Ireland's leading paranormal investigators are looking to recruit a Catholic priest to conduct exorcisms.
Irish Ghost Hunters said they need a trained exorcist to join their ranks to help drive away "sinister" and unexplained poltergeist activity from people's homes.
Tim Kelly, who heads the six-person, , said his team has received more call-outs from spooked housholders over the past year.
Although the experienced paranormalist concedes that most of the time the houses he probes appear not be genuinely haunted, he stressed that in some cases there have been no rational explanations for what appears to be supernatural activity.
And he said at those times his specialist team would benefit from the help of a cleric who has been trained to conduct exorcisms.
Mr Kelly - whose team uses hi-tech gadgetry, including thermal-imaging cameras and state-of-the-art audio equipment - said: "We've done quite a few houses over the past year, some in Dublin and others down the country.
"Our investigations are very scientific and most of the time we find an explanation for suspected ghostly activity.
"But there are genuine cases where there are noises or a certain energy or presence in a house, which just can't be explained, and which have left homeowners petrified.
"For example, one of our clients is a Dublin-based lady, who is convinced some presence has followed her from her previous home to the place where she's now living.
"She's been tormented by noises and eerie things which she just can't explain. Her TV has even been turning itself on and off on its own. It's frightening stuff.
"So in cases like this, an exorcist would be vital, because this is something we can't explain and which needs further investigating. The exorcist would also have the psychological skills to help the
householder cope with what's going on, and get rid of the sinister presence."
Mr Kelly, 51, who when not out ghost-hunting works as a radio presenter and voice-over actor, added: "So our hope is to find a Catholic priest, who's a trained exorcist, to join our ranks. I know
there's probably not many around, but we're hopeful we'll find one."
Although exorcism has received the Hollywood treatment - most notably in the chilling 1973 horror movie 'The Exorcist' - the ancient rite is taken seriously by the Vatican.
And each diocese in Ireland is required to have a trained exorcist who has the ability to recognise whether a case of possession is genuine, or the result of mental or psychological illness.
Last year Dublin priest Fr Pat Collins, Ireland's most prominent exorcist, said he'd been overwhelmed by "an inordinate number of calls from people, and emails" requesting exorcisms.
He also warned in an open letter to Irish bishops of "increasing evidence of the malicious activity of the evil one".
