The Ghosts and Hauntings of Leap Castle – Ireland’s Most Haunted Castle
The thing…
Travel to the Midlands of Ireland, to the county of Offaly, and you will find the charming town of Roscrea - a place filled with friendly locals and wonderful historic buildings. If you are brave - and I suspect you are, for you are reading this - then venture north from the town for roughly four miles and, rising from the lonely countryside, you will find Leap Castle, said by some to be Ireland’s most haunted fortified building.
The original castle is believed to have been constructed around 1250 AD by the O’Bannon clan, with further expansions added over the centuries. It was originally called Léim Uí Bhanáin, or Leap of the O’Bannons. According to local tradition, the “leap” refers to a brutal contest between two O’Bannon brothers. To settle a dispute over who would lead the clan, both men were said to leap from the rocky outcrop where the castle now stands.
The one who survived became chieftain. A grim beginning for a place with such a bloody history.
Later, the castle fell into the hands of the O’Carroll clan. According to tradition, a bitter dispute broke out between two O’Carroll brothers over succession. One was a priest and, one day, while conducting Mass in the chapel, his brother burst in and murdered him at the altar. Dark rumours claim the priest’s spirit never left, with visitors reporting sightings of him wandering the Bloody Chapel and the stairwell below.
But it was during the twentieth century that one of the castle’s most gruesome discoveries was made. Restoration work was being carried out in the chapel when workers discovered an oubliette - a dungeon accessible only by trapdoor - concealed behind a wall. Inside were piles of human bones, many impaled on spikes. It is said that nearly three cartloads of remains were removed and taken for burial.
Dear reader, I trust the implications are clear.
These poor souls were thrown into that spiked pit and left there to die.
The tale of the Red Lady is a tragic one. She is seen gliding through the halls, dressed - not surprisingly - in red, carrying a bloody dagger. According to legend, she was once a captive who became pregnant, only for her child to be murdered. Wracked with grief, she took her own life and now wanders the castle by night.
Other spectres include an old governess, said to be seen peering from the upper windows and the phantoms of two small children - is there any ghost more unsettling than that of a child? Well, yes, as you shall soon discover. These supernatural little wanderers are often seen running and playing upon the stairs. If local lore is to be believed, one of the children, called Emily, can sometimes be seen falling from the battlements, vanishing before she strikes the ground.
But there is one entity that haunts Leap Castle’s troubled halls that is so dreadful, I must steady myself before I speak of it. Something so horrible it scarcely has a name.
It is known simply as The Thing, or The Elemental.
Those unfortunate enough to encounter it describe something small and twisted, with a decomposing face and accompanied by the overpowering stench of sulphur and rotting flesh.
The origins of the Thing remain uncertain. Some claim it was a spirit left by druids to guard the land and punish intruders. Others say it is merely a symptom of the castle’s violent history - a creature shaped over the centuries by accumulated hatred and suffering. Still others claim it was summoned accidentally by a woman named Mildred Darby.
Mildred lived in the castle during the early twentieth century and was known to practise séances. It is feared the Thing crept through from whatever dark realm it inhabits, drawn into our world during one of her spiritualist rituals. Mildred herself wrote of the creature after it terrified several of her servants:
“Whilst dressing I was startled by a loud yell of terror-stricken male and female voices coming apparently from the hall…”
She later described seeing the Thing leaning upon the gallery rail, its dreadful form accompanied by a foul and unnatural smell, before it slowly faded from sight. According to the servants, all who witnessed it became violently sick afterwards.
There are many more spectres associated with Leap Castle. It is, by all accounts, a deeply troubled place. But I do not believe my nerves can bear much more, and I would not wish to be the reason you, my dear friend, suffer a sleepless night. So for now, I shall say no more.
Perhaps, if my courage returns, I shall one day revisit Leap Castle and complete its phantasmal catalogue.
FREE STUFF
Tomorrow sees the release of the audiobook of my novel, Threads of Shadow, wonderfully and chillingly brought to life by narrator Mark Adams.
If you’d like a free copy, I have twenty spare codes available. Simply message me on Facebook or via the contact section of this website, and I’ll happily send one over in return for an honest review.
Until next week, stay spooky.
