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LEGEND

The Woman at Number 91

West Belfast | Beechmount Grove | 1989 | Haunted House

In June 1989, the Skillen family’s home at 91 Beechmount Grove in west Belfast became the centre of one of the city’s best-known modern haunting stories. The family reported unexplained footsteps, moving objects, violent disturbances and sightings of a mysterious woman dressed in black.

The Legend

John and Greta Skillen had been living at 91 Beechmount Grove with their five children for around four years before the disturbances began. John later wrote that the first frightening events occurred on the night of 2 June 1989, after what had otherwise been an ordinary family evening.

According to John Skillen’s account, what began with strange noises and footsteps soon became far more unsettling. Later reports describe a flickering television, footsteps on the landing, doors opening and closing, furniture moving and repeated unexplained disturbances throughout the house.

The most memorable part of the story was the appearance of a woman dressed in black. John claimed that the figure became increasingly aggressive and that he was physically attacked, including having his head struck against a wall and being thrown over the bannisters. These claims came from the family and later media retellings rather than independently verified supernatural evidence.

As word spread, crowds reportedly gathered outside the house. The Irish News later reported that more than 100 people assembled nearby and that a priest attended to reassure the family. The case divided opinion locally, with some people supporting the Skillens while others suspected the story might have been exaggerated or connected to the family seeking rehousing.

The disturbances were said to become so intense that the family eventually left the house. John Skillen later documented the experience in his 1991 book, Number 91: A Belfast Ghost Story, published by December Publications. The National Library of Ireland catalogues the 137-page book under ghosts, apparitions and haunted houses in Belfast.

Whether the events had a supernatural explanation remains unresolved, but the story of Number 91 has endured as one of Belfast’s most unusual modern haunting accounts.

History or Legend?

Unlike older folklore, the story of Number 91 concerns identifiable people, a specific house and events said to have happened in relatively recent history.

The Skillen family were real, and John Skillen published his account only two years after the reported haunting. His book places the beginning of the events on 2 June 1989 and records that the family had lived at Number 91 for around four years beforehand.

That confirms that the haunting story itself is contemporary to the period. It does not, however, prove that a ghost or poltergeist caused the disturbances.

Claims of moving furniture, apparitions, violent attacks and unexplained noises came primarily from the family and those who later recounted the case. There is no independently established evidence proving a supernatural cause.

The Woman at Number 91 is therefore best described as a reported modern haunting with a documented contemporary account, rather than a proven paranormal event.

What Happened at Number 91?

The reported haunting began in June 1989 and quickly escalated from relatively minor disturbances into claims of violent paranormal activity.

Accounts associated with the case include:

footsteps on the landing
unexplained banging
doors opening and closing
furniture moving
a flickering television
sightings of a woman dressed in black
claims that John Skillen was physically attacked
religious intervention and the involvement of clergy
large crowds gathering outside the property

The family eventually left the house after claiming the disturbances had become unbearable.

Beechmount Grove, West Belfast

Beechmount Grove is a residential street in west Belfast. In 1989, Number 91 became nationally known after the Skillen family reported a series of unexplained disturbances and sightings of a woman dressed in black inside their home.

Beechmount Grove, West Belfast

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