A hostel owner in Derry says his customers are being terrified by ghostly sightings of a Victorian spirit - and one staff member has walked out because of the freakish fiend.
But, strangely, it seems to be those from countries with strong religious beliefs that are most prone to the sightings, according to owner Steve McPhilemy.
Now to appease his guests, he has arranged for a special "blessing" of the building.
S
teve said: "In the hostel industry we prefer our staff to be live-in and this is a very un-ideal situation. Finding staff is hard enough but to lose them because someone from the 19th century is still hanging around simply isn't fair, we have enough business obstacles to overcome.!
"Paddy's Palace is located on the admittedly eerie Asylum Road, in a Victorian townhouse which was constructed in 1832 to house the Warden of Londonderry Lunatic Asylum.
"In the six years of operation, 25 per cent of our staff have had supernatural experiences, while the others dismiss the idea and are entirely comfortable in our lovable old building.
"One staff member drew an image of the man he awoke to in his bedroom. He had a black uniform and a top-hat, looking suspiciously like Johnny Depp in Willy Wonka, which was in cinemas at the time. However other staff members have concurred with this description of the apparition."
Steve said most staff members laugh it off but others believe there is a supernatural presence.
"Personally I do not believe in the ghost," said Steve, "I am more frightened by the mortgage and the local council rates bills. I have to pay for this hostel which is my life's labour of love since I set it up in 2003.
"I also find it interesting that those staff and tourists who have had ghostly experiences all hail from cultures which display superstition or strong religious belief - Italian, Irish, Maoris or American. Not one of our Scandinavian or Australian staff have ever had any problems and they laugh off the idea of sharing the hostel with a Victorian ghost.
Blessing
"Some of our Italian staff have asked a local priest to come in and bless the building. I have suggested to them, however, that the presence of Rosary beads and Holy Water might exacerbate the problem, giving that the Warden of Londonderry Asylum in the 1800s may well not have been of the Roman Catholic persuasion."
Steve has resigned himself to organising a "blessing service" to take place after Halloween - just in case.
He said: "The service will doubtless bring a positive energy to the hostel and continue to protect the thousands of young travellers who enjoy a welcome under its roof each year. We are discussing with paranormal investigators the possibility of staying overnight in the hostel to do some filming and recording before Christmas."
