WHEN THE TRADER APPROACHED THE LITTLE
THE GIRL OF BALLYMULLAN
There is no doubt that the death of a child has a more devastating effect on people, than that of an older person. Those who study supernatural activity clearly state that many sightings of ghosts which appear as children are always connected with a tragic event which occured to a particular child. There are many cases of 'child ghosts' throughout Ireland and indeed the world, and one of the most tragic tales is that which was told throughout County Down during the 1920s and which was known as 'the girl of Ballymullan.'
Ballymullan is a small townland within County Down and although the area has always been peaceful and quiet it was well-known during the 1920s and 1930s due to the mysterious sightings which were seen on one of its roads. In the evenings many of the locals were cautious about using one particular road due to these sightings, but this behaviour was pointless at night as all the sightings occurred in broad daylight. At the turn of the century the road between Crawfordsburn and Helen's Bay was a very dangerous one due to the many sharp bends and bumps. To add to this situation the road was bare and during the winter months it was completely impossible to use it.
In July 1929 a trader was driving a horse and cart along this road when up ahead of him he observed a young girl standing at the side of the road. As he approached her he noticed that his horse was becoming uneasy and when he passed he observed that she was extremely pale. The girl was quite close to the cart as it was passing she paid no attention to it whatsoever. This was most unusual as children always asked for a lift and after passing the trader pulled up and jumped from the cart to see if she was alright.
WHEN THE TRADER APPROACHED THE LITTLE
GIRL HE NOTICED THAT THE HORSE BECAME UNEASY.
When he turned around he noticed that the girl had gone and assuming that she must have fallen down the embankment he rushed to where she was. He was shocked to discover that there was no one there. The young girl had totally disappeared. The trader stood in total disbelief and failed to notice that the horse had bolted. When he turned around to return to the cart he had to run down the road after the bolted horse and it was to his relief that the animal had stopped a short distance away. When he reached it he discovered that the horse was in some distress and after pulling down the harness he decided to walk along side it in order to calm it down. Further along the road he noticed a small cottage and he approached it to ask if he could have some water for the horse. He told the occupants what he had just experienced and was told, without any hesitation, that what he had just seen was the girl of Ballymullan.
The cottage was occupied by an elderly couple and they told the trader about previous sightings over the years and the tragedy which the sightings were connected with. They told of how a young girl had been tragically killed on that stretch of road when she fell from a lorry in 1917. The elderly couple had stated that she had been from Belfast and that her brother and sister had seen her die. After obtaining the water for his horse the trader thanks the couple for their hospitality and continued on his journey.
After researching the records for the year 1917 nothing was uncovered to support this story and there was nothing to show that anyone from Belfast had been killed in that area at that time. It was decided to try a few years either side of 1917 and it was then that the basic points of the story were confirmed, and that the description from the elderly couple were true, except the year of the occurrence. In June 1912 a young girl was killed at the area where the sightings occurred, she had been from Belfast, she did fall from a lorry and she had been with her brother and sister when it occurred.
On the 22nd of June 1912, a large number of children connected with the Cregagh Presbyterian Church in Belfast were taken on a day trip to Helen's Bay which was origanised by the church minister, the Rev. David Stewart. When the children arrived they were served lunch at mid-day and afterwards they partcipated in a number of competions on the beach with the winners receiving small toys. The children were then given refreshments which had been conveyed to Helen's Bay for them by the Co-operative Society. The driver had to wait for all the empty bottles and as he was doing so the children begged him for a ride on the lorry. As he was standing doing nothing he agreed and stated that all the children could not go at once and that he would make several journeys to Crawfordsburn. Twelve year old Florence Gibson was offered on one of the first trips but she would wait and go with her brother and sister Harry and Maggie. When their turn came all the children excitedly climbed on to the back and when it was making its journey they were all laughing and cheering with excitement. When the lorry came to a sharp turn it skidded and the jerk which this caused made several of the children fall off. Florence Gibson fell head first onto the road and was killed instantly when her neck broke. Three other children named Robert Magee (15), Lizzie Miller (11), and Lily Hamilton (13) were all injured.
Dr. Robert Bailey, deputy-coroner for North Down, held an inquest on Monday the 24th of June, 1912, at Crawfordsburn Inn on the body of the little girl. The hearing was told that she had been a member of a Sunday school party who where picnicking at Helen's Bay.
District Inspector Murnane had charge of the evidence for the constabulary and Mr William Beattie solicitor, appeared on behalf of the United Co-operative Baking Society, who owned the lorry. The Rev. David Stewart was also present.
The first witness called was Thomas Gibson, Bloomfield Avenue, brother of the deceased, who identified the remains which were lying in the inn to which, pending the inquest, they had been removed from the scene of the accident.
Samuel Johnstone, Donard Street, Belfast, driver of the lorry was then called. He said he had instructions to convey a load of refreshments to Helen's Bay for a children's party, and after delivering the goods was waiting to bring back the empties. While he was waiting the children gathered around the vehicle and clamoured to be taken for a drive. One of the men in charge of the party named Mr Hamilton asked him to take the children for a ride. He drove a party of between twenty and thirty to Crawfordsburn. He made three subsequent trips with other parties of about the same number. In the fourth party there were about a dozen girls aged between ten to sixteen years. The lorry did the trips at between nine and eleven miles an hour. The children were cheering and singing and of course enjoying the ride. There was a steep hill with a rather sharp turn where the accident happened and as they went round the lorry gave a bit of a skid, and the side motion caused some of the children to be thrown off. Florence Gibson was killed instantly. The driver then stated that he pulled up and did everything he could to assist the young girl whom he conveyed to the home of the local doctor. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and added that they attached no blame on the driver.
As previously stated almost all of the ghost stories involving children are centred around a tragic event. This story is no different and is quite similar to a number of others the length and breadth of the country. This particular story seemed to fade away during the 1930s and the main reason for this would undubtedly be the passing away of the elderly couple who lived near the scene and who would have been aware of many, if not all sightings.
Acknowledgement - Original Ref: http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~dannybrown/derry18.htm