Skip to main content

The Ghost Room / Devils Room Maynooth

 nui maynooth

In the mid 19th century in Room Two / devils room of Rhetoric House, Maynooth College , two young seminarists took their own lives, nineteen years apart, and the room has been the source of many tales ever since.
Rhetoric House in the South Campus, built in 1834, was formerly a residential house for trainee priests.



On 1 March 1841, a young student from Limerick by the name of Sean O’Grady jumped out of room and fell to his death.  It is not known as to who or what possessed O’Grady to do such a thing but the common legend suggests that a demon had something to do with it.
Years later student Thomas McGinn from Kilmore, Co. Wexford he stayed in Room No. 2. When term began, he was moved to a different room and was subsequently told that he had spent a week in a room where a previous student had killed himself. It preyed on his mind night and day. After mass one morning, McGinn went into Room No. 2 cut himself with a razor and then threw himself out of the window.



Dr. McCarthy visited him in the infirmary before he succumbed to his injuries. He gave them an account of the demonic occurrences that happened in the room that led to his actions.
A priest spent the night in the room and was so terrified by whatever he saw – he refused to speak about it – that his hair turned bright white.
There are dark stains on the floor confirmed by the college’s chemistry department are human blood and that they can’t be removed no matter what cleaning products are used.

Grave yard NUI Maynooth


Entrance to the grave yard in NUI Maynooth.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Butterflies in Irish Folklore

  According to Irish folklore, butterflies are said to move between worlds and bring messages and warnings. They are said to be souls, waiting to be reborn on earth. This is perhaps why butterflies still play such a prominent role in material culture today, with a wide range of clothes, stationary, and other good coming decorated with butterflies. Butterflies with dark wings were said to warn of bad news such as an attack or failed crop, while white and yellow butterflies were told to bring good news such as a birth or success. In Irish mythology and folklore, butterflies have a special significance. According to Irish tradition, butterflies are believed to move between worlds and bring messages and warnings. They are considered to be souls waiting to be reborn on earth. This belief has contributed to the continued popularity of butterflies in modern-day material culture. Butterflies can be seen on a wide range of clothes, stationery, and other goods. Interestingly, the colour of t...

Celtic Goddess Flidais

 Flidais is a fascinating figure in Irish mythology, renowned for her many roles and abilities as a goddess. As a Mother Earth figure, she is associated with abundance and fertility, particularly through her strong connection to milk and milking. During the Cattle Raid of Cooley, her magical herd of cattle was able to provide milk for an entire army every seven days, a testament to her power. However, Flidais was much more than just an Earth Goddess. She was also a shape-shifter, a goddess of sexuality, and a healing goddess, making her a multifaceted and complex figure in Irish mythology. As part of the Tuatha Dé Danaan, she was believed to have originated from the pre-Christian deities of Ireland. Although the Tuatha Dé were eventually transformed into mortal queens, kings, and heroes in the medieval Ulster Cycles, Flidais remains a powerful and intriguing goddess figure, revered for her many abilities and associations. Overall, she is a testament to the richness and depth of Iri...

Ouija Board

  The exact origin of the Ouija board is unknown. Objects similar to the Ouija board date as far back as 551 Bce to Ancient China where spirit boards were commonplace items used to communicate with the dead. It is claimed that Pythagoras used talking boards to enhance his studies and unearth revelations from the unseen world. Talking boards also have connections to Ancient Rome where two people used the Ouija board to predict the successor to the king. They were tried for treason and eventually hung and the claimed successor was immediately executed. In February, 1891, the first advertisements started appearing in newspapers.