Travel


Why wait for Halloween? Visit most haunted places in Ireland

From old castles to deserted prisons, the scariest spots on the Emerald Isle


Legend has it the Mummies of St. Michan's Church in Dublin haunt the crypt there
Legend has it the Mummies of St. Michan's Church in Dublin haunt the crypt there

Though the cadavers in the crypt are cold and clammy, the air in the space is oddly warm, which makes it strange that many visitors report having felt icy cold fingers run down their necks as they stoop to examine the corpses.

Others say they’ve heard disembodied whispering voices around them, while others simply have felt a strange, cold presence.

 

6. Grand Opera House

Belfast

The magnificent Grand Opera House was opened in Belfast in 1895. Though the building was damaged during the Troubles, it has since been restored to its original splendor.

Several ghosts haunt the theatre, but sadly, most of them are unidentified.

Cast members have often seen a face looking in at them from a round window on their way down from the dressing rooms on the top floor. Opera House staff members have also reported a feeling that someone was behind them when nobody was there, especially while standing on stage.

Actors say they often feel like they’re being followed in the stage area, and the most commonly spotted specter at the theatre is a mysterious figure in a long, black hooded cloak that is always seen on stage. Some think the ghost to be a former actor, still waiting for the curtain to go down on his final role.

The Northern Ireland Paranormal Research Association recently investigated the Grand Opera House, and claim to have come in contact with the spirits of Harry and George, a pair of deceased stage hands who worked at the theatre in the 1980s.

Ghost hunters have also identified an unnamed woman who used to clean the building and an anonymous electrician who used to work for the Opera House.

 

7. Renvyle House Hotel

Connemara, County Galway

Today, Renvyle House in Galway is a charming rural hotel, but its guests, including William Butler Yeats, have experienced frightening ghostly happenings within this charming home’s walls.

The hotel has an eventful history, having been burned to the ground by the IRA in the 1930s.

Before this, the famous Dublin surgeon and poet Oliver St. John Gogarty owned the property.

Several of Gogarty’s servants reported fearful “presences” in the home, and reported bedsheets inexplicably flying off beds and doors opening and closing on their own.

One night, Gogarty even experienced a ghostly presence himself.

The Irishman was woken up by heavy, limping footsteps along the hallway, slowly approaching his door. Gogarty lit a candle and went to investiage the strange noises, but as soon as he entered the corridor, the flame blew out and he was alone in the dark.


Nster.com


13 Comments

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Try Kinnitty Castle in Birr Co. Offaly it is supposed to be haunted. Doors open for no reason. The Phantom Monk inhabits the Banquetting Hall and glides around (in his spare time) and gazes out a window. This guy seemingly has appointed himself guardian of the castle
I find it to be very interesting and will plan to visit a few of them when I venture to Ireland in April 2011. What I want to know is why Hoole Hall on the Hook Peninsula is not on the list.
very interesting so many more ghosts and ghostly sites in the North Of Ireland
There is a Ross Castle on the banks of Lough Sheelin in County Meath (on the edge of "The Pale"). I do however think that Leap Castle, County Offaly, is the most haunted castle in Ireland. It has its own oubliette, with spikes at the bottom. People were thrown in. When I stood on the doorstep knocking on the door I had to walk away - the atmosphere is too intense.
The most haunting of all has to be Kilmainham Gaol. Spirits abound there. The spirits from the An Gorta mor era fill the air as well as the spirits of the leaders of of 1916 who were murdered there in the yard. Let us not forget the spirits of those imprisoned there during the civil war.
Is there another Ross Castle? The only one I know of is in Kerry on Lough Leane, home of O'Donoghue Mor.
had a ghostly encounter myself, at night, whilst walking with our family, around the grounds of Markree Castle in Sligo. The present owners are descendants of a soldier who fought under Cromwell but who ended up marrying the widow of the man they killed! Very reasonably priced and well worth a visit...my daughter swears she's going to have her wedding there!...lets find her a husband first!!
fascinating - we need more such articles for tourists! THANK YOU!
Haunted is one thing, cursed another. No "apparitions" or supernatural gambolings but live or travel on a cursed place and very bad things will happen. Ireland is full of such places, most abandoned now, Thank God. I speak as one whose family had a place curse put on it and no one is now stupid enough to ignore the curse.
Correction: I went to Ross Castle in Killarney. I never heard of the one in County Meath, before.
Of the ten places on the list, I've only been to one, Ross Castle. It wasn't open, at the time. The white castle was shimmering in a beautiful mist, quiet and serene, with a white swan and her two young swimming by the castle shores. Completely mystical in it's beauty.
Love it!
Wow, the fact that you never even mention Leap Castle in County Offaly speaks volumes to me of the validity of your list. I've had several different experiences there and two at Charleville. I've been to 5 others on your list and while interesting... nothing. Also several fairy forts, that while not "haunted", give you pause because your camera/video keeps getting turned off. We defintely are not alone-LOL.
 




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