A photographer has captured a snap that appears to show the ghost of a 19th century nun in a historic Irish beauty spot.

The image, published in the Galway Independent, reveals a shrouded figure, staring straight at the camera.

Snapper Jonathan Curran had taken a series of 13 photographs to capture a panoramic view of the Long Walk, Galway area, when he came across the eerie figure.

He said: “The image was not visible either before or after the photograph was taken and was not captured in any of the other photographs, either going of coming. She just seemed to appear for a moment and then disappear.

“There were other people on the Long Walk that day, but they seemed oblivious to her presence.”

Galway historian William Henry told the paper there had been several stories of ghostly sightings around Long Walk and nearby Wolfe Tone Bridge and the Claddagh, including tales of a “Lady In White”.

Describing Curran’s image as “striking” and added: “It certainly stands out as clearly out of place in a modern context.”

He said: “An elderly man once described seeing a lady dressed in medieval clothing near the bridge one night, long before our festivals began.

"Other stories of hauntings were told in the old Claddagh and many young people were warned to avoid Wolf Tone Bridge after midnight. This had the added advantage of ensuring that they were home before 12 bells.”

Do you think the image shows a ghost or is merely an optical illusion?

Email us your scary pictures, using the hashtag #ghost to ukpicturedesk@teamaol.com