Spirit Boxes P-SB7

The “P-SB7 Ghost EVP Box” is used to collect EVP’s. It basically does the same thing as shack hacks or Franks Boxes etc. So it is a “white noise” devise. 

The Spirit Box doesn’t make as much noise as the others—so it is easier to filter things out. When this box came out in 2010 some ghost hunters questioned if this “cleaner noise” would actually not be good because it is the noise that allows or helps the spirits to communicate. Several people have found this really isn’t a factor.

Warning-- if you don’t like white noise this sound regardless of its level can be irritating. In fact, I know investigators who will not use this kind of a devise because this sound drives them batty. Others it does not bother at all. I have placed a video of a Spirit Box at the bottom of this post so you can hear the sound it makes.

A while back I wrote a post about shack hacks—I featured this devise because it is a cheaper route to take when using white noise during EVP sessions. But recently some of the newer smaller Radio Shack radios cannot be hacked so I decided to share what I know about Spirit Boxes.

First, Spirit Boxes have features that older versions do not have. The SB7 model allows the user to adjust the speeds, other white noise devices do not do this. One word of caution here--these higher speeds and the noise it generates again irritate some people. 

A feature that I find especially nice is the Spirit Box has a small built in speaker, which allows the user to listen with headphones or connect to an external speaker or computer.

The SB7 allows the user to sweep both AM and FM frequencies like the older versions but it also sweeps in reverse. One really nice feature is the Spirit Box is small, about the size of an mp3 player so it is much more portable. You can buy used Spirit Boxes on ebay for around $79.00—with bidding I imagine they go for less.

Having mentioned the above information let me state that I have personally stepped back from using white noise. This does not mean others shouldn’t use it—mine is just a personal choice. It is always fun to experiment with a variety of tools. 

One reason I no longer use these devises is because as I have learned more I have discovered I want to spend my time gathering evidence that provides more provable results and can be duplicated. Using white noise affords neither of these things. 

An investigator I admire pointed out what you hear with white noise is nothing more than pareidolia—meaning our minds take this random background noise it hears and tries to make sense of it.

Again, if you like white noise devises go for it—I just am giving my opinion.

Happy Ghost Hunting!

Ghost Piper of Duntrune Castle

In the late 1640s, several Scottish clans were pitted against each other. This story is about two of these clans--the Campbells and the MacDonalds. 

The MacDonalds or Donald Clan as they are known supported King Charles the 1^st who was king of England, Scotland, and Ireland at the time while the Campbell Clan fought for the Parliament of England. * 

These two clans clashed in a bloody siege when the Donald Clan hearing that most of the Campbells were away from Duntrune Castle took the opportunity to attack and take the castle.

Duntrune Castle was built over 800 years ago. It is located in the West coast region of Scotland on the north side of Loch Crinan in Argyll, Scotland—today it is Kilmartin Parish. 

It was used as a fortress to guard the surrounding countryside against raiders from across the sea.  ** 

The MacDonalds descended upon this fortress owned by the Campbells in 1645, as part of their campaign that swept across most of Scotland during the civil war.

Once the castle was taken the MacDonald chief “Colkitto”  *** left a small garrison of men at Duntrune along with his personal piper to guard the castle so he could continue his campaign assault. 

In Colkitto’s absent, the Campbell Clan, determined to regain the castle, launched a counter-attack and eventually recaptured Duntrune. Every MacDonald was killed with one exception the Piper.

Pipers held an important role within Scottish clans—they were well educated, and they ranked high in the chief's household. When going into battle, they stood alone piping the men onward. It is said they were the “focus of loyalty.” 

Because of this MacDonald’s Piper—being a privileged and protected individual was spared. He found himself imprisoned and surrounded by his enemies, but he was about to perform a very courageous act that would save the lives of hundreds of his comrades.

Spotting his chief’s boat approaching on the loch he played a welcoming tune on his bagpipes but as the boat drew nearer the castle he changed tunes to a Scottish aire the Pibroch—“The Pipers Warning.” Colkitto heard this warning and turned his boat about, and the MacDonalds sailed to safety. 

But for the piper, there was no escape, the Campbells realizing what he had done chopped off his hands as a punishment. He bled out and died. ****

Ever since the piper was killed people have heard bagpipes play the Pibroch at Duntrune Castle. This eerie haunting music is even heard across the loch. 

For over two hundred years, many people felt this was just a “romanticized myth” connected to the castle, but in the 1880s while the castle was being renovated two workmen removing some flagstones in an inner courtyard of the castle found a shallow grave with a skeleton that had both hands cleanly chopped off at the wrists. 

Astonished the owner of the castle at that time felt this must be the remains of the ghostly piper who was heard. He arranged for a proper burial with an Episcopalian service.

The Campbell’s sold Duntrune in 1792 to the Malcolm’s of Poltalloch. 

Robin Malcolm the current clan chief of Clan Malcolm owns the castle today. Robin Malcolm has a letter written by his father to a friend about the supernatural activity at the castle, he writes, “things happen that couldn’t be explained in the normal way.” 

Besides the bagpipe music, furniture has been seen moving of it’s own accord, and objects hurl themselves at walls breaking into pieces.

Robin Malcolm states he feels the castle is still haunted by the piper. His present-day sitting room was once the main entrance to the castle, he feels this room has a lot of activity. 

His dog often warns him and his wife when something is passing. The Malcolm family is comfortable with the ghost. They feel the piper still haunts the castle because he was probably Catholic and not Episcopalian—therefore he was not properly laid to rest.

* The English Parliament wanted a “constitutional monarchy” Charles the 1^st disagreed. His attempt to forge an alliance with Scotland started the Second English Civil War. He was ultimately defeated, convicted, and executed for high treason.

** Duntrune castle is unique in that, it is the oldest continuously occupied castle in Scotland today.

*** Some accounts refer to Colkitto as Alasdair Mac Colla others as Coll Clotach.

**** In another version of this story the MacDonald Piper was sent into the castle to spy but was found out. He was imprisoned and then played his pipes to warn the MacDonalds that their surprise attack was no longer a surprise. Colkitto duly warned retreated, and the Campbell’s cut off the piper’s hands.

Irish Headless Horseman: The Dullahan

A friend of my family told me this story when I was a pre-teen, thinking back I was probably too young to hear it—for I had several vivid nightmares afterward.

He asked me what picture I got in my mind when I thought of fairies. I think I told him “Tinker Bell” or Cinderella’s “Fairy Godmother.” He told me, “Well this story is about a fairy but not that kind.”

I remember this grabbed my attention. This is the story he told me:

In Ireland, hundreds of years ago, there was a king by the name of Tighermas. Tighermas believed in a pagan god by the name of Crom Dubh. His belief in this God led him to sacrifice humans every year—by decapitating them—to appease or keep Crom Dubh happy.

This practice continued until the Christians gained a stronghold in Ireland at which point human sacrifice was no longer allowed. Resenting this, it is said Crom Dubh took on a human form so he would not be forgotten. To this day he is considered the most terrifying of all the Irish Unseelie fairies.

Confused about the use of the term “fairy,” I asked why a fairy was scary.

So the friend stopped and explained patiently, this fairy was a supernatural spirit and a malicious and evil one at that.

He is known as Gan Ceann. (In old Gaelic Ceann means head, and Gan means without.) But most people call him the dullahan—the dark man.

He is a fearsome spirit who rides a massive black horse—he is only seen at night—but it is best not to see him—but I am getting ahead of myself. He is headless * but he keeps his head near, he either carries it under his arm or thrusts it high in his outstretched hand as he rides his horse.

His head is rotted and moldy in appearance, it has dark eyes that dart back and forth constantly and it’s mouth sneers from ear to ear. The horse the dullahan rides is heard thundering down the road leaving a trace of burnt grass behind—most will not look at this horse—but the few who have and survived say fiery flames shoot from its nostrils.

Keep in mind there are not many people who have seen the dullahan for everyone is warned not to look upon this dark man as he passes by—for it is believed if they do it ensures a person’s demise.

This horseman is clothed in dark robes and carries a whip made from a human’s spine, it is said he barely utters a word except for a name. This is another reason why he is dreaded for the person, this dark spirit names as he stops is doomed for he claims their soul.

The friend paused here and I asked, “You mean he kills them.”

Yes, he steals their soul—and the person drops dead. There is no warning except for the pounding of his horses’ hooves on the road as he approaches—and when he stops he calls out their name—family members or friends who try to help this person find that the dullahan splashes blood on them or whips out their left eye which marks them as one of his next victims. 

“So there is no defense against him?”

There is one, and it was discovered by accident. A man from Galway walking to a friend’s house late one night heard the sound of a horse’s hooves pounding behind him. He turned to see the spirit and his black steed charging ever closer. He shouted and made a run for it—but as most know a mere mortal man cannot get away from this dark fairy. And this man had looked upon him…

The dullahan gained on him and the poor man knew this was the end but in the next moment his coin pouch worked its way open and one gold coin fell to the ground. All of a sudden there was a loud roar and a rushing of air above him as he turned to look he found the dullahan was gone.

“So the coin saved him?”

It was made of gold—and that was what saved him. It seems the dullahan has an irrational fear of gold—even a small amount will frighten him off. So each October during the Irish New Year, Samhain, which brings the beginning of the Celtic winter, every Irishman, carries gold and looks out—or actually looks away to avoid the dullahan.

* It is said that this tale, The Dullahan, most likely inspired Washington Irving to write The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  For his parents were Scots and Scotland just like Ireland has versions of The Dullahan—the headless horseman.

Haunted Glenarm Castle

Located just forty miles from Belfast in Northern Ireland in County Antrim is the beautiful rural estate of Glenarm Castle. This castle has been in the McDonnell family since it was first built in 1636.

For the 400 years the estate has been owned by the McDonnell family there have been tales of the place being haunted. In the mid-1800s many guests of the family who stayed at the castle saw one particular ghost. In 1853 one male guest saw a figure standing at the doorway of his bedroom:

“She was tall with a careworn face and deep-set eyes. She wore what seemed, in the momentary sight I had, a short petticoat of blue and brown homespun. Her arms were extended, holding the strings of a cap with frills such as the Irish women used to wear.”

Two years later another guest at the castle saw the same figure who:

“Wore a cap, and was holding the strings out in a dazed manner with bare arms, ‘Well”, I cried sharply, and she was gone.”

Even in the 1990s, this same ghost has made appearances. She is always spotted near or in the guest bedrooms in the castle. Recent witnesses have described her as so “real” they thought she must be a servant dressed in the fashion of an earlier age.

Hector McDonnell, who grew up at Glenarm Castle told The Telegraph in the 1990s of a childhood encounter he had with a ghost that convinced him the castle is indeed haunted. 

According to McDonnell the paranormal activity at Glenarm was so pronounced that his mother decided to have every room in the castle “exorcized”—except for the attic. He feels that when this was done all the spirits must have fled to the attic.

After this McDonnell explained, there was a terrible stamping noise coming from the attic. He stated that at the age of 12 his sister’s maid, who he was more afraid of than ghosts, sent him to the attic to investigate. 

What happened next scared him so much he never went in the attic again. According to him, he turned on the lights to the attic at the bottom of the stairs and then headed up to the room—at which point the lights turned off, leaving him in the dark. 

To his horror, he sensed that whoever had turned off the lights was now behind him—he does not remember to this day how he got back down the stairs—but he did not encounter anyone living who could have turned the lights off.

McDonnell stated that the noises continued for the next fifteen years, but since he was the only family member who slept in that part of the castle he was the only one who was bothered by it. 

He mentioned that a skeleton was found buried outside the castle so he feels that people could have been murdered in the area in the past—there was a skeleton unearthed near one of the original castle walls in the 1970s.

Today Mr. McDonnell lives in the rectory just down the road from the castle. This structure is also haunted by a half-formed figure, which is seen most often in the dining room.