Dublin's obscure Hendrick Street was once home to two houses considered some of the most haunted in the city. Occupied by at least six ghosts, some say they still wander their venerable street.
In Smithfield, Dublin, there was once a narrow, inconspicuous street that locals long avoided after obscure. Little was known about the street between the city's corn and cattle markets. Hendrick Street, now mostly off the map, was whispered for generations as Dublin's most haunted street, with more than one house having haunted stories.
Although the venerable Dutch Billys houses dating back to the 1730s were demolished in the 1960s, the area where numbers 7 and 8 once stood is said to remain troubled and has been the worst site for street hauntings. Stories say that no fewer than six spirits are bound to this cursed piece of land, forever recreating the tragedies that once unfolded beyond its doors.
The Six Ghosts of Hendrick Street
The haunting of Hendrick Street began long before the bulldozers arrived. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this area was densely built up with tenement houses, and poverty, disease and despair hung in the air like fog. The numbers 7 and 8 were said to be particularly unlucky. This is said to have occurred especially in the 1920s and preceded the demolition of the house.
By the turn of the 20th century, Hendrick Street's reputation had deteriorated beyond repair. Residents told about six different apparitions that haunted neighboring houses.
Tenants rarely stayed long, reporting that at night they heard knocking on the walls, furniture moving on its own and cool hands brushing their faces in the obscure. Ghosts harassed people especially at numbers 7 and 8 on the street.
The obscure history of number 7
One story in particular is about a family that moved into number 7. An venerable house where many people lived and died. It is not specified exactly when this family moved here, but it is more likely to have been sometime in the early to mid-20th century. When they arrived, they were warned not to go down after obscure. Apparently a woman had died in the house and was heard walking up and down the stairs from midnight to five o'clock every evening.
One evening the father of the house came home and couldn't open the door. He heard someone coming down the stairs and the door opened. But when he looked inside, no one was there and he only felt a cool wind pass through him.
The ghost by the fireplace in number 8
An elderly couple once lived in the house next door. According to history, they hated each other in life, but it seemed that they would not be able to part in the afterlife. While the man, rumored to be terribly mad, stayed at home to haunt his wife.
She hated him so much that she was glad he died. But one night he came back and shouted at her. It was also said that he sat by the fireplace. Due to his torment even after death, she finally said she underwent an exorcism.
It is said that buildings no. 7 and 8 were demolished already in 1953 due to their indigent condition.
Hendricka Street No. 15-19
Not only the two houses on the street were said to be haunted, but also the buildings opposite. It was once an industrial block, now transformed into a commercial and service point.
According to rumors, the building was haunted by a juvenile girl who appeared in front of people. People passing by reported seeing faces in the windows of the building when no one was supposed to be inside.
Dublin's Forgotten Haunt
Today, Hendrick Street is little more than a memory, and yet its spooky reputation has never faded. The Hendrick Smithfield Hotel was built in its place. While the hotel acknowledges the haunted history of these streets, it doesn't have much to say when it comes to more recent ghost stories. However, it is still a stop on many ghost tours around the city.
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Haunted Hendrick Street: Dublin's most cursed corner
Dublin's obscure Hendrick Street was once home to two houses considered some of the most haunted in the city. Occupied by at least six ghosts, some say they still wander their venerable street.
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Eye of history | Hendrick Street: A somewhat unloved street in Dublin
7 and 8 Hendrick Street, Dublin | Explore Haunted Ireland
Hendricka Street 15-19 | Explore Haunted Ireland
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