in reality

You seem to have created this imaginary world around you whilst apart to deal with this.

The above is not funny and in poor taste I have to say

For one the potato famine and two, talking about suicide

Neither are laughing matters

Happy that you take the piss out of the Irish and think such humour is funny. That is not an issue

The above was neither funny but quite sick and warped taken in context

Um, we've been like this since NewsFix existed.

I call on anybody and everybody who reads this to show how me and edds fucking around on here is some sort of new thing.

You’ve got a bad memory didge. You have pulled me up several times over the years for my “dark unfunny humour”, here and on another forum.
Not my fault you’ve taken this stance and now have to keep going on about it.

Perhaps what you actually mean is that over the last year it’s become more commonplace on here, the forum, and that is simply because Ben and I have often got in the mood for a “game” and we’ve brought it here.
That, I can accept.

eddie wrote:You’ve got a bad memory didge. You have pulled me up several times over the years for my “dark unfunny humour”, here and on another forum.
Not my fault you’ve taken this stance and now have to keep going on about it.

Perhaps what you actually mean is that over the last year it’s become more commonplace on here, the forum, and that is simply because Ben and I have often got in the mood for a “game” and we’ve brought it here.
That, I can accept.

Bullshit

You only had to pull up one post and you could not even do so

That is not dark humour by the way above, its shock humour, based off persecution to the Irish

So dont even try to pull the wool over my eyes and my memory is fantastic thank you

So clearly if its a game you and Ben play, its kind of new to here and thus you are telling porkies.

Like I say you were never one for using shock humour before

Okay didge. Firstly it’s not up to me to find posts..and I don’t want to as I have other stuff to do like speak to my husband and write some stuff.
Secondly, I don’t actuallt care what you think regarding this matter. You’re the only one with a problem and tyre coming across as a an old boring fart.

So. There you have it.

Why don’t you check out my thread in Thinking Deeply?
It’s rather open-ended and interesting.

eddie wrote:Okay didge. Firstly it’s not up to me to find posts..and I don’t want to as I have other stuff to do like speak to my husband and write some stuff.
Secondly, I don’t actuallt care what you think regarding this matter. You’re the only one with a problem and tyre coming across as a an old boring fart.

So. There you have it.

Why don’t you check out my thread in Thinking Deeply?
It’s rather open-ended and interesting.  

1) Copout

2) Contradiction, as you are replying, thus care to a degree

3) So its now boring to see something that I find in poor taste. Best you start getting used to criticism

You are not immune and I will always pull up people when something is very poor taste. Espcially around suicide

In fact its was stupid to attempt to make fun of, around mocking the Irish with the potato, a source of the deaths of countless Irish with a famine.

Back to the OP.
Just to point out hair cant go white overnight....not unless it's white to begin with.