The Ghost of Griffintown — The Story of Mary Gallagher

On the night of June 27, 1879, in the bustling Irish working-class neighbourhood of Griffintown, tragedy struck. Two friends, Susan Kennedy and Mary Gallagher, were staying together in a flat at the corner of William and Murray Streets. After an evening spent socializing with a man named Michael Flanagan, the night took a gruesome turn.

According to court documents, Kennedy knocked Gallagher to the floor and struck her several times with an axe — ultimately decapitating her. The blows were so violent that a neighbour living downstairs reported the ceiling plaster cracking and falling. Kennedy was soon found guilty of the murder of her friend and sentenced to hang. Her sentence was later commuted to life in prison, and after sixteen years in Kingston Penitentiary, she was released on parole.

Since that horrific night nearly a century and a half ago, many Montrealers have claimed to see the ghost of Mary Gallagher, wandering the same streets where her life ended — searching endlessly for her missing head. Over time, locals began to say she appears once every seven years on the anniversary of her death, a story passed down through generations of Griffintown families.

Preserving Griffintown’s Forgotten Past

Fast forward to today — Griffintown has transformed into one of Montreal’s trendiest neighbourhoods, lined with sleek condos, modern cafés, and design studios. Yet beneath the modern skyline lies a deep history that risks being forgotten.

As reported by CBC News, Donovan King, an Irish-Montreal historian and founder of Haunted Montreal, has appealed to the City of Montreal to help preserve the area’s Irish heritage before it disappears under rapid development. His request centers on one key site: the very corner near William and Murray Streets, where Mary Gallagher was murdered 140 years ago.

King has called on city officials to designate the site as a small commemorative park, honouring both the story of Gallagher and the Irish immigrants who built Griffintown. His efforts echo those of other initiatives to protect Montreal’s Irish landmarks, such as the historic Black Rock, which marks the burial ground of thousands of Irish typhus victims from 1847.

The Montreal Art Center and Museum — Where History Lives On

Located in the heart of Griffintown on William Street, the Montreal Art Center and Museum stands as a living link to this storied past. Housed in a patrimonial building dating back to 1875 — predating the infamous Gallagher murder — the Museum is both a creative hub and a guardian of Montreal’s cultural memory.

Within its walls hangs a painting inspired by the ghost of Mary Gallagher, a haunting tribute to the city’s layered history and enduring folklore. It serves as a reminder that even as Griffintown evolves, echoes of its past remain close at hand.

And perhaps, as the veil between worlds grows thin each autumn, Mary Gallagher herself may drift by once more — joining the living during the Museum’s Annual Halloween Gala, when art, history, and the supernatural all meet under one roof.

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