13 Spirited Irish Sites for St. Patrick's Day
Mar 16, 2016 19:41:21 GMT -5
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Post by Joanna on Mar 16, 2016 19:41:21 GMT -5
13 Spirited Irish Sites for St. Patrick's Day
Charleville Castle (County Offaly). The hauntings of this castle are so well-known that it has been featured on both Fox’s Scariest Places on Earth and Living TV’s Most Haunted. During restoration of the structure, which was constructed in 1798, workers reported hearing phantom whispers and classical tunes seemingly played on old-fashioned instruments in various parts of the edifice. People also have heard the sounds of playing children coming from a room that was once a nursery, and there are cold spots on the stairs where Harriet, the 8-year-old daughter of the Third Earl of Charleville, fell to her death while sliding down the staircase railing in April 1861. More frightening are the hooded figures occasionally observed on the grounds, which according to legend, are the wraiths of ancient Druids who performed their arcane rites and rituals in the great oak forest that covered the area in which the castle now stands.
Dark Hedges (County Antrim). Better known as the Kingsroad on Game of Thrones, this tunnel formed by gnarled old beech trees is chillingly picturesque. The owner of nearby Gracehill House planted more than 150 of them in the late 18th century to create an avenue and 90 or so of the trees remain. Fittingly, the Dark Hedges has a ghost: an unidentified “grey lady,” who vanishes as she passes the last tree in the avenue.
Drombeg Stone Circle (County Cork). Ancient stone circles are considered sacred places where our ancestors of long ago worshiped their gods and goddesses and celebrated the changing seasons. Mislabeled the “Druid’s Altar,” Drombeg (above), which now consists of 13 stones (formerly 17) is relatively small – the highest stone stands 5'11" and the diameter of the circle measures a mere 31 feet – it is the most oft-visited megalithic circle in Ireland, and one of the more interesting in the British Isles. Locals and tourists flock to the circle near sundown on the Winter Solstice when the sun sets over the recumbent stone.
During an excavation in the 1950s, cremated remains were discovered within the circle, and a psychic who visited the site said she felt animals, and possibly children, had been sacrificed at the circle after “seeing” what she described as “a priest in blue and saffron robes standing at the altar of the recumbent about to kill his human offering.” Drombeg is haunted, but not by priests in colorful robes or sacrificial victims. The spirit haunting the location is that of a woman in the family way who became obsessed with the stones and allegedly drowned herself a few weeks before her baby was due. In addition to rare sightings of the mad pregnant woman, those visiting the site near sundown or on grey, overcast days have reported feelings of being watched.
Duckett’s Grove (County Carlow). This castellated Gothic Revival structure began as a three-story Georgian residence in 1745. Then around 1825, the manor house, which was the center of the 20,000-acre Duckett estate, was enlarged and adorned with turrets, an octagonal viewing tower, arches and other ornamentation. Legend has it that William Duckett seduced a young local girl, possibly a servant, and persuaded her to become his mistress. When she was killed in a riding accident on Duckett’s property, her grief-stricken mother, who was something of a witch, invoked a banshee and cast a piseóg, a powerful curse to bring despair, financial ruin and death to the recipient. Shortly thereafter, in April 1806, Ducket died at the age of 46. Ever since, the area has been plagued by a banshee. It is said that one woman visiting Duckett’s Grove heard the plaintive wail of the Irish death messenger and died almost immediately, and a gardener who heard the bloodcurdling cries found his mother dead the following morning.
But the curse wasn’t over: by 1908, when William Dawson Duckett died, the estate was heavily in debt, and by 1914, the great house and acreage had been sold. Following the sale, the mansion sat empty with only a caretaker in residence until April 19, 1933, when a fire swept through the huge edifice, leaving nothing but an empty shell. The fire, however, failed to exorcize the ghosts: there have been reports of a phantom gentleman in old-fashioned attire, believed to be the spirit of William Duckett, and visitors to the ruins (above) have heard what they describe as organ music emanating from within the derelict walls. Another apparition is that of a one-horse carriage that passes through the gates and travels a good distance before suddenly disappearing as it nears what is left of Duckett’s Grove.
Grace Neill’s Pub (County Down). Vying for the title of Ireland’s oldest pub, the delightfully atmospheric King’s Arms – which opened its doors in 1611 – in Donaghdee was later renamed Grace Neill’s for its much-beloved elderly bartender, who died in 1916. Locals insist Grace was so at home in the pub she never really left. People occasionally see an elderly lady in Victorian attire their peripheral vision. Patrons and staff also have reported hearing an unexplained “shuffling” noise from the second floor, and a few individuals have claimed to experience an invisible “presence” actually pass through their bodies while going up or down the stairs.
The Janus Stone (County Fermanagh). The Janus figure (above), named for the two-headed Roman deity Janus, is located in Caldragh Cemetery on Boa Island. Situated among mundane Christian grave markers, the Celtic idol, estimated to be roughly 2,000-years-old, has a human-like carving on both sides, presumably male and female. Some have suggested the figure represents the Goddess Babhbha, a Celtic God of war and fertility for which Boa Island is named. It also has been suggested the hollow in the top of the stone may have been a receptacle for sacrificial blood, but these days, it holds nothing more than rainwater and a few coins.
Kyteler’s Pub (Kilkenny). Dame Alice Kyteler (above), who buried four husbands, was tried for witchcraft in 1324 when her stepchildren accused her of killing their fathers. She and several associates were charged with denying Christ and the church; cutting up living animals and scattering their parts at crossroads as offerings to a demon; stealing the keys to the church and holding nocturnal meetings therein, and placing worms, fingernails from corpses, butt hairs, clothing from unbaptized boys and the intestines and other viscera of cocks in the skull of a robber and from this brew creating potions to incite love, hate and the affliction of Christians. Dame Alice also was accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with an incubus that appeared in the shape of a black man, a black cat or a shaggy black dog. Today, however, she is Kilkenny’s most infamous and beloved resident. Dame Alice managed to escape, but Petronilla de Midia, her loyal maid, was burned at the stake as a heretic. Today one can have a pint or a complete meal in Dame Kyteler’s old sitting room on St. Kieran’s Street. A semi-transparent female shape has been seen flitting about the old pub, and while many believe the ghost is that of Dame Alice, no one can say for sure.
Leamaneh Castle (County Clare). Of all Ireland’s haunted castles, Leamaneh probably has the most salacious history. In the 1630s, the O’Brien clan stronghold was inherited by Conor O’Brien and he and his wife, Mary MacMahon – also known as Máire Rua MacMahon or Red Mary – added various extensions and outbuildings to the structure, turning the castle into one of the grandest in the country. Red Mary, so-called because of her flaming tresses and fiery temper, ruled her home with an iron fist. She despised sloth and inefficiency and would not tolerate insubordination: there were rumors she hanged lazy and/or disobedient servant girls from the castle’s windows by their hair. She didn’t tolerate such in husbands either, repeatedly kicking one of her several spouses in the stomach until he died. It comes as no surprise that such a wicked woman had numerous enemies, and one night she was abducted and placed inside a hollow tree, where she starved to death. People say that Red Mary’s vengeful spirit haunts the ruins of Leamaneh Castle and on stormy nights, her screams can still her screams echoing across the undulating hills.
Leap Castle (County Offaly). The castle (above), built in 1250, bills itself as the most haunted castle in Ireland. It has a turbulent and bloody history, along with a plethora of ghosts. The main hall is haunted by the spirits of a governess and two young girls, Emily and Charlotte. Emily fell to her death from the castle’s southeastern battlements, and on occasion, people still hear her screams as she plunges toward the ground. Emily also is seen cavorting about the grounds with Charlotte (who has a horribly deformed leg) limping after her. There are also the apparitions of three ladies: a murdered woman, believed to have been killed by a member of the O’Carroll family; the scantily clad ghost of a woman with a red cloth covering her face who screams twice before disappearing, and a tall, luminescent lady in red holding a dagger in a menacing manner. Other ghosts include an O’Carroll man who murdered his brother, a priest, in 1532 in what is known as the “Bloody Chapel” at the top of the tower, and a bizarre, foul-smelling elemental entity with a human body and the head of a sheep. In 1991, Musician Seán Ryan purchased Leap Castle and did a beautiful job of constructing a home from the ruins, so if you happen to see an elderly bearded gentleman with long grey hair sitting in a rocking chair by the open fire, don’t be alarmed, it’s just the owner.
Loftus Hall (County Wexford). Widely known as the most haunted house in Ireland, the Hall has several phantoms, and one of its haunts is none other than the Devil himself. During the 18th century, a mysterious stranger called on the Tottenham family and as was customary, the visitor was invited inside. One night while playing cards in the Tapestry Room, Anne, one of the daughters of the family, noticed the affable visitor had a cloven hoof, and he suddenly transformed into a ball of fire and flew through the roof. There’s still a mark on the roof where the hole made by the Devil was repaired. Unfortunately, following the Satanic visit, Anne was never the same, and in some versions of the story, she went mad and was locked in her room until her death several years later. In another version, Anne was impregnated by the Devil. Whatever the circumstances, the young woman’s restless spirit still walks the corridors of her old home and she is believed to be responsible for the significant poltergeist activity that continues at Loftus Hall to this day.
Malahide Castle (County Dublin). In 1690, 14 male members of the Talbot family took their breakfast in the banquet hall at Malahide Castle before riding off to fight in the Battle of the Boyne, but only one returned. Nonetheless, there are those who claim the other 13 are still around ... in a manner of speaking. Another ghost is that of Puck, the sentry-jester who hanged himself from the musicians’ gallery in the dining room. In the past, the ectoplasmic dwarf frequently spooked the staff, but he is seen less frequently today. Maud Puckett, daughter of the Baraon of Killeen, is responsible for two additional hauntings: Sir Walter Hussey, son of the Baron of Galtrim, who was betrothed to the young lady, died on their wedding day in 1429. His frightful apparition groans in agony as he points to the spear in his side. Maude’s second marriage didn’t last long, and she was insanely jealous of her third husband, a lord chief justice, whom she nagged constantly. Sadly, the poor man’s unhappy marriage didn’t end at death, for people have seen the dejected gentleman striding about the castle in an attempt to escape his wife’s bickering as she follows close behind. Finally, the likeness of an unknown woman, whose portrait hangs in the Great Hall, occasionally steps from the painting and wanders the dark corridors of the 12th-century stronghold.
St. Michan’s Church (Dublin). The crypt beneath the church presents some of the most macabre sightseeing in Europe. The underground tomb’s limestone walls draw the moisture from the air, leaving the corpses relatively well-preserved, and because coffins in the tiny family crypts are customarily stacked three or more high, over time, the containers collapse, exposing the contents. A trip to St. Michan’s is both educational and an excellent, albeit gruesome, way to contemplate one’s own mortality!
Sligo Abbey (County Sligo). The long-abandoned 13th-century Dominican priory, which contains several intriguing effigies and gravestones, also served as inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Charlotte Thronley, Stoker’s mother, grew up in the town of Sligo and later, regaled her son with tales of the 1832 cholera epidemic, during which bodies were piled up in the church attached to the abbey, heavy rains dislodged shallow burials in the churchyard, and not-quite-dead victims struggled to free themselves from mass graves. Is it any wonder a child brought up on such macabre stories wrote a vampire novel? Charlotte Thornley’s diary is on display in the abbey’s visitor center.
Authors: Graveyardbride and Joanna
Sources: Authentic Vacations - Haunted Places; Camille DeAngelis, PopSugar, March 16, 2016; Carlow Tourism; Celtic Ireland; The Dublin Evening Herald, April 20, 1933; A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany by Boyle Somerville; Heritage Ireland; IrelandLive; IrishCentral; The Irish Mirror; ItMustBeIrish; Tripadvisor, True Irish Ghost Stories by St. John D. Seymour, and Bernadette Williams, History Ireland.
