Doyle’s Pub: The Hangman’s Shadow in Phibsborough

Said to be haunted by the people from the funeral home that used to be next door, the Doyle’s Pub in Dublin is said to have more than living patrons having a drink.

At the bustling corner of Phibsborough where the North Circular Road meets Doyle’s Corner stands Doyle’s Pub, a Victorian landmark with a chilling past and if we are to believe the drunken rumors, it is said the pub also houses a few ghosts.

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland.

Once known as The Arthur Conan Doyle, this handsome old public house was built using stones from the nearby Saint Peter’s Church and is said to hold more than just whiskey and stories within its walls. Beneath the floorboards, a forgotten well lies in the cellar, and in the still hours after closing, the air grows heavy, as if something below is stirring.

Doyle’s Haunted Past

Over the years, Doyle’s has attracted its share of famous patrons. The celebrated Irish writer Brendan Behan often drank here, filling the pub with laughter, song, and poetry. But there was another regular whose presence was far darker. The infamous Albert Pierrepoint, one of the most prolific executioners in British history, made Doyle’s haunt whenever he was in Dublin for “work” at nearby Mountjoy Prison. After sending men to their deaths, he was known to stop by for a quiet whiskey or two, sitting in contemplation of his grim duty.

Some say that the ghosts could be one of Mr. Pierrepoint’s victims from Mountjouy who is looking for the man who hanged them.

The Ghosts from Lanigan’s Funeral Home

But what about the ghost said to haunt the pub? According to the stories, it is all because of the old funeral that was next to it for many years.

The pub once stood beside Lanigan’s Funeral Home, which may explain why restless spirits are said to wander here. Patrons have reported doors slamming, glasses shattering, and footsteps pacing the upper floor long after the bar has emptied. Some claim to have seen a pale figure appear at the top of the stairs before vanishing into thin air, while others swear they have felt a tap on the shoulder from unseen hands. The ghost, they say, may be one of Pierrepoint’s unfortunate “clients” from Mountjoy, still seeking out the hangman who drank here in life.

It is said the haunting reached its peak in the early 2000s, when Doyle’s was a thriving music venue and made the national news headlines when it was reported that a noisy ghost was living on the second floor of the pub. Today, it seems the old dancefloor on the second floor is no longer in use.

When the night grows quiet and the last patrons drift home, Doyle’s Corner becomes something else entirely. The laughter fades, the air chills, and from the darkened stairway above comes the creak of unseen feet. Perhaps it is only the old building settling. Or perhaps the condemned have finally come calling for the hangman.

Newest Posts

The Vanished Village and the Munich Connection to Dracula4. October 2026
Before meeting a vampire in Transylvania, a short story places Jonathan Harket facing the undead outside of Munich. Could it have a connection to the village that according to legend, vanished suddenly in the middle ages.
The Death Coach: Ireland’s Omen of Doom Racing Through the Night3. October 2026
One of the dark entities on the emerald island, there is the Death Coach who comes to collect the souls of the dead. Pulled by headless horses, the Cóiste Bodhar stops at nothing before its mission is complete, and misfortune happens upon those getting in its way.
The Utburd of Skålvoll or the Nille-Case in Norway2. October 2026
In 1687, the ghost of a murdered child started to testify against its mother in northern Norway and people took it seriously. Today, the Utburd of Skåvoll or the Nille-case is remembered as the ghost story that condemned a woman to her death.
The Dullahan: Ireland’s Headless Horseman of Doom1. October 2026
One of the deadly omens in Irish folklore, The Dullahan, or the Headless Horseman is said to bring certain death to those he calls by their name.
Most Haunted Places in Dublin30. September 2026
Have a look at some of the most haunted places in Dublin, from the mysteries of the Hellfire Club, churches where you can supposedly summon the devil and the dead lingering in the dusty libraries and colleges.
The Utburd of Erstad: A Ghost That Led to the Court and Punishment29. September 2026
After strange knocking and poltergeist activity made the people at Erstad Farm believe it was haunted. And when they asked the ghost what it wanted, it unraveled the lives of more than one person forever.
The Legend of the Witches of Llers Castle and the Vampire, Conde Estruch of Catalonia28. September 2026
Was there an iberian vampire before the European vampire panic in Eastern Europe? Who was really Conde Estruch, the vampire of Catalonia, and what happened to the witches of Llers Castle the count was said to use as his lair.
The Haunted Pub Crawl through Dublin25. September 2026
Join a haunted pub crawl through Dublin’s ancient streets for ghosts and a pint of Guinness. From plotting revolutionaries to somber writers, these pubs and bars are said to be a place where some of the patrons have been lingering for a long time.
The Utburd of Børholmen and Erika Larsdatter Bogen: A Haunting and Scam That Reached the Courtroom24. September 2026
In 1852, the alleged psychic Erika Larsdatter Bogen, arrived at Børholmen, a small island in western Norway. She claimed that she had found the ghost and corpse of the dead child, and she named the mother who allegedly buried it. But what was the truth?
Most Haunted Places in Ireland23. September 2026
Ghostly whispers in the old castle ruins, soldiers haunting the bloody battlefields and even the drums of pagan druids still lingering, Ireland is certainly a haunted country. This is only a small portion of the most haunted places in Ireland and the ghost stories behind them.
The Brown Clad Man Haunting Sande Old Vicarage22. September 2026
Who is the ghostly priest in brown, haunting the old Vicarage in Sande? Legend says he still carries guilt for the young boy he failed that had tragic consequences.
El Dip: The Catalan Vampire Hound21. September 2026
In the rural mountainside in Catalonia, Spain, there have long been talk about a vampiric beast of a hound that has tormented the livestock and the unfortunate person walking outside after dark. Could this legend be the one where other iberian vampire legends sprung from?