The Paranormal Database

Beithir

Location: Glencoe - Ben Vair (aka Ben Vehir), in a mountain to the south of the area
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A beithir is an unknown savage animal, sometimes thought to be a serpent or dragon. One such creature was said to have made its home in the mountainous region.

Glencoe, Scotland.

Clan MacDonald

Location: Glencoe - General area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 13 February (reoccurring)
Further Comments: Murdered in cold blood by the clan Campbell, these 38 MacDonald family members return to the scene of the crime.

Rider

Location: Grisipol (aka Grishipoll), Isle of Coll - Pass near a white round rock above the site
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A silent figure on horseback appeared and rode alongside a nighttime traveller along this path. As dawn arrived, the figure vanished in a flash of flame.

Q & A

Location: Heanish, Tiree - Unidentified farm
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Mid / late eighteenth century
Further Comments: Wanting to know why his cows left their enclosure every night, a farmer concealed himself in a nearby hut. The farmer claimed to have encountered a Glaistig and that she answered a series of his questions, although her instructions on how to dodge military conscription failed.

Long Creature

Location: Helensburgh - Eastern part of the beach, mouth of the Clyde
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: February 1962
Further Comments: Seen as it crossed the beach and vanished into the sea, the creature was said to have a head around a metre in length. Large footprints were left in the sand. A strong unpleasant smell also remained in the air, and the witness's dog was in an 'upset' state after the sighting.

Rooftop Hounds

Location: Hynish - Fort at foot of hill in the area
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This old fort was used by two sons of a local farmer to watch over the family cattle overnight, as the pasture was far from the family home. One evening, the children's mother heard a voice warning her that her sons were in danger. The mother ran to the fort and found her sons terrified, claiming that they had heard fairy hounds stomping and howling on the roof of the fort.

Hound Eater

Location: Hynish, Tiree - General area
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Renowned for its dislike of canines (it is blamed for tearing apart stray local hounds), this Cu Sith (sometimes described as a human-wolf hybrid for dramatic effect) has been seen during both day and night.

English Soldiers

Location: Inveraray - A819 north of town
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Dressed in red coats, a squad of English troops match in formation along this road. This may relate to a sighting of a phantom army seen in the mid-eighteenth century by two local men - the field where this sighting occurred is now urbanised.

An old postcard showing Inveraray Castle.

Harp Player

Location: Inveraray - Inveraray Castle
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Executed in 1644, this ghostly musician now returns and plucks his strings around the time of a Duke of Argyll's death. He is also heard in the library throwing books around, though none are ever moved.

A magic lantern slide of Inveraray Cross.

Battleground

Location: Inveraray - Skies around Inveraray Castle
Type: Environmental Manifestation
Date / Time: 10 July 1758
Further Comments: A total of five witnesses in two different places watched a battle over the skies of the castle, between the Highlander regiment and garrisoned French troops. This mirrored real events in America, where 300 Highlanders were killed assaulting a fort.

Annoyance

Location: Inveraray - Unnamed neighbourhood
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late nineteenth century
Further Comments: A 'great annoyance' were the words used to describe a ghost that harassed nighttime travellers.

Redcoats

Location: Inverary - Glen Aray area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1765
Further Comments: A father and son returning from Glen Shira spotted hundreds of soldiers marching in their direction, accompanied by women and children. Fearing for his son's life, the father ducked behind a wall, dragging his child down as well. When they looked to see if they had been spotted a few seconds later, the entire army had vanished.

Donald Campbell

Location: Inverawe - Inverawe House
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: 1756
Further Comments: Donald Campbell appeared to his brother Duncan three times after being murdered, begging that Duncan hand over his killer; Duncan had inadvertently promised that the killer be hidden, not realising the murderer had struck at his brother. Unwilling to break his word, not even to the ghost of his brother, Duncan helped the killer escape - and as punishment his ghostly sibling told Duncan where he would die. The building is currently haunted by Duncan (the ghostly Donald moved to Barcaldine) and by Mary Cameron, the sole survivor of a 1660s outbreak of plague at the house. One nineteenth century account says the house was also home to a Glaistig who would rearrange furniture and could be heard rustling as she moved through the house.

An old postcard showing Iona Abbey.

Time Slip

Location: Iona, Isle of Mull - Abbey
Type: Environmental Manifestation
Date / Time: 1940s? (clergyman), others unknown
Further Comments: A clergyman visiting the island reported seeing the abbey in its former glory - he almost drowned when approaching the building, believing that he was walking on a causeway that no longer existed. Friends managed to save him. There are also stories that say Viking longboats sometimes appear off the coast, depositing phantom raiders who go on to attack the abbey, while people still report hearing singing coming from the empty abbey. At least one guest reported seeing a transparent, motionless, cowled figure standing by their bed, while a much older story concerns a tailor who works through the night and is troubled by a phantom fleshless hand.

The Call

Location: Iona, Isle of Mull - General area
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A strange spell is occasionally cast upon mortals by the fairy folk that causes them to believe they must leave the island, be it by land, sea or death.

Saint Odran

Location: Iona, Isle of Mull - Monastery
Type: Legend
Date / Time: AD 563
Further Comments: The construction of the monastery on the island was constantly halted by the Devil. Saint Columba had a vision that revealed the only way to ensure to the building work could go ahead was to offer a living sacrifice. Odran volunteered and was buried alive under the monastery foundations. Three days after being covered, Columba removed the earth that covered Odran and found him still alive. Odran said 'there is no wonder in death and Hell is not what it is reported to be'. Columba reburied the man, commanding the earth to fill Odran's mouth.

Marie Emily Fornario

Location: Iona, Isle of Mull - Reilig Odhrain
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: 1930s onwards
Further Comments: Ghost lights are seen hovering around the grave of Marie, and her sad figure has been reported moving around moorland in the region.

Milk Hole

Location: Iona, Isle of Mull - Rocks on the common land
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre twentieth century
Further Comments: A Glaistig that lived in the rocks would have fresh milk left out nightly for her. The entity also lay the curse that no woman by the name of Livingstone could kindle a fire at dinner time, after the Glaistig's clothing was damaged by a fire set by a woman named Livingstone.

Fairy Music

Location: Iona, Isle of Mull - Sithean Mor - Fairy Mound
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: From this grassy knoll sweet music has been heard by both locals and visitors to the area.

Green Woman

Location: Iona, Isle of Mull - Unidentified cave on island
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A green-clad fairy woman lived on the island and would be left milk and food by the locals.

Burning Dog

Location: Islay - Bothy on Beinn na Caillich
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: While visiting the island with his hunting dog, Macphie came across a mountainside bothy and decided to rest. A dark entity appeared in the doorway and the dog attacked it. Macphie noticed his dog's fur was smouldering, so fled back to his boat. The dog followed but had changing - the creature was now mad and breathed green flame. Macphie killed the dog with two sixpences fired from a shotgun.

Gapping Mouth

Location: Islay - Dell on the island with a gate labelled 'Cachlaidh Na Feusaig', often translated to 'the bearded gateway'
Type: Other
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A man passing through the area after dark spotted an indistinct creature coming towards him, its mouth open so wide that the man could see the creature's lungs. The witness's dog attacked the creature, allowing the man to escape; the dog would later return home and die soon after. Another story has the site haunted by an older man and woman.

An old woodcut of a winged dragon.

Goraidh Crobhan

Location: Islay - Dragon den close to Ballygrant
Type: Dragon
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Crobhan killed the dragon that had levelled most of the island by having the beast chase him while he travelled with three horses. The hero ensured that the dragon ate the three horses during the pursuit, resulting in the dragon slowing down and tiring. Still being chased, Crobhan leapt across a series of barrels in which he had earlier hammered iron stakes - the dragon failed the jump, impaling itself on the stakes, ensuring Crobhan had an easy kill.

Drunken Burglar

Location: Islay - Whiskey distillery
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This building is haunted by a criminal who broke in, drunk far too much of the local brew (this author's favourite single malt), and managed to fall to his death while trying to break back out.

Sweeping

Location: Isle of Bute - Farmhouse, exact location forgotten
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1944
Further Comments: A naval officer's family of who stayed at this farmhouse experienced several spooky occurrences, including the sound of sweeping in the early hours of the morning, the manifestation of a woman with her hair tied into a bun, and door handles which turned unaided. One story said that the haunting started after a young husband living here was killed in Rothesay over gambling debts.