Way to Go! Bellmore student Matt Dato
Matt Dato, a senior at Mepham High School in Bellmore, beat out 363 local teens to win first place in a contest coordinated by the Irish Cultural Society of the Garden City Area that required students to write letters about Northern Ireland as a tourist destination.
Dato's letter focused on three castles in the region - Antrim, Ballygally and Dunluce - that are rumored to have paranormal activity.
"These haunted historic pieces of architecture can both interest you with the chilling thrill while informing you of the great history of my nation of Northern Ireland," he wrote.
In Ballygally, the ghost of a former resident named Isobel Shaw - who was locked in a room and starved by her husband - often randomly knocks at bedroom doors, Dato said in an interview.
In Antrim, visitors have seen the ghost of former servant Ethel Gilligan, who died as the result of a fire in the 1920s, Dato said.
"Ethel's ghost has been seen walking in the [Antrim] Castle Gardens and is known as the 'White Lady,' " said Dato, who was awarded a $250 cash prize.
John Creighton of Manhasset High School was runner-up. Jacob Colon of Long Beach High School and Mariyam Qureshi of Valley Stream South High School took third.
Remembering 9/11: Where things stand now As we remember those we lost on 9/11, we're looking at the ongoing battle to secure long term protection for first responders and the latest twists and turns in the cases of the accused terrorists.
Remembering 9/11: Where things stand now As we remember those we lost on 9/11, we're looking at the ongoing battle to secure long term protection for first responders and the latest twists and turns in the cases of the accused terrorists.
