Paranormal record / 1877

The Derrygonnelly Poltergeist: The Demons of Derrygonelly, 1877

1877 · Farmer's cottage near Derrygonnelly, County Fermanagh, United Kingdom

28Thinly documented Paranormal Other 17 sources

County Fermanagh. 1877. A poor Methodist farmer's cottage near Derrygonnelly. Nearly every night, the girls' bedroom filled with rappings and scratchings. Stones dropped about the cottage. Boots and candles were thrown outside. A Bible, weighted with a heavy stone, was carried from the room with seventeen pages torn out. Then a physicist came to watch. William F. Barrett stood by the bed with a lit candle while Maggie, about twenty, lay still with her hands and feet in view. The knocks came anyway. A pebble fell onto the bed. And when Barrett silently asked for a number of knocks, they were slowly and correctly given.

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Key facts

When	1877
Time of day	night
Where	Farmer's cottage near Derrygonnelly, County Fermanagh,United Kingdom
Duration	weeks to months for the family; Barrett observed on three nights
Witnesses	9
Witness roles	scientist,other
Found	testimony only
Evidence	none confirmed
Investigations	none recorded
Status	undisputed

The phenomenon

Rappings and scratchings in the girls' bedroom, rising from faint to loud, sounding on chairs, bedstead, walls and ceiling. Stones dropped about the cottage and a pebble fell onto the bed. Boots and candles were thrown outside, and a weighted Bible was carried from the room with seventeen pages torn out. The raps answered silent requests for numbers.

Sound	other sound

The Guyra Ghost: the Bowen family stone-throwing poltergeist (related)

Context

The cottage stood near Derrygonnelly, eleven miles from Enniskillen. It belonged to a poor Methodist farmer, a widower by one account, with four girls and a boy. At the centre was Maggie, the eldest daughter. She was about twenty.

Sources (17, most influential first)

The 19th century ghost-hunter and the Co Fermanagh poltergeist · RTÉ Brainstorm· 2021-10-27 · Press, book, documentary · news
True Irish Ghost Stories, ch. IV: Poltergeists · Seymour & Neligan (1914), via sacred-texts.com · Press, book, documentary · book
True Irish Ghost Stories, ch. IV: Poltergeists (mirror) · Seymour & Neligan (1914), mirror · Press, book, documentary · book
Dublin University Magazine, December 1877, Vol. XC, issue 540 · Internet Archive· 1877-12 · Academic / paper of record · other
9. Hauntings and Poltergeists · Society for Psychical Research · Research organisation · org report

Reputability

28/100Thinly documented

Keywords

official investigation no sound descended at night hoax scientist witnesses slow moving farm witnesses never explained men in black loud noise

People

William F. BarrettPhysicist at the Royal College of Science for Ireland; investigator and author of "The Demons of Derrygonelly"
Thomas PlunkettGeologist and archaeologist of Enniskillen; Barrett's host and co-investigator
Rev. Maxwell CloseClergyman and geologist; joined the two-night watch and led the prayers
MaggieEldest daughter, about twenty; focus of the disturbances
Maggie's fatherMethodist farmer and householder; reported the nightly noises and the Bible episode
Shane McCorristineHistorian, Newcastle University; wrote the 2021 RTÉ account
St John D. SeymourCo-author of True Irish Ghost Stories (1914), which retells the case
Harry L. NeliganCo-author of True Irish Ghost Stories (1914)

Names

poltergeist Society for Psychical Research St John D. Seymour