Haunted Ireland

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1: Birr, Co. Offaly

Arrive Dublin Airport and pick up your rental. Drive to Offaly for your 4-night stay at Kinnitty Castle with a stop en route in Kildare to visit Kilkea Castle, built in 1180 and the oldest inhabited Castle in Ireland. Local folklore maintains that the castle is haunted by the ghost of Earl “the Wizard” Gerald and the presence of “evil” symbolized in the famous Evil Eye Stone located there.

Horse- Riding and shooting are specialties at Kinnitty castle and it is most famous for it’s long and turbulent history. The castle was destroyed in 1209 and was later rebuilt by the Norman's in 1213. It’s said to be haunted by the 11th Earl of Kildare. (Kinnity Castle, 4-Nights)

Day 2: Leap Castle

If you dare, you can visit the most haunted castle in Ireland – Leap Castle. Leap Castle certainly is home to many secrets of a dark and mysterious past. Over 400 years ago in what is now known as the "Bloody Chapel" a shocking murder occurred between one brother and his priest brother during high mass.

Another source of evil at Leap Castle is a hidden ubliet (a dungeon) located off the bloody chapel. It was a small room with a drop floor. Those who were forgotten within this room suffered unimaginable pain and misery until their death. Around c.1900 workmen who where hired to clean out the ubliet made a hideous discovery, human skeletons laid piled on top of each other.

Because of its extremely bloody history Leap Castle has always had a reputation of being haunted, a reputation so strong local people avoided it at night. Completely gutted by fire, Leap Castle was boarded up and it's gates were pad locked for over 70 years. Locals have described seeing the windows at the top of the castle "light up for a few seconds as if many candles were brought into the room" late at night. The castle laid in ruin for years.

Day 3: Charleville Forest Castle & Killua Castle

Today, visit Charleville Forest Castle, complete with Druid’s Initiation Circle and dark, spooky catacombs and a tower which Charles Bury, First Earl of Charleville still walks amongst the living. Many orbs “ghostly balls of light” have been spotted throughout the castle to remind us all that we are not alone.

Drive north to Westmeath to visit Killua Castle, one of the most romantic ruins in the country. Built in 1780, and later converted to the Gothic style, it was owned by the ancestors of Lawrence of Arabia, who visited it himself. The house was long ago abandoned, but when still in use, visitors often complained of things that went bump in the night. A white phantom was said to encircle the ruins, and a hideous, evil-eyed figure was often sighted within the walls. This spector was said to be the ghost of an 18th century land steward called Jacky Dalton. A small, cunning man with a 'weasel eye' and a strange yellow wig, he cheated his master out of lots of money, then drank it all and committed suicide by throwing himself in the lake. A recipe for an unquiet spirit if ever I heard one.

Day 4: Clonony Castle

Visit Clonony Castle. This great square ruin of a tower in the middle of Offaly certainly looks creepy enough. It dates back to the 16th century, and has a connection with Anne Boleyn, two of whose cousins are buried in a cave beneath the castle. The ghost that people see is that of a man, seen standing on top of the tower in old-fashioned dress. His identity remains a mystery, but he is still regularly seen by passing motorists at night, who have described a tall, thin, almost skeletal figure, surrounded by a hazy, luminous light. Most unsettling.

Day 5: Glin Castle, Glin, Co.Clare

After a leisurely breakfast, drive to Clare County for your 2-night stay at Glin Castle. Ivy covered ash, oak and beech trees line the drive to the Georgian House, home of the knights of Glin for the past 700 years. The house boasts elaborate plasterwork, Corinthian columns and a wonderful flying staircase. The house also has a craft shop and café.

The castle was the home of the Knights of Glin from about 1260 until 1642, when a house was build near the site of the present castle. The English took the castle and many of the defenders of the castle were either killed or drowned in the Glencorbry River. The ruins of this castle are still visible. Souls of those killed during the hundreds of turbulent years of Glin Castle’s existence have left a lasting impression.
(Glin Castle, 2-Nights)

Day 6: Poulaphuca

Today, you can visit Poulaphuca . This dolmen is on the limestone uplands of the Burren in north Clare, a few kilometres south of Ballyvaughan. On the same area there are over fifty wedge tombs. The word Poulaphuca means “'The Cave of spirits'.” Pooka, or Phuca, is a term used generically in Ireland to denote spirits or fairies, although the word refers specifically to a particular fairy which usually appears in the shape of a black goat. Pooka had the power to curse human enemies by giving them a humpback. At Halloween, Irish children wear masks and fancy dress to masquerade as the Pooka and demand sweets or fruits from householders.

Day 7: Depart Shannon