Shelbourne Hotel — the 18th-century ghost girl of Dublin's grandest hotel

The Shelbourne Hotel on St. Stephen's Green in Dublin is one of Ireland's most prestigious hotels, dating to 1824. The hotel is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a seven-year-old girl from the 18th century, who predates the hotel itself. The girl, named Mary Masters, reportedly died of cholera in one of the houses that occupied the site before the hotel was built. Her ghost has been seen by guests and staff on the upper floors, described as a small, pale child in period clothing who appears in doorways and at the ends of corridors before vanishing. Some guests have reported hearing a child's footsteps running in the hallway outside their room and laughter from empty corridors. The hotel's luxurious interior, with its crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and views over St. Stephen's Green, creates an incongruous setting for a child ghost — yet Mary's presence has been a part of the Shelbourne's identity for decades. The hotel played a significant role in Irish history — the Irish Constitution was drafted in Room 112 in 1922. The combination of political history, Victorian grandeur, and the poignant ghost of a child who died before the hotel existed gives the Shelbourne its distinctive character.