New Zealand Ghosts & Other Haunts

Divis ghost pushes car uphill
Andersonstown News Thursday 10th of October 2008
By Joe Diamond

AS Halloween approaches, the Andersonstown News has discovered a supernatural, gravity-defying phenomenon on Divis Mountain which is said to be caused by the ghost of a long-dead Irish outlaw.

Local man Stephen Young told brought us to an isolated spot on the Divis Road where bottles, footballs and even cars will mysteriously roll – uphill! Intrigued, we investigated this seemingly tall tale, and can confirm that it is entirely true. We watched as the car, engine switched off, rolled up what’s a significant incline.

Stephen said he discovered the phenomenon entirely by chance.

“I was driving through the area a while ago and there was something rattling in the boot. I stopped to see what it was and the car rolled away – up the hill!

“I've shown it to a few people over the years, and when I let my daughter see it she couldn't believe her eyes, so I wanted to let people know about it,” he said.

Local people call the spot Haughan's Hill, after the legendary outlaw Naoise (Ness) O’Haughan, who was hanged by the English in 1720. Naoise and his brothers, Shane and Denis, carried out a series of daring raids in the Belfast mountains after their farm and home were brutally taken from them and granted to Scottish settlers during the Plantation.

The authorities wanted Naoise – dead or alive – but the famously athletic outlaw often escaped from British dragoons by jumping over the River Lagan. Legend has it that he eventually decided to ‘hide in plain sight’ by enlisting in the British army under an assumed name, but was identified and hanged after winning a long-jump competition.

The treasure which Naoise amassed from his outlaw raids has never been found, but it is said to be buried in a cavalry boot at the only spot on Divis mountain where five separate bodies of water can be seen. Despite many amateur historians trying their luck over the years, Naoise’s fortune remains on the mountain.

His ghost is said to still wander the mountainside, jealously guarding his loot, and local folklore has it that Naoise gently nudges cars up Haughan’s Hill in a friendly warning to would-be treasure hunters to keep away.

Haughan's Hill is situated on the Divis Road, roughly a quarter of a mile past the Divis Mountain nature reserve. There is a dip in the road beside two red gate posts, and anything you leave in the dip will roll back up the other side. Why not try it for yourself – just keep an eye out for old Naoise.