Ghostly image causes a stir

News
Posted on 15/02/2012
by Marie Madden
@galwayindo

A photo that appears to capture a ghostly image of a nun on The Long Walk has been causing a stir in the city this week.

 

Local photographer Jonathan Curran was taking a series of 13 photographs of the picturesque area in an attempt to create a panoramic view when he came across something very unusual in one of his shots. 

 

One of the images, which were taken less than a minute apart, appears to show an isolated female figure with the appearance of a 19th century Claddagh nun. Mr Curran said he was “freaked” to discover the strange appearance on the camera and checked the other 12 images but the elderly woman did not appear in any of the other pictures.

 

“The image was not visible either before or after the photograph was taken and was not captured in any of the other photographs, either going or coming. She just seemed to appear for a moment and then disappear. There were other people on the Long Walk that day, but they seemed oblivious to her presence,” he explained.

 

The unnerving photo obtained by the Galway Independent clearly shows a distinct ghostly female figure and speculation has been rife since the photo emerged as to whether this is simply a optical illusion or a representation from beyond the grave.

 

Galway historian William Henry said there had been many stories of hauntings around the Claddagh, Wolfe Tone Bridge and Long Walk over the years and stories of the ‘Lady in White’ were told regularly in the past.

 

“An elderly man once described seeing a lady dressed in medieval clothing near the bridge one night, long before our festivals began. Other stories of hauntings were told in the old Claddagh and many young people were warned to avoid Wolf Tone Bridge after mid-night. This had the added advantage of ensuring that they were home before 12 bells,” he said.

 

Mr Henry said the image at the end of Long Walk is striking and “certainly stands out as clearly out of place in a modern context.”

 

“She appears to be looking directly at the camera indicating an awareness of her surroundings,” he added.

 

Are you a sceptic or a believer? View a larger version of the photo and join the discussion at www.galwayindependent.com.

 

Comments:

  • by murray112

    on 07/10/2012

    I have seen this woman in black b4 over the years once when I was around 10 and when I was about 22 at night on a road in Cork and then during the day in a cemetery in Ardmore co Waterford.

  • by JBorgia

    on 02/05/2012

    You know what's even more bizarre, coming face to face with one. It happened to me on Rome road about 22 years ago in Gaeta, Italy. She looked right through me. You know how you know when you've seen an apparition face to face? When you jump 6 feet backwards and your so scared you don't run because your so fixated on what the Fu.. Did I just see what I think I saw and you turn around look again it's still there, you take a third look and it's suddenly gone. I don't normally see dead people but that evening around 630 pm I damn sure did. I can still see her face and draw a picture.

  • by JCurran

    on 29/02/2012

    Hi, If you want to leave a message through my website I'll be gland to to get back to you. www.sportingoccasions.ie Regards, J

  • by tuscanywine

    on 22/02/2012

    Would it be possible for JCurran to leave contact details, as I do wish to take up the offer? If this could possibly create logistical problems please forward to him my Email address as per my registration details.

  • by wlfrm1

    on 22/02/2012

    A skeptic will always be a skeptic, so as far as I am concerned, some lengthy explanation on manipulation is just a load of whatever. People, if Mr Curan was seeking publicity, there's alot more ways to do it with less pain staking efforts. He has nothing to gain here, and obviously, by the crucifying, a lot more to lose. I come from a family that knows well of the paranormal....until you know what I know, have seen and experienced.....stay a skeptic, but a silent one.....please, I'm embarrassed for you. later.

  • by JCurran

    on 21/02/2012

    Hi All, I've never said that this image is of a ghost but it’s definitely not photo shopped or manipulated in any way. Trying to examine or analyse copies of this image from web pages is a waste of time as web images are normally converted with low dots per inch to speed up loading, that’s why the image looks pixelated when blown up. If anyone knows anything about photography and image file types, the original of this image was taken in RAW format .CR2 file which can be reset to the original image taken to revealing if it has been modified. Sorry for all the technical blurb but there can't be any doubt of the authenticity of this image if anyone wants to examine it, let me know.

  • by DJStuCrew

    on 20/02/2012

    If there's any use of PhotoShop going on, I would suggest that it was used to eliminate the "Northern Face" logo from the woman's coat. I see no evidence to suggest that this is anything but a real person.

  • by tuscanywine

    on 20/02/2012

    It has been suggested by one reader (Sheels) that the image, seemingly of a woman dressed in what may or may not be a dark coloured coat has been tampered with by use of photo editing software. Whether or not it has been tampered with, this type of allegation can and often does muddy the waters of reasonable optimism. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, as concerns genuine pictures, I am not aware of a comprehensive and authoritative manual that defines what is and what is not a ghost. On the other hand, digital photograph analysis can at least look for the more blatant signs of 'touching up' of a picture, such as 'painting' over an existing part of the original, using one colour which results in consecutive pixel squares being the same colour. Is this the case with this ghost photograph? Maybe the Galway Independent, whose presence has been brought to the attention of the world of the Internet, might consider having the original picture examined by experts in digital photograph manipulation. Its a win-win situation for them, If it is clearly shown to be a fake they have been proactive in checking its authenticity on behalf of the readers. If deception cannot be proved, this reflects favourably on the photographer and also enhances the mystery by removing some of the main objections to authenticity. Over to you G I.

  • by lorrie

    on 20/02/2012

    And the coat or cape looks only about knee-level...and then pants or slacks below ! or a tight dark skirt. Hardly clothing for a nun.

  • by lorrie

    on 20/02/2012

    The fact she is in only one photo of a series means nothing. If it was a fake all the woman had to do was drop out of sight of the camera by sitting on the ground. The photographer could have had a real woman posing and then had her hide , or duck, near the ground. If she did you wouldn't be able to see her any longer if you look at the photo something would block her from view. Or yes could be a manipulated image. I do believe in ghosts though-

  • by chosenbygrace

    on 20/02/2012

    @Sheels "I have saved this photograph and zoomed in and it is my opinion that this is clearly a fake, and not even a good one at that. It looks something like "touch up" on Google Picassa and "paint" has been used; especially on the clothing, where brush strokes can be seen." And where can the brush strokes be seen? And you know that no other programs can produce brushstrokes like you've seen other than Picassa? Your opinion sounds absurd and based on subjective feelings. "I would suggest that this is just a staged "adapted" photograph of a "normal" person, and if you look at the face, features can clearly be seen, with an attempt having been made to make these more transparent through software intervention." So you see brushstrokes on the person and also because brushstokes can clearly be seen and your imagination that it's been attempted to make it look transparent that therefore it's a REAL person, and a real person would have brush strokes on them because? And they would be in the exact center of the photo and looking in the direction of the camera because? Your explanation is nonsense. And do you think saying, "software intervention" like some social misifit nerd with no friends who thinking using fancy terms makes you more believable? Maybe you should stop trying to imitate the character of Jeff Goldblume on Jurassic Park, you do know that that was just a fictional movie based on a baseless theory called Darwinian Evolution, right, Miss, "These Ghost Pics are the Real Ones But Not This One Because I Think I Can See Brush Strokes and Software Crisis Intervention"? "I also wasn't aware that Medieval Nuns had mid length robes!" And were you also not aware that they don't have blurred faces with those oh so bad "facial features" that can be seen" cuz don't u know: neither nuns from the past nor ghosts can possibly have facial features. I'd bet a lot that you are a very contentious person in general. "If you are interested in looking at "actual genuine" ghost photographs for comparison," And you know that they are "actual genuine really reals super really reals for sure" ghost photo(graphs) because... "I would suggest" Did you seriously use that really for reals surely truly true cliche narcissist's term too? Do you have narcissism disorder?: http://narcissist.tk "you visit www.butterflymoon.co.uk and select "photogallery"!!" OKAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I suggest you learn logic from one of the almost 700 pages at http://eternian.wordpress.com if you can. The narcissism one is a good start, then Google "Knight's Proof of the True Religion"

  • by JCurran

    on 17/02/2012

    Hi, Just to show the image in the context of the panoramic I've posted a link to the complete image. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/823/longwalkgalway.jpg/

  • by Ender

    on 17/02/2012

    Can we see the other photographs so we know this isn't complete bull?

  • by Sheels

    on 17/02/2012

    I have saved this photograph and zoomed in and it is my opinion that this is clearly a fake, and not even a good one at that. It looks something like "touch up" on Google Picassa and "paint" has been used; especially on the clothing, where brush strokes can be seen. I would suggest that this is just a staged "adapted" photograph of a "normal" person, and if you look at the face, features can clearly be seen, with an attempt having been made to make these more transparent through software intervention. I also wasn't aware that Medieval Nuns had mid length robes!. If you are interested in looking at "actual genuine" ghost photographs for comparison, I would suggest you visit www.butterflymoon.co.uk and select "photogallery"!!

  • by Cyclopunk

    on 16/02/2012

    Argh! Jennet Humfrye!

  • by Earnest

    on 16/02/2012

    Why is the ghost EXACT in the middle? Just wondering...

  • by roger2011

    on 16/02/2012

    It would be really nice to think that it was something supernatural, and maybe it is. I do, however, think that it is quite natural and an innocent person. The figure seems to be at the same clarity and focus as the grass around her. Also that piece of green is a bit of a bank and the person could have walked into that position from behind there. Also the road to her left goes behind the buildings and it would only take a few seconds to walk to that position. Because of the poor quality of that part of the picture, it being a bit out of focus compared to the boats in the foreground (in the paper),This could have been someone with a brownish coat and black hair. The bit around the head looks a lot darker that the rest of the body.

  • by quinner

    on 16/02/2012

    Hi Do ghosts have dogs?. In the first photo about 3m to the left of the ghost is a medium size dog (black and white). The dog also appears in the second photo. Someone should have the bother to blow up the photos. I suppose it takes a Dub to get to the bottom of this.

  • by sceptic

    on 16/02/2012

    Strange coincidence that the actress in the play Doubt appears to be wearing pretty much the same outfit. Could she have stepped out for a cigarette break!

  • by Bigaldo

    on 15/02/2012

    My Grand Uncle who lived close by once told me of a Norwegian woman ( Ms. Dadag ) who's ghost had been regularly seen in the area. She arrived in Galway on a merchant ship, Solvbullet ( The Silver Bullet ) from her home town in Bergen. Fek as she was more commonly known, worked in the kitchen on board the ship. It's said that she made the journey around three times a year and would have become well known to the local traders as she stocked the kitchen with supplies from their shops each time for the journey home. One night before they were due to make the return journey they had a party on board to celebrate a successful trading mission and they invited some of the local merchants and those who had helped load and unload the ship. The local lads had been drinking heavily on some local bru ( known to you and me as poitin ). One of the lads, Liameen Mor took a shine to Fek. Angered because she spurned his advances he threw her overboard as the ship lay at anchor along the long walk. A search was carried out but Fek Dadags body was never found. Could this be the mystery woman in the picutre?

  • by dilallio

    on 15/02/2012

    If it was up the road at the Spanish Arch, it could have been an empty bottle of 'Blue Nun' or Buckfast.