Ghost Hunters Investigations: Ghost Hunter International Recap: Wicklow's Gaol

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Ghost Hunter International Recap: Wicklow's Gaol

Wicklow’s Gaol, Wicklow, Ireland (Barry's homeland)

We begin the season 2 premiere and are joined by the GHI investigating team of Robb, Dustin, Barry, Brandy, Joe, and a new investigator, Ashley Godwin. Ashley is from Florida and joined the Florida TAPS team, a few years back. She met Robb there and investigated with that team for a couple of years. She is big on the scientific side of things, and thinks the physics can explain lots of things that people think are paranormal, but there are things out there that even physics can't even explain. When she was 3 years old her Grandmother bought a house in Orlando Florida which was haunted. They experienced banging on doors, the sound of dishes being thrown all around in the kitchen, and voices in the house. These experiences are what sparked her interests in the paranormal, and every since then, have been hooked on checking out abandoned houses to see if she could find anything paranormal.

The Wicklow’s Gaol was first constructed in 1702 and the conditions were absolutely horrendous. During the time of the great famine, the population of the prison was 780 prisoners and there were 17 people per cell. The activity is anywhere from people being pushed, touched, seeing blood on the floor, lots and lots of shadow activity with the claims being spread throughout the jail. Wicklow was completely shut down in 1924 and is now a museum, Marie, who is the Wicklow Gaol curator and their guide, told Robb, Dustin and Barry, that she had experiences there too. She first takes them to the original gates from 1702, which many prisoners referred to as “the gates of hell”. They were called that because once going through them, there was no hope of coming back alive. Now it’s down the narrow stairs to the school room where children, men, and women were all taught in there. The children were there because that is where they were born. A couple from Glasgow with their young child were touring the place and the boy told his parents that he saw a young child in rags. Several other visitors to the jail said that they witnessed the same thing. Now it’s to the dungeon where solitary confinement cell is located. Once the prisoners were put in there, they had no food, or visitors. A story is told that a man was brought down there that was old and sick and was found dead on the floor. They simply forgot about him. Marie said that she feels sadness in that place more than anywhere else in the building. Next they head upstairs to the main cell block where there are three separate levels. An eyewitness said that she hates the top area because when she is up there, she can feel the presence of the people that were there and it feels like someone is following her around. While on the main floor of the cell block, Marie saw her manager on the top level. He started coming down the stairs and a mist came straight down behind him, took form, and it followed him as he walked towards her. She asked several of the staff to come in and asked, “What do you see”, and they said a mist. As he got to her and asked what was wrong, she said look behind you. He said “I won't” and walked past not remembering what he wanted to ask her. Cell 1 is where many visitors have witnessed blood all over the floor. From 1702 to 1924 there were lots of tortures at the jail. A young man that was so badly beaten that you could see his ribs and had no where else to sleep but the floor. This is why there was so much blood on the floor. Cell 5 is known as the haunted cell where witnesses have reported a strange smell like rotting flesh, felt coldness, and seen a light forming. Cell 12 is where a man and woman visiting saw the woman all of a sudden faint. She said that she couldn't breathe and that it felt like she was being choked. The story goes that a man held in that cell, was hanged. In the attic is where the church was located. An apparition of a man poorly dressed has been seen by many people.

INVESTIGATION: Along with the full spectrum camera, they are now using a full spectrum DVR camera. While setting up on the 2nd floor catwalk, Ashley felt someone tug on her pants. The investigation starts with Dustin and Robb in room 31 where a cold breeze was felt. Using the thermal camera, they found no draft or explanation for it. Robb kept seeing something on the main cell floor while they are on the 3rd floor catwalk. They are hearing all kinds of noises throughout the prison’s main cell block. Dustin is now in that area with Barry and Ashley. He decides to head down to solitary but before he leaves they heard lots of noises from the upper level, almost like someone was walking up there. Barry sets up devices in various parts of the area and tries to talk the spirits into coming out. Shortly afterwards he sees something while Ashley's chest starts hurting and she felt her right ear clogging up. They kept hearing a banging noise and thought it was Dustin, but camera showed that he was sitting still. Dustin thought it was them making the noise which sounded like a door banging. Dustin sat on the floor in solitary confinement asking questions with EMF, thermal camera, and recording devices all working. During that time, he and the tech guy heard a male voice, much muffled, almost like a growling sound. Now we see Brandy in the church alone. She kept seeing a light above her head, and then saw some type of form above her. Robb and Joe investigate Cell 12, doing an EVP session. They kept hearing sounds like cell doors while Robb taunted Billy, a prisoner that occupied the cell at one time and could still be seen there. He heard what sounded like a male voice saying "out". Joe and Robb heard a voice or sound, and all kinds of noises all over. Robb heads up to the second floor catwalk, and heard a noise like someone was moving around up there. Robb goes to investigate the noises like someone was walking around, or shuffling all around them. He doesn’t see anything so he heads back down to where Joe was. Now we are in Cell 1 with Ashley and Brandy, where they are experiences noises in the corridors. Brandy thought she saw a bright light on the second level, so they head up there and saw movement. As they were walking down the corridor to investigate, Brandy felt a tug on her hand that was holding the recorder. In the school room with Dustin and Barry, they experienced a strange feeling while standing in the room. While Barry was asking questions of the spirits, Dustin felt the candy in his pocket move and heard the wrapper crinkle. It was almost like someone, maybe the ghost child known to haunt that area, was reaching in his pocket to grab the sweets.

RESULTS: While Joe and Robb were on main level of the jail, they caught a woman's voice or whisper which sounded like "rights" but it was hard to tell; while Dustin was in solitary, he caught the growl on his recorder that he and the tech heard; when Barry and Dustin were in the school room, they caught a child's voice on a camera; and caught on their new camera pointing at the main floor was a strange small light where a woman's ghost has been seen; also on the main floor, the camera caught a very strange light which came and gone so quickly. Marie thinks it was the mist she saw and got weepy. Robb feels that the place is definitely haunted.

See you next week for another episode of Ghost Hunters International.

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