Paul Mescal Recounts Paranormal Encounter In Ireland

Irish actor Paul Mescal, known for his acclaimed role in "Normal People", shared a spine chilling childhood memory of an 'unexplainable' paranormal encounter during a family holiday at the Clayton Hotel (formerly the Clarion Hotel) in County Sligo, Ireland. The Clayton Hotel, formerly Sligo Mental Hospital and later St. Columba’s Hospital, had a notorious history of alleged non-ethical methods of patient control before its closure in 1992.

Mescal, who is currently promoting his new movie "All of Us Strangers" alongside co-star Andrew Scott, spoke candidly about the eerie incident. When asked about supernatural experiences, Mescal swiftly confirmed, "I have". He proceeded to recount a haunting event that occurred when he was around 12 years old, staying at the Clayton Hotel with his 10 year old brother, Donnacha.

Mescal stated,

"The door was propped open, we heard this whistling. We were watching a Spongebob movie. We stopped it for a minute and the whistling got really loud. Then the chair that was propping the door open, flew into the bedroom, the door slammed shut. We were screaming at the top of our lungs,"

What made the incident even more unsettling was the revelation that the Clayton Hotel had once served as an asylum with a dark history. The hotel, which was formerly Sligo Mental Hospital and St. Columba’s Hospital, allegedly employed non-ethical methods to control patients.

Mescal continued,

"It wasn’t until the next day that we found out that the hotel was an old asylum,"

"I don’t necessarily believe in ghosts, but what happened in that room was weird, and kind of unexplainable."

The Clayton Hotel has gained notoriety for reports of paranormal activities long after its closure. Guests have recounted instances of televisions and lights switching on and off mysteriously. One specific room is left unoccupied due to a high volume of 'paranormal' complaints. Sightings of ghostly figures, including a woman in old clothing holding hands with a child, have contributed to the hotel's haunted reputation.

The hospital, initially designed in the Elizabethan style by William Deane Butler, commenced its operations as the Sligo Asylum in 1855. Over the decades, it underwent transformations, being renamed Sligo Mental Hospital in the 1920s and later becoming St. Columba's Hospital in the 1950s. Following the deinstitutionalisation wave in the late 1980s, the hospital entered a period of decline and ultimately closed its doors in 1992. Subsequently repurposed into a hotel, it reopened as the Clarion Hotel in 2005 and underwent a re-branding to become the Clayton Hotel. As of 2021, the facility boasts 167 available rooms for guests.

While Mescal may not be a firm believer in the supernatural, his firsthand experience at the Clayton Hotel adds to the latest chapter in the property's already eerie history.

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