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Planning a Trip? We’ve Rounded up Some of the Spookiest Places in Ireland
Oct
All Hallows Eve is fast approaching and there’s nothing we love more on October 31st than some seriously spooky vibes. We’ve rounded up some of the most haunted places in Ireland that you could brave this Halloween; if you dare.
The Hell Fire Club, Co. Dublin
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Built first in 1725 as an exclusive lodge for wealthy noblemen, locals reported strange goings-on surrounding the site from the very beginning. Members of the Hell Fire Club supposedly toasted the devil and left an empty chair at their card tables for him, should he ever appear.
Then, one stormy night it seems he did. A stranger visited the lodge and was invited to join the men in their card game. It wasn’t until one of the noblemen dropped their cards and bent to pick it up that they noticed the strangers cloven hoof underneath the table.
Over the years the lodge fell to ruins, but visitors can still frequent the site to this day.
Loftus Hall, Co. Wexford
IMAGE: LOFTUSHALL.IE
The famed Loftus Hall sits on the Hook Penisula in County Wexford. Originally built-in 1666, it is most renowned these days for being the home that welcomed the devil himself. During a great storm that battered the coastline in 1775, the Loftus family invited a stranger to take refuge in their home.
During a game of cards, a servant pointed out to the daughter of the family, Anne, that the stranger had cloven feet. The story goes, that when she confronted the man, his entire form changed and he shot through the roof, leaving a giant hole in the ceiling.
Anne was so affected by the event, she was never the same again and had to be placed in seclusion until her death. Her spirit is said to haunt the grounds of Loftus Hall.
River Nore, Co.Kilkenny
IMAGE: IRELAND.COM
Did you know that Kilkenny was home to Ireland’s first-ever witch trial? It’s definitely no stranger to the supernatural and spooky occurrences.
Legend has it that in 1763 a group were passing over St.John’s bridge in the centre of Kilkenny city when the bridge collapsed and all who fell into the River Nore below drowned.
Locals still report seeing ghostly apparitions walking across the bridge or reaching for the riverbank in desperation.
Leap Castle, Co. Offaly
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It’s no secret amongst locals that the grounds of Leap Castle are amongst some of the most haunted in Ireland with the castle playing host to all manner of bloodshed and conflict since its construction in the 1600’s.
The most haunted section of the castle is said to be the infamous Bloody Chapel, where two brothers vying for the family seat resorted to murder to claim what was rightfully theirs.
The story goes, that one of the brothers was giving mass at the chapel when the other charged the chapel and plunged a sword through his heart.
The spirit of the murdered priest is said to still haunt the castle to this day.
