Ireland has a rich history of ghostly apparitions… Whether you believe it or not, many Irish people have witnessed paranormal phenomena within the country… Apparitions, spectres, ghosts, haunted places and curses… There are examples galore! With Halloween just around the corner, here’s a roundup of our scariest appearances! Hold on to your hats, even the most mystical of you will be shaking with fear… !
Aerial view of Ardgillan Castle – © Peter Krocka
Ardgillan Castle in County Dublin, built in 1738, has a reputation for being haunted… In fact, there’s a place within the castle called “The Lady’s Stairs”, where you’ll find stone staircases.
It was precisely here, in this spot, that a woman would regularly appear. Nicknamed “The Waiting Lady”, she plays the ghost of a woman waiting for her husband, who unfortunately drowned one night while she was waiting for him on a bridge.
One version of the story goes that anyone unfortunate enough to catch a glimpse of this ghost on Halloween night would be thrown into the sea to drown as well.
Strange luminous balls appear regularly in Glenasmole, County Dublin. These bright pink balls (lilac-colored to be precise) would appear in the air without warning. Many local Irish people seem convinced that it’s a fairy apparition.
Others attribute this light to the incarnation of a wandering woman living in the Middle Ages, who died after getting lost in the snowy mountains of Glenasmole.
Whatever the explanation, it would seem to the locals that these lights are benevolent, guiding lost people back to their homes in safety.
A headless horseman is regularly seen at night, wandering around Roper’s Rest, near Blackpitts Road in County Dublin.
Theories abound as to the origin of this apparition, but many Irish people have reported seeing a horse ridden by a beheaded man.
Dingle and a fishing boat – © Dawid
The site of Dun an Oir in Dingle, County Kerry, was the scene of a historic episode.
It was here that over 800 Spanish and Italian soldiers set foot in 1580. They then faced an English garrison with a large numerical superiority. The battle was terribly bloody, and the Spaniards were all massacred… with no one able to escape the British war fury.
History has it that the English spent more than 2 days beheading soldiers one by one, and lining up the heads in a nearby field. Most of the crps were then thrown overboard, or used as target practice by the English garrison.
Some Irish from Dingle testify that their agonized cries can still be heard today at the scene of the battle.
These will appear around October 1… And those screams would be unbearable to hear… floating on the wind, resurfacing from the past…
Did you know? Kilbeggan Distillery, considered to be the oldest whiskey distillery in the world, is said to be haunted!
Many of the establishment’s employees are said to have spotted a strange apparition: many Irish people in 2007 claim to have seen a strange creature in clothes walking around the site…
A vaporous, elusive creature who would regularly visit the distillery.
Many specialists in ghosts and haunted places have claimed that the Kilbeggan distillery is a place highly charged with paranormal presence…
Derry Airport, formerly known as Eglinton Air Base, was a thriving business in the 1940s. It was also used as an air base during the Second World War. Current staff report seeing figures dressed in World War II garb on site.
They are said to be wandering ghostly around the airport… Enough to give you a good scare!
Inisheer – © Gabriela
The story goes back to 1992. At that time, a 15-year-old Irish boy spotted 2 short men fishing off the Aran Islands in Ireland. These 2 seem to be dressed in green and conversing in Irish Gaelic only. The boat drew closer to the island so that the teenager could see them better: they seemed unusually small, wearing green hats and brown shoes.
Before leaving their boat, one of them forgot his pipe, which the boy decided to grab. When he returned home, he stored the pipe in a box which he kept for many years… before it disappeared without further explanation…
Were they leprechauns? Since then, there have been many theories… But these 2 creatures were never found off the Aran Islands…
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