In 1931, strange noises echoed through the farmhouse at Cashen’s Gap on the Isle of Man. The Irving family claimed the sounds came from something alive behind the wooden wall panels—scratching, rustling, and eventually, speech. What followed was a series of baffling events that drew journalists, scientists, and ghost hunters to a remote house outside Dalby.
James, Margaret, and 13-year-old Voirrey Irving said the creature called itself Gef, a talking mongoose born in New Delhi in 1852. Gef claimed to be a “ghost in the form of a mongoose,” and said, “If you saw me you’d be petrified, mummified, turned into stone or a pillar of salt.”
Voirrey described Gef as the size of a small rat, yellowish in color, with a bushy tail. According to the Irvings, Gef performed chores, warned of visitors, scared mice, and demanded treats such as bananas and chocolates.
The story was widely reported in the 1930s, with journalists and investigators visiting the site. Some claimed to hear Gef speak, including Arthur Morrison, who said he saw yellow eyes under a bed.
Two teenagers, Will Cubbon and Henry Hall, claimed to see a yellow animal with a black-spotted tail. However, photographs and fur samples proved inconclusive; some samples matched the Irvings’ sheepdog, Mona.
In 1935, paranormal investigator Harry Price and editor Richard S. Lambert visited and documented their findings in a book, The Haunting of Cashen’s Gap.
They avoided drawing firm conclusions. Price observed that the farmhouse had double wooden walls, which could act like speaking tubes, possibly explaining some of the phenomena. Paw prints sent for analysis could not be matched to any known animal, though one was “conceivably” from a dog. A hair sample was confirmed to be from a dog.
Another investigator, Nandor Fodor, spent a week at the house but did not encounter Gef. He proposed a psychological theory, suggesting that Gef may have been a projection of James Irving’s mind.
Local skeptics suspected Voirrey of using ventriloquism to create the voice of Gef, aided by her father.
After James Irving’s death in 1945, Margaret and Voirrey sold the house and moved. In 1946, the new owner, Leslie Graham, claimed to have shot Gef. The animal he presented was much larger and differently colored. Voirrey denied it was Gef.
Voirrey Irving maintained throughout her life that the story was not a hoax. She died in 2005. No one ever conclusively proved what happened at Cashen’s Gap. Today, the story of Gef remains one of the most peculiar unsolved mysteries in British folklore.
In 1931, sounds echoed through a farmhouse on the Isle of Man.
The Irving family claimed something was alive behind their walls—scratching, rustling, and eventually, talking.
What followed drew journalists, ghost hunters, and scientists to a remote home near Dalby…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/vTllPfPU9K
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) June 2, 2025