‘Spooked Ireland’ Investigate The Cork School At The Centre Of Famous Viral Ghost Videos

Vogue sets the scene, remarking, “Cork city in the Southwest is home to Ireland’s most haunted school, Coláiste Éamann Rís.” Chris talks about the global impact of the school’s paranormal reputation, adding, “CCTV capturing unprecedented phenomena here went viral with over 20 million views worldwide.” Now, the staff wants answers. Vogue says, “With so many aggressive spirits here, the staff are desperate for us to find the truth.”

Chris begins his initial sweep of the school with Ryan O’Neill in the music room, where there’s reports of the piano echoing through the empty school. Together, they encounter mysterious phenomena, including a full-form shadow and unexplained breathing, prompting Ryan to conclude, “There’s something not right with this area here.”

Chris, while on the third floor, discovers a curious pattern on the combination locks of several lockers, all showing the date 1777. Chris wonders, “What went on in 1777? What went on here during that time period?”

His discovery seems to tie in with the grim history of the land that Vogue uncovered during her earlier conversation with the school’s principal, Aaron Wolfe. She explained, “This was basically built on a site that was known as Gallows Green.” Vogue said that some of the gallows’ first victims met their end here in 1777. She added, “I would suggest that one of the spirits here died at the gallows. And are trying to tell us.”

The episode then shifted its focus to the famous viral video, as parapsychologist Evelyn Hollow attempted to debunk its authenticity by visiting the exact spot where it was captured on CCTV. Evelyn used fishing wire to try to recreate one aspect of the video, a chair that moves across the corridor before slamming into the wall. Although Evelyn was able to create a similar effect, she failed to reproduce the intricacies of the movement.

Chris joins Evelyn and plays her some audio that seems to repeat, indicating possible fakery. Chris tells her, “That’s repeated audio. Either there’s something within the room that is creating a sound every couple seconds, and that’s what’s being picked up. Or it’s looped, the video’s been looped.”

This is excellent attention to detail and a really good spot on Chris’ part. As they discuss this theory, Chris and Evelyn then hear the heating system kick in, which does seem to be making a repeating sound, possibly ruling out looping as a possible method of fakery. It’s hard to say for sure if this was the sound repeating in the clip, but Chris was right to question this.

The team regroups after their initial research and theorises about the presence of a poltergeist. Evelyn suggests, “Poltergeists normally focus on a singular location, and then within that location usually, they latch on to, or they’re worse with, one individual person.” Chris adds, “I think Evelyn is right. There is a poltergeist here, but is it trapping the other spirits?”

The team hopes to find out as they embark on their main investigation, but the episode takes a dramatic turn en route to their first vigil when Chris announces, “Our cameras have gone down. The poltergeist is messing with us.” Despite this setback, the team, resilient and determined, continues filming on their phones.

In the music room, with their cameras restored, Vogue and Ryan set up the Tri-Field meter. Ryan initiates contact with the spirits, asking, “Do we have anyone in the area here? Can you do something physical for us?” The response is immediate, a loud bang that seems to affirm their presence.

Vogue, feeling particularly anxious, becomes a focal point of the investigation. Chris suggests, “As one of the youngest members of the team, it’s possible the poltergeist is feeding off of Vogue’s emotions.” To test this theory, Vogue and Ryan head to the school hall, employing a music box as a motion sensor. The music box’s activation, followed by another loud bang, indicates a strong paranormal presence.

In a strategic move, Vogue and Evelyn attempt to lure the poltergeist into the female toilets, a location known for its high activity. Their plan seems to work as a REM-Pod placed in the room beeps and flashes, indicating a presence.

Meanwhile, Chris and Ryan, equipped with their Afterlife ITC app, attempt to communicate with the 14 spirits, hoping that Vogue and Evelyn have successfully distracted the poltergeist. They receive coherent responses, including the word “pray,” leading Chris to conclude, “That was not the poltergeist. I believe it was the trapped souls from the gallows.”

The episode concludes with Chris performing a prayer in an effort to help these trapped spirits find peace. “I can’t be sure that the poltergeist has passed over, but I feel like we have freed the other spirits,” he reflects.

This final episode of ‘Spooked Ireland’ stands out as a high point in the series, showcasing one of the team’s most intriguing and distinctive investigations. The episode is unique in its efforts to debunk the school’s famous viral video. The clips generated a lot of press and debate, so it was interesting to see the team actually go to the location where the clip was captured to investigate it.