{"id":2135,"date":"2019-01-07T01:57:25","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T01:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/overinireland.com\/?p=2135"},"modified":"2019-07-25T09:05:05","modified_gmt":"2019-07-25T09:05:05","slug":"haunted-irish-castles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/haunted-irish-castles\/","title":{"rendered":"18\u00a0HAUNTED Irish Castle That Will SPOOK You!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Given that the country of Ireland has a history spanning back for centuries it is not surprising that there are\u00a0many\u00a0stories of legends,\u00a0and hauntings.<\/p>\n

Ireland has\u00a0a\u00a0large\u00a0wealth of old buildings with historic ties to\u00a0ancient\u00a0lands,\u00a0clans,\u00a0and families.<\/p>\n

Today we will examine some of the most haunted castles of the Emerald Isle and find out where they are located.<\/p>\n

What Are\u00a0The\u00a0Most Haunted Castles in Ireland?<\/h2>\n

Some of Ireland’s castles\u00a0date\u00a0back\u00a0thousands of years.\u00a0With stories and ghostly sightings spooky enough to stop you sleeping at night.<\/p>\n

Owing to the\u00a0far-reaching\u00a0history of the county there are castles in all corners of\u00a0the country.\u00a0Built by wealthy landowners, lords,\u00a0and warriors, we will find out where\u00a018\u00a0of these haunted structures are situated on the Emerald Isle.<\/p>\n

If you are brave enough to discover the ghosts, ghouls, and spirits of the\u00a0Most Haunted\u00a0Castles of Ireland then continue reading…<\/p>\n

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1.Killua\u00a0Castle, County Westmeath.<\/h2>\n

A 1780\u2019s building that was recently restored in the year 2000.\u00a0Killua Castle\u00a0has passed through generations of the\u00a0Chapman family and has ties to Walter Raleigh and\u00a0T.E.Lawrence.<\/p>\n

The Chapman family had some links\u00a0with\u00a0Sir\u00a0Walter\u00a0Raleigh’s\u00a0ancestors and there\u00a0are\u00a0rumors that Raleigh\u00a0himself\u00a0planted the first potato\u00a0plant\u00a0in Ireland.\u00a0It was more likely that\u00a0the plant was brought back to the country by Spanish sailors,\u00a0but the myth\u00a0still\u00a0endures.<\/p>\n

For a time during the 1950s the castle stood empty and rumors of hauntings began.\u00a0Killua\u00a0Castle is reportedly haunted by Jack Dalton.\u00a0Jack was\u00a0a land steward for Benjamin Chapman.<\/p>\n

He\u00a0reportedly cheated Chapman out of a large sum of money.\u00a0 After Chapman’s death\u00a0several years later, Jack\u00a0Dalton\u00a0was so filled with remorse that he drowned himself in the lake nearby, and his spirit still roams the area today.<\/p>\n

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\u00a02.\u00a0Charleville Castle, County Offaly<\/h2>\n

Situated in one of Ireland’s oldest oak forests that were once used by Irish Druids,\u00a0Charleville Castle\u00a0is believed to be one of the most haunted\u00a0castles\u00a0in Ireland. It has been featured on\u00a0the television shows\u00a0\u2018Most Haunted\u2019, \u2018Scariest Places on Earth\u2019, and \u2018Ghost Hunters International\u2019. The castle has also been used as a filming location for films and TV series.<\/p>\n

The castle is haunted by the ghost of \u2018Harriet\u2019. A young girl that fell down the castles large winding staircase and died. She had been upstairs and being a young and playful girl had thought it would be fun to slide down the staircase’s balustrade. Unfortunately, Harriet slipped, lost her grip,\u00a0and fell to her doom.<\/p>\n

Visitors, on many occasions,\u00a0have reported seeing a young girl in a blue and white dress skipping down the stairs or felt a cold chill on the staircase. Others reported hearing a girl’s voice singing or laughing.<\/p>\n

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\u00a03. Ballygally Castle, County Antrim<\/h2>\n

Located on\u00a0Ballygally\u00a0Bay and with stunning views, this castle is now operated as a hotel. It is the only 17th-century building in Northern Ireland that is still used as a residence,\u00a0and\u00a0it is also rumored to be one of the most haunted places in Ulster.<\/p>\n

Ballygally Castle\u00a0was built in 1625 and\u00a0is\u00a0said\u00a0to be home to several ghosts. Lady Isobel Nixon was locked in a room and starved by her husband and died by falling out of the\u00a0window.\u00a0Lady\u00a0Nixon resided in the castle during the 1800s and the sound of her silk dress can be heard rustling as she passes\u00a0by.<\/p>\n

Lady Shaw\u00a0has been heard\u00a0knocking\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0doors of\u00a0rooms and then vanishing. There is also a \u2018Ghost Room\u2019 in the castle which remains\u00a0permanently\u00a0unused.<\/p>\n

\u00a04.\u00a0KinnityCastle, County\u00a0Offaly<\/h2>\n

This castle is situated between\u00a0Kinnity\u00a0and\u00a0Camdanstown\u00a0in County\u00a0Offaly. It dates back as far as 1209 when it was destroyed in a fire and in 1213 was rebuilt by the Normans. It changed hands a few times and\u00a0was\u00a0finally extended and made into a castle in 1811. An abbey\u00a0is\u00a0also located close to the castle on the grounds. Currently,\u00a0Kinnity Castle\u00a0is used as a hotel.<\/p>\n

There have long been stories of haunting’s at\u00a0Kinnity\u00a0and it has been featured on the television program \u2018Most Haunted\u2019. The most prevailing story is that of a ghostly monk that is said to inhabit the structure. Some people have seen him as a real person while others\u00a0experience\u00a0seeing\u00a0a shadowy figure. He has been known to communicate with staff and visitors\u00a0on occasion.<\/p>\n

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\u00a05.\u00a0Leap Castle, County Offaly<\/h2>\n

Another castle located in the County of\u00a0Offaly,\u00a0Leap Castle\u00a0dates back to the 1200s and was originally home to the O\u2019Bannon clan. The\u00a0O\u2019Bannon’s\u00a0did not live in the castle for long\u00a0however, it was seized by the\u00a0O\u2019Carroll’s\u00a0and most of the ghost stories are attributed to their family.<\/p>\n

There is evidence that the castle was built on top of a pre-existing\u00a0ancient\u00a0structure and that the area dates back to the Iron Age.\u00a0 The building has been investigated by paranormal researchers on multiple occasions and has been featured on the television programs \u2018Ghost Hunters\u2019, \u2018Scariest Places on Earth\u2019, \u2018Most Haunted\u2019 and \u2018Ghost Adventures\u2019.<\/p>\n

It is no wonder that Leap castle has been\u00a0investigated\u00a0so many times by paranormal researchers. With is an extensive list of ghosts and spirits and its grisly history, it\u00a0is possibly the most haunted castle in Ireland.<\/p>\n

Two of the O\u2019Carroll brothers living in the castle were involved in a\u00a0fight to the death. One of the men was a priest and his brother murdered him during mass in the chapel, now known as \u2018The Bloody Chapel\u2019. The priest’s spirit is said to appear in the chapel and walks a nearby stairway.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Mcmahon’s\u00a0were invited to a meal at Leap castle and were then poisoned by the\u00a0O\u2019Carroll’s. The ghosts of the McMahon’s are reputed to haunt the castle and grounds.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Red Lady\u2019 was allegedly imprisoned, repeatedly raped and impregnated by the\u00a0O\u2019Carroll’s\u00a0who then murdered\u00a0her\u00a0child.\u00a0Grief-stricken she committed suicide.\u00a0She is seen in a red dress holding a dagger or a blade. The same blade that she used to end her\u00a0own\u00a0life.<\/p>\n

In the 1920s skeletons were discovered behind the wall of the castle.\u00a0It\u00a0is thought that the\u00a0O\u2019Connell’s\u00a0liked to drop their guests through a trap door on to spears or spikes below.\u00a0It\u00a0took 3 cart loads to remove the dozens of skeletons.<\/p>\n

There are\u00a0even more\u00a0stories of Leap Castle and its dark history, too many to detail here, but freak accidents and evil elemental spirits also\u00a0add to the dark and creepy\u00a0tales of hauntings at the castle.<\/p>\n

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\u00a06.\u00a0Clonony Castle, County\u00a0Offaly<\/h2>\n

Built in the early 1600s and now just a ruin, this structure was a\u00a0Tudor period castle that was once given to Henry VIII. It was\u00a0then given by Henry to Anne Boleyn’s father when he wanted to marry Anne. Anne\u2019s two sisters lived at the castle for their whole lives and are buried nearby in the grounds.<\/p>\n

There is just one ghost at the\u00a0Clonony Castle\u00a0but he is regularly reported as a tall thin man that resembles a peasant wearing what appears to be clothes from the medieval period. He also exudes a faint glowing light and appears regularly in the tower of the castle where numerous passing car drivers have reported seeing him.<\/p>\n

There is also a cave below the building that was used as a crypt while the castle was occupied. There are\u00a0rumors\u00a0of an evil spirit that lurks in the cave.<\/p>\n

\u00a07.\u00a0Antrim Castle, County Antrim<\/h2>\n

Beginning construction in 1613, rebuilt in 1813 and destroyed by a fire in 1922 this castle was located on the\u00a0Sixmilewater\u00a0River in County Antrim. After the fire,\u00a0Antrim\u00a0Castle\u00a0stood as a ruin until being destroyed in the 1970’s. The gardens and grounds of the castle still remain and are a popular tourist attraction. They formed part of a \u00a36 million restoration project to preserve the historic site.<\/p>\n

The area is said to be haunted by Ethel Gilligan who was a young servant girl working at Antrim Castle. During the castles fire in 1922, Ethel was rescued from the flames by a local man but died from smoke inhalation. Her ghostly apparition\u00a0can be seen wandering the gardens in the area where the castle used to stand. The locals in the area refer to her ghost as \u2018The White Lady\u2019.<\/p>\n

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\u00a08.\u00a0Carrickfergus Castle, County Antrim<\/h2>\n

One of the\u00a0most\u00a0well\u00a0preserved\u00a0medieval structures in Ireland. This Norman castle at one time or another found itself under siege from the English, Scots, Irish and French.<\/p>\n

It was an important military building and still has cannons and historic items on display\u00a0dating from\u00a01600 to 1800’s. It was also used as a prison\u00a0for a period\u00a0during the 1700\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The ghosts of a young soldier are said to haunt\u00a0Carrickfergus Castle. Known as \u2018Buttoncap\u2019 he was discovered having an affair with his Captains brother’s wife and\u00a0was\u00a0executed for his transgression.<\/p>\n

It is said that wails of him protesting his innocence can still be heard echoing off the castle’s walls. It is also said that the headless ghost of\u00a0Buttoncap\u00a0can be seen walking the castle\u2019s battlements.<\/p>\n

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\u00a09.\u00a0Malahide Castle, County Dublin<\/h2>\n

One of the oldest castles in Ireland dating back to 1175 and owned for 800 years by the Talbot family. Located in a seaside town,\u00a0Malahide\u00a0Castle\u00a0is situated on over 260 acres of lands.<\/p>\n

The Talbot’s were involved in the famous Battle of the Boyne and 14 family members dined together in the Great Hall before the battle. Every one of them\u00a0lost their lives in the skirmish. These days the castle is open to the public and plays host to concerts and events.<\/p>\n

Most castles and historic buildings report one or two ghosts but at Malahide Castle, there have been FIVE regular ghostly visitors documented that appear in the castle and one or two more that have been sighted roaming around the castle’s grounds.<\/p>\n

The White Lady<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the Great Hall of the castle there hung a painting of a lady in a white dress. Nobody knows who she is or who painted the\u00a0artwork.\u00a0Legend has it that in the dead of night she leaves the painting and wanders the halls of the castle. She has been reported as seen by several people and over the years has become known as The White Lady.<\/p>\n

Miles Corbett<\/strong><\/p>\n

Miles was given the castle by Oliver Cromwell but during his residency committed many crimes, including the desecration of the nearby Abbey. He was charged, convicted and executed by being hung, drawn, and quartered.<\/p>\n

It is said that anybody that sees Miles\u2019s ghosts witnesses a soldier in whole form wearing his armor. But in front\u00a0of the onlooker,\u00a0the\u00a0ghost\u00a0will then proceed to fall into 4 separate pieces.<\/p>\n

Sir Walter Hussey, Lord\u00a0Galtrim<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sir Walter and his bride were married in 1429, unfortunately, the marriage was rather short.\u00a0Sir Walter was killed in a skirmish later that day and his new bride abruptly became a widow.<\/p>\n

His ghost can be seen walking the castle pointing at his wound,\u00a0left by a spear in his side, and groaning in pain. Legend has it that he haunts the building to show resentment at his young wife.<\/p>\n

On Walters death, she\u00a0immediately married another man.\u00a0 A\u00a0well-known\u00a0ballad call \u2018The Bride of\u00a0Maldahide\u2019 was written based upon the incident.<\/p>\n

Lady Maud Plunkett<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ironically, Sir Walters wife, Lady Maud Plunkett also haunts Malahide Castle. She married 3 times in total and her spirit appears as she looked on her 3rd\u00a0marriage to a Lord Chief Justice.<\/p>\n

By\u00a0this time,\u00a0she had become known as somewhat of a harridan.\u00a0\u00a0Her\u00a0displeased spirit appears to chase her\u00a0unfortunate\u00a0last husband through the castle.<\/p>\n

Puck<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the Talbots,\u00a0the original owners resided as Malahide Castle, they had a jester named Puck who entertained them. A very short man of only 4 feet tall, Puck, when not entertaining also worked as a watchman.<\/p>\n

He was\u00a0charged with\u00a0the important task of\u00a0raising the alarm should the castle\u00a0ever\u00a0come under attack. Unfortunately,\u00a0one night\u00a0Puck was found stabbed close to the castle walls and died. Before his death, he swore that he would haunt the castle.<\/p>\n

Puck has been seen in the castle and\u00a0photographed\u00a0many times by visitors. His most recent appearance was in the mid-1970s when an employee of\u00a0Sotheby’s\u00a0was visiting the building and reviewing some items for sale. The employee swears that Puck\u00a0appeared\u00a0before him on the staircase.<\/p>\n

Our Lady\u2019s Acre<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the grounds of Malahide castle, there have been reported a sighting of 2 sad looking, grey-haired women that wander around the gardens in the area known as Our Lady\u2019s Acre.<\/p>\n

No-one really knows who they are but it has been suggested that they may be the ghosts of Danish women that were driven from the area by one of the Talbot family.<\/p>\n

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\u00a010. Leamaneh Castle, County Clare<\/h2>\n

Built circa 1480 on the south edge of The Burren this castle is now just a ruin. It was originally owned by the O\u2019Brien family. It was passed down through the generations and inherited by\u00a0Conor\u00a0O\u2019Brien around 1550.<\/p>\n

Conor\u00a0was married to Mary, who was commonly known as\u00a0M\u00e1ire<\/i>\u00a0<\/i>R\u00faa<\/i>\u00a0or Red Mary.\u00a0 She is a common figure in Irish folklore and was described as having flaming red hair.<\/p>\n

She was also a fierce woman, accompanying her husband on raids against English settlers.\u00a0After\u00a0Conor\u00a0died Mary realized that\u00a0Leahmaneh Castle\u00a0could\u00a0be seized and promptly married a British\u00a0soldier\u00a0to ensure that she could retain her property.<\/p>\n

There are many stories about Mary, tales of her having 25 husbands,\u00a0and rumors that she was brutal to her maids at the castle. Some of these are just myths or\u00a0hearsay, but\u00a0the one story that seems to be agreed on is that Mary was eventually captured.<\/p>\n

Her attackers holed her up in in a hollow tree on\u00a0Leamaneh\u00a0Castle\u2019s grounds and left her there to eventually die from starvation. The ghost of Mary is said to haunt the castle still today, walking around the property and grounds.<\/p>\n

\u00a011.\u00a0Ross Castle, County Kerry<\/h2>\n

A 15th-century building that was a typical structure for Irish\u00a0chieftains\u00a0of the time. It was one of the last buildings to be surrendered to the Roundheads during the Irish Confederate War. The building is said to have underground walkways and caves beneath it.<\/p>\n

Around the early 1500s,\u00a0Ross Castle\u00a0was owned by Richard Nugent an English Lord, also known as the \u2018Black Baron\u2019. He was reported as a\u00a0bad-tempered\u00a0man with a mean streak.<\/p>\n

There are stories and legends of him executing people on his lands on a whim. Richard had a daughter Sabina, who unknown to him was carrying on an\u00a0affair\u00a0with the son of an Irish Chieftain. Since this was forbidden Sabina and her lover were seeing each other in secret.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0mismatched couple wanted to be together so they decided to elope and got into a boat to row across the nearby lake. A storm whipped up from nowhere and capsized the boat.<\/p>\n

Sabina was rescued but her lover drowned. When Sabina learned of his\u00a0death,\u00a0she locked herself in her room and refused to eat or drink until she passed away.<\/p>\n

Sabina\u2019s restless spirit roams the castle today in search of her true love. Visitors are said to have encountered her spirit frequently. It is also said that Sabina\u2019s father, the Black Baron, also roams around the castle, grief-stricken at the loss of his only daughter.<\/p>\n

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\u00a012.\u00a0Athcarne Castle, County\u00a0Meath<\/h2>\n

An Elizabethan castle where it is\u00a0rumored\u00a0that King James II slept the night before the Battle of the Boyne just a few miles away. King James lost the battle and it is said that his bewildered ghost still roams\u00a0Athcarne Castle\u00a0trying to understand how he was defeated.<\/p>\n

There have been reports of hearing dying soldiers cries outside the castle and the ghost of a soldier seen hanging from a nearby tree. Also, there have been reports of a\u00a0young, crazed-looking\u00a0girl\u00a0covered in blood making appearances to visitors at the castle.<\/p>\n

\u00a013.\u00a0Cabra Castle, County\u00a0Cavan<\/h2>\n

Operating as a hotel and once named the 2nd\u00a0Scariest Hotel in the World is\u00a0Cabra\u00a0Castle. The building is a mix of Norman and Gothic building styles and dates back to the late 1700s.<\/p>\n

It was restored in the early 1990s and opened as the\u00a04-star\u00a0hotel it is today.\u00a0Cabra Castle\u00a0was beaten\u00a0to the number 1 spot for World’s Scariest Hotel by Hotel Del Coronado in California,\u00a0USA.<\/p>\n

Guests\u00a0at\u00a0Cabra\u00a0Castle hotel have reported hearing doors\u00a0rattling, seeing\u00a0apparitions, or have had the feeling of being constantly watched by an unseen entity.<\/p>\n

The most famous ghost that inhabits\u00a0Cabra\u00a0Castle is Sarah. A young servant\u00a0girl\u00a0that was having an affair with the\u00a0owner’s\u00a0son and became pregnant. Sarah lived at the castle in the late 18th\u00a0century.<\/p>\n

When the affair and resulting pregnancy was discovered the\u00a0castle\u2019s\u00a0owner had her dragged from her bed in the dead of night and ordered her execution. She was hung from the nearby bridge and she and her unborn child both died.<\/p>\n

It is said that Sarah continues to roam the grounds of\u00a0Cabra\u00a0castle searching for her missing baby and weeping.\u00a0Sometimes\u00a0a phantom carriage arrives and leaves a baby on the castle steps. Only then does the young woman cease her crying.<\/p>\n

Several other sightings of ghosts and\u00a0apparitions\u00a0have been reported by guests at\u00a0Cabra\u00a0Castle. One man recently told of\u00a0seeing a soldier in full military uniform from the early 20th\u00a0century striding down the\u00a0hotel’s\u00a0corridor. Another man\u00a0reportedly\u00a0witnessed an argument between an elderly gentleman and his some regarding the sale of\u00a0Cabra\u00a0castle.<\/p>\n

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\u00a014. Kilkea Castle, County Kildare<\/h2>\n

Another restored Irish castle that operated as a hotel until 2009 when it was sold. It then reopened as a golf resort after a\u00a0multi-million\u00a0dollar renovation.<\/p>\n

Kilkea Castle\u00a0was owned by the Fitzgeralds. Earls of Kildare and built in 1180.\u00a0It\u00a0remains one of Ireland oldest habitable castles and sits of over 185 acres of park-like grounds.<\/p>\n

Several ghosts have been spotted at\u00a0Kilkea, particularly in and around the room that was the nursery. Many guests have reported seeing a little girl playing in the hallway outside of the room.<\/p>\n

During all hours of the night footsteps and a\u00a0young\u00a0girl’s\u00a0laughter have been heard on\u00a0numerous\u00a0occasions. Guests have also experienced feeling a strange pulling sensation on their bed covers as night as though being pulled on by a small child.<\/p>\n

There is not much history about the young girls that seems to still inhabit the castle but it is thought she was probably a past resident of\u00a0Kilkea.<\/p>\n

A slightly more threatening spirit of the castle is \u2018The Wizard Earl\u2019, he was the 11th Earl of Kildare who was known for studying alchemy and meddling in Black Magic and the dark arts.<\/p>\n

Apparently,\u00a0he proved his wizardry to\u00a0his\u00a0wife by turning\u00a0himself\u00a0into a bird \u2013 and was promptly pounced upon and eaten by a black cat. The room where the Earl\u00a0practiced\u00a0his magic is at the top of a spiral staircase in the main tower of\u00a0Kilkea\u00a0castle. His spirit is still said to inhabit the room and it remains abandoned and unused to this day.<\/p>\n

Outside the castle, visitors have reported seeing \u2018The Woman in White\u2019 a lady wearing an\u00a0old-fashioned\u00a0white dress. She glides soundlessly across the gravel courtyard and passes through stone walls to reach the garden gate where she then\u00a0disappears.\u00a0Sightings\u00a0of her are a\u00a0relatively\u00a0consistent occurrence at the castle.<\/p>\n

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15. Dunluce Castle, County Antrim<\/h2>\n

Built on the cliffs of County Antrim around\u00a01500\u00a0Dunluce Castle\u00a0has had a long and\u00a0dramatic\u00a0history. The building was first recorded in 1513 and was owned by the\u00a0MacQuillan\u00a0family.<\/p>\n

Since then it has been seized, been the seat of Earls, seen a small local town being built and then abandoned, and has yielded artifacts during several archaeological digs.<\/p>\n

It is also used as Castle Greyjoy in the hit TV series Game of Thrones and several movies have been filmed at the location.<\/p>\n

The Banshee of Dunluce Castle<\/strong><\/p>\n

Parts of the castle echo with eerie noises and sounds. Legend has it that it is the spirit of Maeve Roe, the daughter of Lord\u00a0MacQuillan’s. He had arranged for Maeve to be married to an eligible suitor. She had different ideas, however, and was not\u00a0agreeable\u00a0to the wedding or her\u00a0father’s\u00a0choice of husband.<\/p>\n

After Maeve had defied her father by refusing to\u00a0wed,\u00a0he had taken to locking her in a room in the tower each night.\u00a0 What her father didn\u2019t know what that Maeve was in love with another man, Reginald\u00a0O\u2019Cahan. One night this Reginald managed to rescue Maeve from the tower room and they planned their escape by sea.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately,\u00a0the boat they were in was slammed into the rocks and both were washed into the ocean.\u00a0Reginald’s\u00a0dead body washed up onto the shore the next day but Maeve\u2019s body was never recovered. It is said she can still be seen in the tower room and heard crying and wailing, presumably for her lost lover.<\/p>\n

\u00a016.\u00a0Clifden Castle, County Galway<\/h2>\n

Clifden Castle is deemed as being relatively young in castle terms. Built in the Gothic Revival style in 1818 it became uninhabited by 1894 and started to fall into disrepair. By 1935\u00a0Clifden Castle\u2019s\u00a0ownership passed to joint tenants but for whatever reason, it was abandoned and\u00a0quickly\u00a0turned in to ruin.<\/p>\n

The castle first began to fall into\u00a0disrepair when the potato famine of 1845 hit Ireland. The famine lasted until 1849 and almost a million people lost their lives from starvation or disease.<\/p>\n

The deprived and poor people of the area sought shelter in the castle and on its ground during this time. Many of them died due to the terrible famine and It is said that their spirits still haunt the castle and its grounds today.<\/p>\n

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\u00a017.\u00a0Belvelly Castle, County Cork<\/h2>\n

This castle dates back to the 14th\u00a0or 15\u00a0century\u00a0and was originally built for the Hodnett family. There\u00a0are\u00a0rumors\u00a0that Sir Walter Raleigh occupied the castle during\u00a0the 1600s but the stories are yet to be proven.<\/p>\n

More recently the castle\u00a0was sold and planning permission granted to restore the structure to a private dwelling. It was extensively renovated with the majority of the work being completed in 2018.<\/p>\n

Margaret\u00a0Hodnett was one of the descendants of the original owners of\u00a0Belvelly Castle\u00a0and she resided in the building during the 17th\u00a0century.<\/p>\n

She was a woman that was\u00a0renowned\u00a0for her good looks and was always admiring herself in her mirror. She had a somewhat on and off again love affair with Lord\u00a0Rockenby.<\/p>\n

The Lord worshiped Margaret and had\u00a0proposed many times, but Margaret always declined. Its\u00a0rumored\u00a0that she had many admirers but always went back to\u00a0Rockenby\u00a0when she grew bored of them.<\/p>\n

Tired of being rejected and waiting for Margaret\u2019s hand in marriage,\u00a0Rockenby\u00a0laid\u00a0siege\u00a0to the castle to take it by force. The\u00a0Hodnetts\u00a0held out for almost a year before surrendering.<\/p>\n

By\u00a0this time, owing to scarce food and resources, Margaret’s\u00a0looks\u00a0had begun to fade and\u00a0Rockenby, angered by this fact, smashed Margaret’s mirror in a rage. The story goes that Margaret eventually went insane and spent her time constantly searching for mirrors.<\/p>\n

In the hope that she could see if her good looks had returned.\u00a0Of course,\u00a0they\u00a0didn\u2019t, and she eventually died in the castle from old age.<\/p>\n

It is said that Margaret still haunts the castle today, appearing as a woman in white wearing a veil, or sometimes with no face at all.<\/p>\n

Her ghost can be seen standing silently at a certain spot on the castle wall and rubbing it as though peering into a mirror. The stone is said to be worn smooth by her constant rubbing.<\/p>\n

\"pic<\/p>\n

18. Castle Leslie, County Monaghan<\/h2>\n

Castle Leslie\u00a0Estate is the site of the restored castle and its grounds. It was built in 1870 in the Scottish Colonial style\u00a0and owned originally by the Leslie family.<\/p>\n

After a large investment and restoration program, it is now one of the finest luxury estates in Ireland, receiving guests and visitors from all over the world. Most notably Paul McCartney married Heather Mills in 2002 at the\u00a0estate’s\u00a0family church.<\/p>\n

One of the Leslie family, Norman Leslie, died in battle during World War I. At the time of his death, his mother reported seeing Norman at the side of her bed in the Red Room.<\/p>\n

When she asked him what he was doing there he vanished. Encounters with Norman has been reported by visitors, he can be heard \u2018shhh\u2019\u00a0ing\u00a0guests that are noisy and shuffling papers.<\/p>\n

A prior occupant of Castle Leslie was Lady Leonie, she was on her deathbed in the Mauve Room being attended by a nurse when an elderly lady entered and conversed with Leonie just before she died.<\/p>\n

The nurse assumed that the visitor was a family member until the funeral service the next day. The nurse spotted a\u00a0portrait\u00a0on the castle walls and recognized the woman in the painting as the lady that had visited her dying patient.<\/p>\n

The woman\u00a0was Lady Constance who had died in 1925 some years earlier.\u00a0Apparently,\u00a0Lady Constance still visits the Mauve room and\u00a0levitates\u00a0the bed on occasion.<\/p>\n

Guests and staff at Castle Leslie have reported several other spooky encounters. There\u00a0have\u00a0been numerous stories about people witnessing ghostly\u00a0apparitions\u00a0throughout the building.<\/p>\n

Reported sightings have included a crying child, a ghostly monk and people hearing bells ringing at various times\u00a0throughout\u00a0the castle.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h2>\n

That\u00a0concludes\u00a0our list of the Most Haunted Castles in Ireland. From ghostly apparitions to wailing\u00a0specter\u2019s,\u00a0these castles all have some sort of reported\u00a0occurrences\u00a0of things that go bump in\u00a0the night.<\/p>\n

Many of the buildings have been restored and returned to their former glory.\u00a0 Now they have a\u00a0second\u00a0life operating as hotels or resorts.<\/p>\n

So,\u00a0if you\u2019re planning a trip to Ireland and\u00a0are feeling\u00a0brave, book a room at one of these\u00a0establishments.<\/p>\n

Be sure to leave your comments should you\u00a0experience\u00a0a\u00a0ghostly\u00a0encounter during your stay!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Given that the country of Ireland has a history spanning back for centuries it is not surprising that there are\u00a0many\u00a0stories of legends,\u00a0and hauntings. Ireland has\u00a0a\u00a0large\u00a0wealth of old buildings with historic ties to\u00a0ancient\u00a0lands,\u00a0clans,\u00a0and families. Today we will examine some of the most haunted castles of the Emerald Isle and find out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6,4],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/overinireland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Kilkea-Castle-ireland.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pauohh-yr","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2135"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2135"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2489,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2135\/revisions\/2489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overinireland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}