The Irish Center's dining room: Site of a ghostly experience.
By Susan Spellman Burns
You may not believe in ghosts, but 22 percent of Americans assured CBS news pollsters that they’ve been up close and personal with the dead.
Paul Gallagher is one of them. It has been several months since the Irish Center bartender’s startling experience that Friday night as he closed up the Center, which included cleaning up the Texas hold-em game in the front dining room. At the time, Paul felt a cold breeze pass through his chest, though he had just closed and latched all the windows. Then he heard someone say. “What are you going to do now, Paul?”
I sat down with Paul, and we talked about the ghost he encountered, who he is fairly sure was the spirit of a late customer who made a very heartfelt gesture to Paul before his death.
Paul told me that he has been teased often by patrons and his friends after his previous interview about the ghost with irishphiladelphia‘s Denise Foley so he was hesitant to talk about it again. But we both agreed that his visitation was a gift, and a gift that can be shared to perhaps give others new insight on such a personal experience.
Q. Has your “secret admirer”contacted you in any way since that memorable night?
A. No. I really don’t look for it, or try to think about it. Yes it happened. I have moved on.
Q. Do you have a better understanding of who may have visited you?
A. I feel it was a patron that passed away last fall. My gut tells me it was him. I know it was him.
Q. Why do you feel this spirit chose you to contact?
A. It was probably just his way of saying good-bye. I feel honored.
Q. The ghost asked “What are you going to do now Paul?” Did this have anything to do with your own personal struggles?
A. No, definitely not. I have thought about this several times. I have my own personal struggles like everybody. It was again, just his way of saying good-bye.
Q. Has this experience sparked a greater interest in the paranormal?
A. Not really. Sometimes I watch one of the ghost hunter shows on television, but when it comes to choosing that or sports shows, I prefer watching sports.
Q. I know you mentioned that you think the ghost has moved on since that night, do you feel there maybe other spirits in the Irish Center?
A. I have not sensed this in any way myself, but there is certainly talk that there are other ghosts here.
The Burning Question:
As I stood in the front dining room after my interview with Paul, did I experience anything paranormal?
Nope. However, I did feel something quite normal. I could feel that this building was filled with dear memories, dreams, happy times, and that magical Irish love.
Do you have a true ghost story to tell? Contact Susan Spellman Burns via the “contact us” link on the home page. She’s on the trail of Irish spirits—of the other-worldly kind—and will be taking us on ghost tours periodically.
