Haunted Ireland - Haunting tales from an Ancient Land
Haunted Ireland - Haunting Tales from an Ancient Land
The dead are always with us. Banshees, witches, haunted castles and much more from the ‘world beyond’ form part of the everyday existence for some in Ireland in the 21st century. Tales of hauntings of many of the best known dwellings, both urban and rural, of the Irish landscape are still told on dark evenings by cosy firesides. For some, evidence of a further existence after the present one is reassuring. For others, however, paranormal experiences bring little relief and indeed may induce an occasional sleepless night but at least provide a thrill. It has yet to be satisfactorily explained why Ireland should have such a rich history of tales from beyond the grave. One possible explanation may involve the long tradition of storytelling for which the natives are renowned and the enjoyment from telling and hearing a good ghost story. Whatever one’s reason for perusing the topic, few books currently available will give a more comprehensive retelling of the best of these stories.
One might think that the number of people to have encountered a spirit from the other world would be quite low. In fact many hundreds have been recorded and as we will see in the following pages, almost fifty of the most engaging accounts are presented here. Close to half of these involve castles from all parts of the island. From Dunluce Castle in the north to Charles Fort in the south and from Gormanston in the east to the Cliffs of Moher in the west, no corner of the country is safe from a visitation or from those willing to tell of the same.
Also, if you expect hauntings to have originated in times long past, think again. I offer the example of the poltergeist activity witnessed in Glin Castle, Co Limerick as the result of a tragic incident in the 1960s. Indeed, it has been reported within the past year that an apparition was witnessed watching television at three o’clock in the morning in the home of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the Mansion House!
However, this publication is not intended to frighten the reader. It is rather intended as a joyous travel companion to highlight the many and varied aspects of our rich Irish history, geography, literature and storytelling culture that awaits the open minded traveller to this ancient land of myths and legends.
So, as your travels take you to the varied parts of this land, have a look inside to see if you are close to one of the featured haunted locations but just don’t read it at night!
