Richard Ireland

Born into rural, depression-era Ohio, Richard Ireland developed his psychic skills at an early age and later became a minister as well as a counselor to celebrities such as Mae West, Amanda Blake, and Glenn Ford. Ireland founded his own interdenominational church, the "University of Life" in Phoenix, Arizona in 1960, appeared on radio and TV shows, and gave demonstrations everywhere from Las Vegas nightclubs to venues in Los Angeles, New York, and London. He died in 1992. His son, Mark Ireland, is carrying his father's work forward. J.B. Rhine's right hand man at the Duke Parapsychology lab, Helmut Schmidt saw Richard Ireland demonstrate his abilities in the early 1970's and provided the following account. Schmidt placed a piece of paper with the number "385" written on it, placed into a sealed envelope and sent it to Ireland whose eyes were taped shut and covered with blindfolds. Based on the results, Schmidt said, "It was completely stunning," recollecting Ireland's answer to the question, "What do I have in this envelope?" His answer, provided without opening the envelope: "There are three numbers. They are written in red ink and the numbers are 385." Upon hearing this Schmidt noted, "There simply was not,any way Ireland could have known. And the odds against such an occurrence are higher than anybody can count." (Tuscaloosa News, March 12, 1972)