Did you know? The Irish are a rather superstitious people, who believe in ghosts and scary stories! In addition to their castles, some Irish pubs have a reputation for being haunted. Perfect places to celebrate Halloween in style… and shiver with pleasure in these places steeped in history! With a bit of luck (or bad luck), you’ll empty your pint and come face to face with a ghost… or tumble off your stool to the treacherous games of creatures like leprechauns!
The Brazen Head
This is one of Ireland’s oldest Irish pubs! The Brazen Head’s origins date back to 1198… which makes it a Dublin institution… but also the home of many a ghost story!
The most famous of all concerns Robert Emmet (1778 – 1803), a famous Irish nationalist who used to organize secret meetings between rebels at the Brazen Head. Unfortunately for him, he was hanged in 1803… but legend has it that his ghost has been seen regularly in the pub ever since…
Testimonies attest to seeing him wandering around the pub… even today! Rumor has it, his ghost would settle into his usual spot in the corner of the pub, and talk nationalism, while being wary of his enemies.
Scary, isn’t it?
Le Renvyle House Hotel
Did you know? The Renvyle House Hotel is said to have been burnt down by the IRA (then renovated years later). According to local legend, many of the victims perished in the fire. Since then, there have been countless ghosts refusing to leave the premises.
The famous poet William Butler Yeats is said to have witnessed strange happenings within the hotel: doors moving by themselves, moans heard in the colors, the rustling of sheets in unoccupied beds… Even hotel guests were reportedly dragged from their beds by supernatural forces!
Even more frightening: some of these ghosts could be seen in the mirrors, while hotel guests were undressing… Peeping Toms?
Kyteler’s Inn
According to locals, this Irish inn was built on the ruins of an old house: that of Alice Kyteler, a woman once known as the “Witch of Kilkenny”. Many believed him to have witchcraft powers.
Her many marriages to wealthy husbands are well known… Not to mention their suspicious deaths…
A trial was then organized for witchcraft… But it was his servant, Peronella, who was accused of black magic… and burned alive…
Ever since, Kyteler’s Inn has had a reputation for being haunted… Some believe it to be Petronella… but others are convinced it’s Alice Kyteler herself…
The Bull & Castle Pub – William Murphy – cc
Here’s another Irish pub in Dublin that’s also said to be haunted… It is said to be occupied by the ghost of Dublin-born poet James Clarence Mangan (1803-1849), who died of cholera in 1849.
He is said to make regular appearances in the Irish pub. In fact, his appearances are said to be quite remarkable: each time he arrives, legend has it that the temperature in the pub turns icy cold… and the mood of the place darkens…
Brrr!
5. The Kavanagh (“The Gravediggers”), Glasnevin, Dublin
Kavanagh’s Pub
The Kavanagh is an Irish pub located very close to the famous Glasnevin cemetery. In other words, a place full of ghosts! The pub is therefore regularly visited. Among recurring sightings, customers have reportedly claimed to have seen an elderly man, dressed in an old-fashioned Irish tweed suit, sitting down, sipping a pint… then disappearing without a trace…
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