At about 9pm on Wednesday, 5 September 1956, Richard Lappin reluctantly left his comfy armchair to investigate why his dog was disturbing the peace. Lappin, who had served in the Anti-Aircraft Command during World War II, lived opposite the main entrance to Parliament Buildings, better known as Stormont, the current home of the Northern Ireland …
“Then his pale countenance is seen gazing into ground-floor windows, and his gaunt form is to be dimly discerned in the gloomiest corners.” – The Weekly Freeman, 8 Sep 1917 In early September 1917, a “spectral figure” was prowling the streets of Mullingar, in County Westmeath. Tall and thin and dressed in grey, it only …
ON THE AFTERNOON OF 16 April 1950, 72-year-old James McAnespie, of Fintona village, County Tyrone, left his home and didn’t come back. He was a creature of habit; so, when he hadn’t returned home by 8pm, his neighbours called the police. Search parties, consisting of police and locals, were hastily organised. And as they searched …
ON THE AFTERNOON of Friday, 5 August 1904, Abbott Parker was struck by lightning while sheltering under a maple tree on Mount Kemble Avenue in Morristown, New Jersey. Fortunately, there were a number of witnesses to the incident who immediately ran to help. They found Parker lying face down on the pavement; his clothing had …
AT ABOUT 3PM on Tuesday, 24 June 1947, American businessman Kenneth Arnold accidentally discovered flying saucers. He’d been flying near Mount Rainier, Washington, in his CallAir three-seater aircraft, looking for a missing military aircraft at the time, when nine shiny objects, flying in formation, attracted his attention. Though he calculated that the objects were about …
THE ISLE OF WÉIRED is a place where you’ll find strange tales from Ireland – and beyond. Tales that – as strange as they are – are supposedly true. That’s not to say that they are true – only that they were reported as true. It’s not my intention to convince you of the reality …