In March 2018, Haunted Montreal first wrote about The Black Rock, a 30-ton granite boulder that marks the site of the city’s second mass grave for Irish Famine victims. Located in an industrial area on Bridge Street, the cemetery has been desecrated repeatedly since 1847. Over the years, companies have used it as a garbage dump, laid railroad tracks across it and surrounded it with a highway. Needless to say, all of the desecration has resulted in paranormal activity at the cemetery. Ghosts are allegedly haunting both the cemetery and the REM train system.
Welcome to the one hundred and thirtieth installment of the Haunted Montreal Blog!
With over 600 documented ghost stories, Montreal is easily the most haunted city in Canada, if not all of North America. Haunted Montreal dedicates itself to researching these paranormal tales, and the Haunted Montreal Blog unveils a newly researched Montreal ghost story on the 13th of every month!
This service is free and you can sign up to our mailing list (top, right-hand corner for desktops and at the bottom for mobile devices) if you wish to receive it every month on the 13th! The blog is published in both English and French!
Our full slate of haunted walking tours is up and running, as our our Paranormal Investigations. Our Haunted Pub Crawl continues every Sunday at 3pm in English, and at 2pm in French the last Sunday of each month. More on this in our Company News Section.
And speaking of company news, let’s get right into it. This month, we revisit the story of Headless Mary, the city’s most famous ghost story…as Mary’s ghost is set to revisit us!
Haunted Research
Every seven years on the anniversary of her murder, the headless ghost of Mary Gallagher returns to on the corner of William and Murray Streets in Griffintown. Her last appearance was on June 27, 2019, which means she is returning again this year.
Haunted Montreal is planning a host of activities to welcome her back!
Mary Gallagher’s last visit was on June 27, 2019. At the time, Haunted Montreal organized a series of activities, starting with the blessing by a priest in collaboration with the AOH (Ancient Order of Hibernians).
There was also a clandestine bar set up on a concrete block in the yard. Here, a mysterious barman served up the infamous “Headless Mary Cocktail” to guests attending the experience (recipe below).
Haunted Montreal then offered numerous Griffintown ghost walks, back to back.
We also arranged live storytelling of the Headless Mary ghost story on the corner of William and Murray Streets every half hour from 7 – 10 pm in English and French.
At the time, the corner of William and Murray Streets was derelict and the house where Mary was murdered was nothing more than a vacant yard. The atmosphere was dark, creepy and perfect for ghost-sightings.
Over the course of the evening, hundreds of people showed up for the various activities. As the hours passed and the sky got darker, soon our offerings concluded into a final activity: a séance.
Situated in the vacant lot where Mary Gallager was murdered in 1879, the séance began at 10 pm. Conducted by psychics and mediums, it wasn’t long before a large crowd had assembled.
As the clock ticked down to midnight, the crowd got more and more excited – and fearful.
At 11:58 pm, as the crowd was waiting to see if Mary’s ghost would return, security guards from the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) burst onto the scene. Explaining that the school owned the land, they demanded that everyone leave.
The crowd began to panic when the guards moved in, just as the clock was about to strike midnight.
In the chaos that ensued, people began running away, but the psychics and mediums refused to leave. As the bell struck midnight, Headless Mary’s ghost returned according to multiple witnesses, including those hosting the séance. Some people screamed and others bolted. Even one of the ETS security guards allegedly ran away!
It was a chaotic climax for the Mary Gallagher commemoration event!
Now, on June 27th, 2026, she may return again.
However, this time will be different. The vacant lot, the site of her murder, no longer exists. It has been replaced with an ETS building called Pavilion F. With its glassy, postmodern architecture, the building has transformed the site from borderline terrifying to somewhat banal.
At six-stories tall, Pavilion F features nearly 30 classrooms, open learning areas, study rooms, offices for research centers and other amenities.
It was designed with a total surface area of over 13,000 m² and space to accommodate 2,375 students, professors and other staff members.
During the planning stages for Pavilion F in 2019, Haunted Montreal sent representatives to plead with the ETS to preserve and commemorate the infamous corner. We explained that for well over a century, Irish storytellers have been using the spot to recount the deranged tale of Mary Gallagher’s headless ghost.
Happily, the ETS complied with Haunted Montreal’s request and ensured that Pavilion F preserved the corner intact.
However, despite this win for the local Irish community, the atmosphere certainly isn’t what it used to be. Regardless, Haunted Montreal is again planning a host of activities on June 27th, 2026, to welcome Headless Mary in collaboration with the ETS.
In addition to the blessing, we are planning a candlelight vigil, ghost tours, free storytelling and a very special project!
Alan Hustak concluded his 2005 book The ghost of Griffintown: the true story of the murder of Mary Gallagher with the following words: “So long as Griffintown’s spirit remains alive, so too will the spirit of Mary Gallagher.”
To preserve some of history and spirit of the Griff, Haunted Montreal has commissioned talented Mohawk artist MC Snow to help realize our vision of a permanent commemoration on the corner.
MC Snow has created a prototype, a scaled down version of the proposed artwork and we will be unveiling it on June 27th!
Here is the full schedule for June 27, also known as “Mary Gallagher Day”:
Haunted Griffintown Ghost Tours
Our Haunted Griffintown Ghost Tour runs from Rockaberry Griffintown to William and Murray in English starting at 5:30pm, 7:30pm, and 9:30pm (and in French starting at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm) with possibly more tours added.
A professional actor and storyteller will guide guests through the Griff and the tour lasts approximately 90 minutes.
Sample the Headless Mary Cocktail
Participating bars and pubs will be serving their own versions of the Headless Mary Cocktail. Stay tuned for participating locations!
You can also try the original recipe at home:
Headless Mary Cocktail:
Glass rimmed with V8 and then dipped into kosher salt
Ice
2oz Jamieson
Salt, pepper, tobacco Worcestershire and one decapitated minnow fish
Filled with tomato juice
Garnished with a leek sliced like a lemon
Free Events on the corner of William and Murray Streets:
We will be unveiling a sculpture from renowned Mohawk artist MC Snow commemorating the legend of Mary Gallagher. This will be part of a ceremony kicking off with a blessing and a candlelit vigil.
We will also offer free live storytelling and tarot readings by Stygian Media, all at the corner of William and Murray.
Here is the schedule:
8pm: Blessing and Start of Candlelight Vigil
8:30pm: MC Snow’s Statue Unveiling
9-10:30pm: Live Storytelling and Tarot Readings
11:00-12:00: Paranormal Investigation
Dominique Desormeaux will lead a free paranormal investigation, starting at 11pm, awaiting Mary’s return.
Please bring your own ghost hunting apps and equipment.
Midnight
The hour Mary Gallagher’s Headless Ghost Traditionally Returns.
Headless Mary Weekend
On Sunday, June 28th, our Haunted Pub Crawl will be Headless Mary-themed, and you can also sample the Headless Mary Cocktail at participating establishments.
We may be adding additional Haunted Griffintown tours this weekend.
Other Information
This event is being presented by Haunted Montreal in collaboration with community partners, including the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Rockaberry Griffintown, and Alfred Café Buvette Griffintown.
Stygian Media will be filming and livestreaming at the event and Haunted Griffintown tours.
Haunted Montreal is excited to commemorate the return of Headless Mary, and invites everyone to join in the activities on June 27!
Company News
No longer in the test phase, we are launching Colonial Secrets of Old Montreal on June 20th. This daytime tour hosted by Sophie-Claude Miller smashes through the “tourist gaze” to reveal the area’s hidden histories, glossed-over facts and dark truths. It will run Tuesday-Saturday at 2pm in English an 4pm in French.
Haunted Old Montreal Haunted Griffintown, Haunted Downtown, and Haunted Mountain are all up and running, and we are testing our latest Paranormal Investigation tonight at 7:30pm.
Our Haunted Pub Crawl continues to run every Sunday at 3pm in English, and the last Sunday of each month at 2pm in French.
Private tours for any of our experiences can be booked at any time based on the availability of our actors.
Clients can request any date, time, language and operating tour. These tours are based on the availability of our actors and start at $250 for small groups of up to 8 people. Email info@hauntedmontreal.com to book a private tour!
You can also bring the Haunted Montreal experience to your office party, house, school or event by booking one of our Travelling Ghost Storytellers today.
Hear some of the spookiest tales from our tours and our blog told by a professional actor and storyteller. You provide the venue, we provide the stories and storyteller. Find out more and then contact info@hauntedmontreal.com
In other news, if you want to send someone a haunted experience as a gift, you certainly can!
We are offering Haunted Montreal Gift Certificates through our website and redeemable via Eventbrite for any of our in-person or virtual events (no expiration date).
Our online shop is offline for the next few months. If you would like to purchase any Haunted Montreal-branded t-shirts or mugs in the meantime, please contact us at info@hauntedmontreal.com
Holly and Dr. Mab are back! Now part of Stygian Media, they will continue releasing Haunted Montreal videos based on our blogs in English and French among other horror-themed content.
Please like, subscribe and hit the bell!
Haunted Montreal also has temporarily altered its blog experience due to a commitment on a big writing project! Until further notice, we will be offering updates on old stories every second month and the regular blog service alternating.
Haunted Montreal would like to thank all our clients who attended a ghost walk, haunted pub crawl, paranormal investigation or virtual event!
If you enjoyed the experience, we encourage you to write a review on our Tripadvisor page and/or on Google Reviews – something that really helps Haunted Montreal to market its tours.
Lastly, if you would like to receive the Haunted Montreal Blog on the 13th of each month, please sign up to our mailing list.
Coming up on July 13: The Dog-Faced Man of Griffintown
In the 1886, the citizens of Griffintown began to panic after numerous reports of a “Dog-Faced Man” wreaking havoc in the neighbourhood. After frantic citizens went to Police Station No. 7 to report their sightings, officers set out to try and arrest the creature, to no avail. As one of the greatest conspiracy theories of the 1800s, many people tried to identify who or what was behind the mysterious dog-headed man.
Author:
Donovan King is a postcolonial historian, teacher, tour guide and professional actor. As the founder of Haunted Montreal, he combines his skills to create the best possible Montreal ghost stories, in both writing and theatrical performance. King holds a DEC (Professional Theatre Acting, John Abbott College), BFA (Drama-in-Education, Concordia), B.Ed (History and English Teaching, McGill), MFA (Theatre Studies, University of Calgary) and ACS (Montreal Tourist Guide, Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec). He is also a certified Montreal Destination Specialist.
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