The Shelbourne Hotel Ghost
Ghost/Paranormal
Saturday 19th, June 2021
The origin of the Shelbourne hotel ghost is suggested to have been started by a self proclaimed psychic called Sybil Leek. The story was published in 'The Lively Ghosts of Ireland' in 1967 which was put together by a man named Hans Holzer, an Austrian paranormal investigator.
The Shelbourne hotel was opened in 1842 by Martin Burke after he purchased a number of adjoining townhouses which would become the hotel. There is also other history attached to the Shelbourne, in 1922 room 112 was where the Constitution of the Irish Free State was drafted. The story relating to the ghostly incidents was centred around room 526, which no longer exists after a full internal refurbishment of the Shelbourne took place.
Prior to Hans Holzer arriving at the Shelbourne hotel he stated that he had no prior knowledge of any paranormal reports about the hotel and management at the time confirmed this for Hans. Once Hans's friend Sybil joined him at the Shelbourne she made it known that room 526 was haunted. Sybil reported that one ghostly figure was seen on more than one occasion and interacted with in room 526.
The first interaction that Sybil described was while lying in bed in her room, sometime after 2.20am she heard a noise coming from the bathroom attached to her room, at first she thought it was a cat but then claimed she clearly heard a child crying. Sybil went on to ask 'What's the matter?' and to her shock she heard a response of 'I'm frightened'. Following this response Sybil invited the child to join her on the bed, Sybil said she felt the bed being touched and a weight helping itself onto the bed. Then what she describes as an arm being laid around her neck, the next thing Sybil remembers is waking up at 6:30am with a numb right arm.
The second interaction occurred the next night in the same room, 526. Sybil was awoken again by the sound of something being moved over the floor of the bathroom. She heard a noise at the window which she had left open but when she looked over at the window she found it closed. As Sybil began to document these events she was said to have been joined by the presence of a small girl that Sybil would come to know as 'Mary Masters'. The young girl was estimated to be about 7 years old wearing an old woolen nightshirt and the child seemed to be exhausted. Sybil told the child to go to the bed and the child proceeded to the only bed in the room, Sybil asked the girl her name which she gave as 'Mary Masters' and that she was looking for someone called Sophia, the conversation continued till Sybil fell asleep next to 'Mary'.
The third night in a row was no difference, this time Sybil was joined by Hans Holzer and his wife Catherine in room 526 for a 'trance session', this involved Sybil going into a trance like state to channel 'Mary Masters' for Hans and his wife to see and possibly interact with, which supposedly worked. Hans described the child as petulant and weak, Hans endeavoured 'to send her away' by telling the child to 'go to sleep and dream of her mama', the child sobbed and eventually drifted away. Once Sybil came out of the trace she reportedly remembered nothing of the interaction with the child during the trance.
Apart from the incident involving Sybil, Hans and Catherine there are no other reported or documented cases of a ghost child or any other paranormal incidents having taken place in the Shelbourne hotel prior to or after Sybil, Hans and Catherine's experiences.
The Shelbourne hotel was opened in 1842 by Martin Burke after he purchased a number of adjoining townhouses which would become the hotel. There is also other history attached to the Shelbourne, in 1922 room 112 was where the Constitution of the Irish Free State was drafted. The story relating to the ghostly incidents was centred around room 526, which no longer exists after a full internal refurbishment of the Shelbourne took place.
Prior to Hans Holzer arriving at the Shelbourne hotel he stated that he had no prior knowledge of any paranormal reports about the hotel and management at the time confirmed this for Hans. Once Hans's friend Sybil joined him at the Shelbourne she made it known that room 526 was haunted. Sybil reported that one ghostly figure was seen on more than one occasion and interacted with in room 526.
The first interaction that Sybil described was while lying in bed in her room, sometime after 2.20am she heard a noise coming from the bathroom attached to her room, at first she thought it was a cat but then claimed she clearly heard a child crying. Sybil went on to ask 'What's the matter?' and to her shock she heard a response of 'I'm frightened'. Following this response Sybil invited the child to join her on the bed, Sybil said she felt the bed being touched and a weight helping itself onto the bed. Then what she describes as an arm being laid around her neck, the next thing Sybil remembers is waking up at 6:30am with a numb right arm.
The second interaction occurred the next night in the same room, 526. Sybil was awoken again by the sound of something being moved over the floor of the bathroom. She heard a noise at the window which she had left open but when she looked over at the window she found it closed. As Sybil began to document these events she was said to have been joined by the presence of a small girl that Sybil would come to know as 'Mary Masters'. The young girl was estimated to be about 7 years old wearing an old woolen nightshirt and the child seemed to be exhausted. Sybil told the child to go to the bed and the child proceeded to the only bed in the room, Sybil asked the girl her name which she gave as 'Mary Masters' and that she was looking for someone called Sophia, the conversation continued till Sybil fell asleep next to 'Mary'.
The third night in a row was no difference, this time Sybil was joined by Hans Holzer and his wife Catherine in room 526 for a 'trance session', this involved Sybil going into a trance like state to channel 'Mary Masters' for Hans and his wife to see and possibly interact with, which supposedly worked. Hans described the child as petulant and weak, Hans endeavoured 'to send her away' by telling the child to 'go to sleep and dream of her mama', the child sobbed and eventually drifted away. Once Sybil came out of the trace she reportedly remembered nothing of the interaction with the child during the trance.
Apart from the incident involving Sybil, Hans and Catherine there are no other reported or documented cases of a ghost child or any other paranormal incidents having taken place in the Shelbourne hotel prior to or after Sybil, Hans and Catherine's experiences.
