Customer Reviews

The Lively Ghosts of Ireland

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For many years the works of Dr. Holzer have been the yardstick by which all other books in this genre have been measured and this book is a perfect example of the man at his best. You will find no old moss covered legends or stories based on the testimony of people the author never met within the pages of this book. You also will find no stories about haunted locations that the author didn't visit or any lack of respect for the subject at hand.

What you will find in this book is a highly readable account of a series of investigations conducted by the author in 1965 and 1966 during separate visits to Ireland. Holzer and his psychic friend Sybil Leek investigated every story in this book personally, often times going to great lengths to make sure that their investigation was complete and above reproach. Oddly enough several of the people who had witnessed the haunts were very reluctant to discuss the matter but most of them finally succumbed to the author's charm for no Holzer investigation would be complete if he didn't get a chance to interview witnesses.

The haunts investigated in this book range from castle to coast and involve specters both of recent passing and those who have haunted Ireland for hundreds of years. No Irish ghost book would be complete of course without some mention of poet William Butler Yeats, a devout spiritualist and student of the occult. Therefore, not only do Holzer and Leek investigate a location where Yeats held frequent seances but in the end Holzer is pretty sure that they made some contact with the erstwhile poet.

I keep using the term investigation in this review, almost to the point of redundancy but I'm afraid that I can think of no other fitting term. Not only does this author leave out third person accounts and old legends but he also very carefully documents each case in a very scientific manner. On occasion he does stretch things a bit while trying to make a connection between some of Ms. Leek's psychic readings and historical facts that later come to light but he doesn't do this often and most of the time his conclusions seem to be very sensible.

As you can see this is not your typical ghost book. This is a scientific study of various haunted locations in Ireland that goes way beyond what one normally finds in these books. Scientific though it is, stuffy it is not and Holzer's extremely readable writing style actually makes it seem as if you are sitting in front of a blazing fireplace engaging the author in conversation. Be warned however that once you read this book many of the other ghost books on the market may seem tiresome and very lacking.

Hans Holzer was one of the psychic researchers that brought the field back to serious public attention after it had fallen into disrepute earlier in the 20th century. This particular volume was written after his first three books: Ghosts I've Met, Ghost Hunter, and Yankee Ghosts. While billing himself as a "Ghost Hunter" Holzer was always careful to interview those who had experienced the sightings first hand, as opposed to merely collecting second and third hand accounts and legends. He also used cameras with special film, tape recorders, and other instruments at the sites to see if there were any residual record able effects. While he had a certain amount of psychic sensitivity himself, he usually brought along another confirmed psychic to independently confirm the feelings of both himself and the original observers. In this particular volume the famous psychic and white witch, Sybil Leek, accompanied him.

This book is based on two prolonged trips the author took to Ireland in 1965 and 1966. He found that there had been surprisingly little written about Irish ghosts up to that time, and no real serious research attempt. Accompanied by his wife (an artist that provided numerous sketches of the various sites for the book), and Sybil Leek, he criss-crossed the island. Indeed, he saw so much of Ireland that this book has secondary value as a travel guide. He followed up any and all leads that he could find from urban Dublin to the most remote regions of the western coast. The sites themselves range from farm houses to castles, and from tenements to Tara.

Holzer has a light, humorous, conversational style that makes his book a joy to read. You actually feel that you are accompanying his expeditions as he goes.

This book is a must for People that are into the Pharanormal. It's and easy to understand book. It give's indeth detail's of Case's that he has actually investigate. I would suggest this book to anyone. I think it is one of his best work's. I also would sugest reading any other book's writen by Hanz Holzer.