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Published: July 15th 2010
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Entrance to the Keep
One comes through the old gated entrance to Leap Castle. We went to visit Leap Castle. This is reputedly one of the most haunted castles and places in Ireland. There are many other haunted places throughout Ireland. In fact Ireland is full of stories of spirits, ghosts, hauntings and left over vibes from its past. Most of you are familiar with the stories of leprechauns and “little people.” These are remnants of its Druidic past and even of its antecedents. Some of the stories deal with legends from pre-Christian Ireland.
I researched haunted castles before we went to Ireland and found two castles that were located close to where we would stay. I opted to visit Leap Castle because it has a much more ghastly history and the haunting is said to be ongoing. We had a lovely breakfast and then headed off taking a back road route to the place.
We were driving along getting close to where we thought it was located and were on the lookout for it. Suddenly the tower rose up in front of us as we drove down a winding hill road. I wish I had taken a photo from that spot on the road. It would have made for a lovely photo. But since
Leap Castle
It is quite a sinister looking place. the road is typical of the Irish lanes it doesn't have a barrow pit or space on the side to pull over.
We drove down the hill and presently came to the entrance gate. The place was very gloomy looking. The clouds happened to roll in at that moment and gave the whole place a dark atmosphere. We drove in through the gate and onto the grounds of the place. A dog came out to greet us with its barking. A lady came to the door and told me that they took no visitors on Sundays! The information I had found online said it was open year round...except for Sundays apparently. A family is living in the ground floor. I asked if we could snap a few photos of the outside and she said that would be ok. I hope that my photos capture the eerie mood of the place.
The history of the place is that it was built in the 14th or 15th century as a “keep castle” to guard the nearby pass. One of the infamous events occurred in 1532 when a fight for power broke out between two brothers from the O'Carroll clan. It concluded when
one brother killed the other (who happened to be a priest) with a sword while the brother conducted Mass in the castle chapel. The brother died on the altar and in front of the family.
Another source of ghastliness was a discovery of a hidden ubliet (dungeon) in 1900. Workmen cleaning up the place discovered a small room with a drop floor. Unlucky prisoners fell down 8 feet to an upright pike. Those that did not die immediately died of starvation. The workmen found skeletons piled on top of each other. It reputedly took 3 cartloads to haul away the skeletons.
In 1903 the Darby family took possession and moved in. Apparently the wife dabbled in the occult and the result, as she wrote in a diary, was the appearance of an “elemental” This is a human like apparition accompanied by a hideous decomposing odor. In the 1970's an Australian purchased the place and brought a white witch from Mexico to exorcise the place. The witch spent many hours in the chapel and concluded that the spirits would no longer be malevolent but would also not leave.
Beth and I both agreed that the place did have a creepy air
Cheery place!
I get a kick out of a good haunting!! about it. And I thought that it would have been grand to been there later in the evening.
Next on our agenda was the famous Rock of Cashel or Rock of St Patrick. This is the ancient seat of Irish kings and St Patrick preached here. Eventually it was given over to the church and it became an ecclesiastical center. It is very impressive as it towers over the surrounding countryside. The three main parts were actually built in three separate centuries. We were impressed by this site more than any other historical place we had visited. We also visited the Hore Abbey that is located at the foot of this steep rocky hill. I hope that my photos do it justice..
I previously mentioned that Irish football and hurling are marching toward the All Ireland Championships. The entire country is caught up in the excitement. Beth and I were entertained by the games we watched on tv. What is particularly interesting is that these games are pure amateur events and the players have regular day jobs. They are doing it for the pride of their county. I especially like this aspect. I personally have lost interest in professional sports.
Back View
of Leap Castle. I don't watch or even follow any teams as I don't find them compelling. The whole notion of doing something out of passion and love for the sport I find much more interesting.
The idea of playing for the pride of your county we found to be very engaging. We found that the Irish take very seriously their county of origin. People we have talked to will always point out that they are from such and such county. I found that to be such novelty especially since this is something totally unfamiliar to Americans.
Anyhoo, on the way to Cashel we stopped at a local pitch and I took to the field wearing the colors of County Kilkenny. They are the favored hurling team. They are the perennial favorites having won the All Ireland crown several times. We have regularly seen kids batting the ball around. Little kids start playing this sport just like Little League baseball is played in the US. The hurling stick I am holding is the smallest size made for junior players. It is a size 20. The ball is about baseball size but not quite as hard and has the seams in the same shape
The Rock of Cashel
or Rock of St. Patrick as a baseball. The major difference is that the seams are raised.
We drove back to the Willowbrook B&B and went out to dinner at The Fairways again. I had a whole sea bass and Beth had Bream fillets, both were dynamite. We didn't do the whole meal deal though as we were headed to a bar for trad music.
We went to Garrykennedy for trad music. This is situated on the east shore of Lough Derg. It is a very lovely spot. The music was in full swing when we arrived. We found some chairs even though the place was quite crowded. We had come on a night when kids join the adults in playing music. One of the traditions here is to have a night once a month when kids are sit in to play along with adults. In some cases this takes place in pubs.. We saw young kids with miniature banjos, violins, and even accordions. One little kid must have been about 6 years old with a miniature accordion. This is an admirable tradition The Irish are very proud of their culture and have sought to reinvigorate their language and their customs. I am very impressed
Cool Tapestry
inside the restored Castle portion. by this.
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