The voice in the night came from behind a wall, and in spite of being in Ireland, the terrified family was certain it was no leprechaun.
The tale comes from the Irish Mirror after first being told on RTÉ’s Liveline. The only name offered for the mother of the family was that of Therese, whose last name was not used.
The story takes place in the Leinster area at a rental property where Therese, her partner, and her children booked a rental where they could rest after a family birthday party that would run late.
Her partner found someone behind a loose piece of plasterboard who said “hey, hey” when the board was moved.
“The blood drained from my face,” Therese said. “The kids were frozen in one spot. We had to physically move them. Their jaws had dropped.”
“They heard the hey, and all we could see was this black hole. We didn’t know what size it was, whether it was a small space or big space, and we knew there was a man behind that. It’s the most terrifying feeling ever.”
The landlord had been washing some clothes when the family arrived, but he told Therese he would not be there when the family returned from the party.
Would you have attacked the man as a threat to your family or run to get away?
Then the party ended, and the fun stopped.
The washing machine was running at the house where the group was staying, a clue someone was around. But no one initially appeared.
“I knocked off the washing machine because the kids were going to bed at that point, and I was like, ‘I’m going to knock off the washing machine because the single beds were right beside it,’” she said.
“Still I felt a little bit weird. So I said to my partner, ‘Will you go upstairs and just check all the rooms.’ And he went up, then he came back down. He was feeling a little bit weird. We didn’t initially notice that there was like this partition-looking wall,” she said.
“It was actually a really thin piece of plasterboard with a nail. So there was no nails on one part. This was in the sitting room, in the living room. So my partner went, ‘What’s behind that?’ Because it looked like it could move. So when he went to move it, it came off,” she continued.
“It was just darkness behind it and I hear ‘hey, hey,’ so we obviously died,” she added.
“And I went, ‘Is there somebody behind that wall?’ And he went, ‘Yes.’ Now the man didn’t come out near us, but like straight away, I went to get the kids and just leave right now,” she said.
“It was pitch black, so you couldn’t see a thing,” Therese recalled. “And obviously, when you get frightened, you’re not expecting to hear somebody go, ‘Hey, hey,’ from a wall, which I thought was just a wall at the time.”
“We left, initially had the kids outside. In the end, I did end up meeting him at the front of the house. He said that he didn’t meet me before. And I said to him, ‘Why have you done this? You have traumatized myself and my kids when you easily could have just said, ‘Yes, I will be here later on,’” she added.
She said he replied, “Well, my Google reviews don’t say that.”
“I’m still not over it,” she said. “It’s terrifying, and I feel sorry for the kids. Genuinely, will put me off booking any sort of holiday home in the future.”
“I think I’ll probably be hotels from here on in. I don’t think the kids would want to stay. You just don’t feel safe. Even in my own home now, it’s crazy. I know I am safe, but I’m still psychologically affected by it. It’s terrifying,” she said.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
