A chilling tale of a haunted house in Shantallow, now abandoned, features prominently in Peter McCartney’s Parade of Phantoms. Five different families reported eerie and unsettling events during their time in the house. One family was so terrified that a Mass was conducted on the property. However, instead of providing relief, the ritual seemed to provoke the malevolent presence further, causing it to “go mad,” according to one witness.

One particularly harrowing encounter involved a woman who was awakened in the night by an unseen force gripping her foot and moving her leg. “Standing before her,” the account states, “was a tall, lean figure of a man draped in a thin, white cloak resembling a shroud.” The figure, which also wore a black cap, elicited a scream from the woman. In response, it shook its head, dropped to one knee three times, and then clutched its throat, emitting terrifying, choking noises.

The apparition finally retreated toward a wardrobe and vanished, leaving behind an air of dread and mystery.