Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
Among the most enduring and chilling figures of Irish folklore is the Banshee, the spectral woman whose mournful cry foretells death. Her wail, or caoineadh, drifts through the night like a sorrowful song, a sound that has haunted Irish families for centuries.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland
To hear the Banshee’s cry is to know that death is near, and her presence serves as both warning and lament for the soul soon to depart.
The Irish Banshee: Here pictured the Bunworth Banshee, Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland by Thomas Crofton Croker, published 1834.
The Banshee of the Fairy Mound
As with many Irish legends, it has deep connections to the Fairies and the Otherworld. Along the Irish countryside, there are grassy hills or tumuli known as síde that the fairy folk, Tuatha Dé Danann were driven underground to. The banshee or bean sídhe means woman of the sídhe.
The Banshee Appears by R. Prowse 1862 sep, 1
In some later English-language texts, the word sídhe is incorrectly used both for the mounds and the people of the mounds. However, sidh in older texts refers specifically to “the palaces, courts, halls or residences” of the otherworldly beings that supposedly inhabit them.
The Banshee is most often described as a woman with long, flowing hair, sometimes silver as moonlight, sometimes fiery red or jet black. She is said to appear wearing a grey or white cloak over a green dress, her eyes red from endless weeping.
In some tales she combs her hair with a silver comb, a symbol of her connection to the spirit world and her most prized possession. This is perhaps also why so many who claim to have encountered her say she asks for a comb.
Though she can appear young and beautiful, she can also take the form of a shriveled old woman or a stately matron, her face twisted with grief and sorrow.
The Celtic Goddess of War and Death: Her appearance seems to represent the triple aspects of the Celtic goddess of war and death, namely Badhbh, Macha and Mor-Rioghain. The Morrígan is often described as a trio of individuals, all sisters, called “the three Morrígna”. Image: Macha Curses the Men of Ulster from 1904.
She may also appear as a washer-woman, and is seen apparently washing the blood stained clothes of those who are about to die. In this guise she is known as the bean-nighe (washing woman), although this version is perhaps more known in Scotland.
Brigid Goddess of Fertility: Another goddess connected to the Banshee is Brigid. Her son died in battle, and the goddess broke out in a nasally and high-pitched singing style known as keening. This became a mourning practice.Image: The Coming of Bride (1917) by John Duncan.
The Wailing Woman
Her keening cry is unlike any sound of this world. It is said to begin softly, almost like the wind through the trees, then rise into a piercing wail that can shatter the stillness of the night.
The scream differs from region to region. in Kerry are said to be pleasant songs, but at Rathlin Island off the shore of Northern Ireland, the banshee’s song is a thin screech almost like that of an owl. And in Leinster, in the Southeast, the wail of a banshee is said to be so piercing it can shatter glass.
Henry Meynell Rheam: La Belle Dame Sans Merci English: The Banshee (1901)
Mourning the death of one of their kin with her piercing “caoine” or keening. This mysterious creature resembles traditional Irish keeners or mourners of old. Even today, some claim that her cry echoes near homes or graveyards just before tragedy strikes.
Keening Women and the Irish Mourning Song: The Aran Fisherman’s Drowned Child (1841)
Those who hear it know that someone close to them will soon die, for the Banshee’s lament is not random but personal as it’s not every dying person that the Banshee is said to keen for. Traditionally, she was said to follow Ireland’s ancient noble families, or families of the “high Milesian race”.
The Banshee Haunting the Ancient Families
According to tradition, some families had their own banshee, with the Ua Briain banshee, named Aibell or Aoibheall, being the ruler of 25 other banshees who would always be at her attendance. The banshee of the O’Donnel family was said to live on a rock overlooking the sea and the banshee following the O’Neill family was called Maveen. She was said to have her own room in the family castle.
The Milesians: The sons of Mil represent the Irish people and are seen as the final race to settle in Ireland according to Christian medieval history, although scholars today think this is just a story. They are Gaels who sail to Ireland from Iberia (Hispania) after spending hundreds of years travelling the Earth. Most, but not all, surnames associated with banshees have the Ó or Mc/Mac prefix that is of Goidelic origin.
Those gifted with music and song could also be lamented by a banshee.
A Spirit of Sorrow, Not Malice
Despite her terrifying reputation, the Banshee is not a malevolent spirit. She does not bring death; she merely announces it. Her cry is an expression of grief, a sorrowful duty to forewarn the living. In some legends, she appears as a loving guardian, mourning for her family’s loss from beyond the grave. In others, she is one of several ancestral spirits, each tied to an old Irish lineage.
More modern stories, though, also claim that she can be seen travelling together with the death coach and the headless horseman that are out to collect people’s souls. Sometimes she was also not described as a fairy at all, but a ghost of a woman murdered or a mother who died in childbirth.
The Banshee’s lament may be terrifying, but it comes from compassion rather than cruelty. Perhaps strange, as much of her origin stories are about her being the old goddesses that were driven down underground by the same families she laments for.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In the shadowed countryside of Ireland, where mist curls over forgotten graveyards and moonlight glints off winding roads, few legends stir the heart with more dread than that of the Death Coach. The story is today well known in British and American culture as well, but perhaps the strongest cultural impact is in Ireland.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland
Known in Irish as the Cóiste Bodhar, meaning the Deaf or Silent Coach, this phantom carriage is said to thunder through the night as a harbinger of death. Its approach is never random. Those who hear its wheels or the cry of its ghostly horses know that a soul is about to be taken from the mortal world.
The Coach of Shadows
The belief is that once the coach has come to the land of the living it cannot return empty. Once death has come to collect there is nothing on earth you can do to prevent it.
The Death Coach is said to be pulled by headless horses, sometimes four or six of them. Their hooves pounding like drums of doom upon the earth, and driven by a headless coachman cloaked in tattered black. The coach itself gleams darkly, an ornate relic of another age, its lanterns flickering with a cold, unnatural light. At the back, there is often a coffin, ready for its next victim.
The headless horseman that drives the coach is known as the Dullahan. The Dullahan is also known in Irish as Gan Ceann, meaning without head and it is usually seen either driving the coach or riding alongside on a black stallion.
Often, it can be heard long before it is seen, the night wind carrying the sound of galloping hooves, creaking wheels, and the crack of a whip that belongs to no living man. Sometimes it is said that the coach is summoned by the wailing of the Irish banshee, another harbinger of death.
Those unfortunate enough to glimpse it claim that the coach is shrouded in a swirling mist and moves as though floating above the ground. The Banshee, also known as Bean Sidhe in Irish sometimes accompanies the death coach flying alongside wailing and screeching out a warning to certain families that one of their members is about to die.
An Omen That Cannot Be Escaped
According to the old stories, when the Death Coach arrives, nothing can stop it and it is a certain harbinger of death. Windows burst open, doors swing wide, and even locked gates offer no barrier as it comes to collect its chosen soul.
Some tales tell of families hearing the dreadful noise outside their homes just before a loved one falls gravely ill or dies unexpectedly. In others, travelers crossing remote country roads are driven nearly mad by the sound of its pursuit, only to learn later that someone close to them has perished. It is not a thing to confront, for those who try are said to be struck blind or left cursed. It is also said that those who have opened the door to the Cóiste Bodhar, has had a basin of blood thrown in their faces.
The Vanishing Doctor
One popular folklore story in Ireland of the coach-a-bower dates back to 1806. As a sick man lay on his bed dying his children sent for the doctor and sat on the outside steps waiting for his arrival. After a while, they heard the distant noise of a coach with its rumbling wheels getting closer and closer when suddenly a large dark coach entered the courtyard. The two older children, both young men, walked down the steps to greet the doctor but to their surprise, the coach didn’t stop. It continued down an avenue, passed between a fence and hedges towards a closed gate.
The two young men ran to the gate but were surprised to find it locked and that the coach had vanished without a trace. Not realising what had just happened they woke the lodge-keeper to check the whereabouts of the gate keys only to find them tucked safely under the lodge-keepers pillow. A short time after the mysterious disappearance the doctor arrived at the house, unfortunately, it was too late and the sick man passed away a few hours later.
The death of Sir Admiral Burton MacNamara in County Clare
A well known tale about the Death Coach was collected by Thomas Johnson Westropp in A Folklore Survey of County Clare from 1910.
On December 11, 1876, a servant of the MacNamara family of Ennistymon House in County Clare was out for a late-night walk when he heard the rumbling of wheels. Upon contemplating what kind of vehicle would be out at this hour, he realised it was the Cóiste Bodhar.
The servant hurriedly opened the three gates to Ennistymon House without thinking, threw himself face down on the ground, and the death coach sped by. Instead of stopping at Ennistymon House, it continued driving until it was no longer audible or visible. In London, Sir Burton MacNamara passed away a day later.
The Death Coach comes to Ballyduff
One summer afternoon, Michael Noonan was walking toward Ballyduff to collect his repaired shoes when strange and frightening sounds filled the air. Near the abandoned Hanlon’s Mill, he heard the cries of hounds and huntsmen, even though no hunt was nearby, followed by the eerie clatter of the long-silent mill. Terrified, he fled to the village, where he met his friend Darby Haynes, who asked him to drive his horse and cart home. Relieved to avoid walking past the haunted mill after dark, Michael set off slowly under a bright moon. As he watched the moon’s reflection shimmer on the River Awbeg, it suddenly vanished, and a chill crept over him. Out of nowhere, a large black coach drawn by six headless horses and driven by a headless coachman appeared beside him, moving silently before vanishing into the night.
Shaken but alive, Michael made it home and spent a sleepless night pondering what he had seen. The next morning, he was approached by Daniel Madden, a huntsman riding in a panic, who told him that his master, Mr. Wrixton of Ballygibben, had fallen gravely ill. Michael ran to fetch the midwife as requested, but deep down, he knew it was too late.
The Death Coach, the Cóiste Bodhar of Irish legend, had made its dreadful journey the night before, claiming yet another soul as it thundered through the countryside unseen by most, but heard by those who knew its sound meant death was near.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Among Ireland’s most terrifying figures of folklore rides a creature that no door can bar. Without a head, the dark rider comes for people’s souls.
Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland
Known as The Dullahan, the Headless Horseman of Irish legend gallops through the night on a black steed, carrying his own head in one hand and a human spine as his whip. Wherever he rides, death is close behind, for the Dullahan appears only when a soul is about to be claimed.
The Rider Without a Head
The terrible legend of the Dúlachán or Dullahan is often referred to as the “Gan Ceann” or “Headless One.” Much like the legend of the Banshee, the Dullahan was said to be an omen of death, but unlike the Banshee, the headless horseman is often the one to collect the dead ones, often coming with the Death Coach, known as the Cóiste Bodhar. If you heard your name being called out, you were chosen, and if you looked back, you died.
The Headless Horseman: The archetype of the Headless Horseman appears in folklore in Europe since the Middle Ages, although today, the most famous story today would probably be The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, based on the German as well as the Irish version of the legend. Although a famous legend in Ireland, it is uncertain if it has Irish roots or came from other European countries.
Dullahan’s head, though severed from his body, is alive and ghastly pale, its skin said to resemble aged cheese and its grin stretching from ear to ear in many of its stories. The eyes dart about like restless fireflies, allowing him to see across great distances, even through walls and locked doors.
His horse is just as fearsome, black as night and snorting sparks from its nostrils as it thunders across the countryside. His whip is said to be made from a human spine. When the Dullahan rides, the air grows thick, the night goes silent, and dogs whimper in terror as he leaves a trail of flame where he goes.
The Harbinger of Death
The Dullahan is not a spirit wandering aimlessly but a servant of death itself. He rides to summon the souls of the dying, calling out their name. Once the name is spoken, no one can escape their fate. Some legends say that when he stops riding, someone in that place will die. Others claim that if he approaches a house, blood will be spilled before dawn. His arrival is often heralded by the sound of hooves pounding on lonely roads, or the sight of a light flickering in the distance where none should be.
The Worship of Crom Dubh: Although it’s uncertain where the story of the Dullahan originates from, it could have ties with the Celtic fertility god, Crom Dubh, the ancient king of Ireland, Tiighermas sacrificed humans to every year. The custom stopped in the 6th century with Christianity taking over. This is also said to have been the base of many of the Samhain and later, Halloween customs of today.
One of the first written accounts of The Headless Horseman seems to come from an 1828 book Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland by Thomas Crofton Croker. Although there is also a 1802 text where the author, Charles Vallancey compares the Dullahan to an Arabian demon called Wulahan. But Croker’s collection of tales are certainly the most descriptive. He wrote:
” ..such a head no mortal ever saw before. It looked like a large cream cheese hung round with black puddings: no speck of colour enlivened the ashy paleness of the depressed features; the skin lay stretched over the unearthly surface almost like the parchment head of a drum. Two fiery eyes of prodigious circumference, with a strange and irregular motion, flashed like meteors.”
No Escape, Only Warnings, Except for those with Gold
As fearsome and certain as death itself, not much was said to help against the headless horseman. Although there are stories about him being afraid of gold and that he would avoid places where the metal was. This is why many carried gold coins or left gold offerings to protect themselves from him.
From Thomas Crofton Croker, Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (3rd ed., 1834)
There is a story about a man on his way home one night between Roundstone and Ballyconneely. It was just getting dark and, all of a sudden, he heard the sound of horse’s hooves pounding along the road behind him. Looking back, he saw The Dullahan on his charger, hurtling towards him at a fair speed. With a loud shout, he made to run, but the thing came on after him, gaining on him all the time. In truth, it would have overtaken him and carried him away had he not dropped a gold-headed pin from the folds of his shirt on the road behind him. There was a roar in the air above him and, when he looked again, The Dullahan was gone.
Although there are many claims of people that have seen the Dullahan, there are some of them that remain more etched in people’s memory. Here are some of the stories of the Dullahan where he operates alone without the Death Coach.
The Man who Survived The Dullahan
Late one cold December night, Charley Culnane rode home from Fermoy with Christmas supplies and a bit too much whiskey warming his blood. Rain lashed against him as he followed the lonely road along the Blackwater, the darkness thick as tar. Near Kilcummer Hill, his cheerful song died in his throat. Drifting beside him in the gloom was the pale head of a horse, floating without a body or rider. Then, out of the shadows, a towering figure appeared on horseback, dressed in a tattered scarlet hunting coat. The rider had no head upon his shoulders. Instead, the grotesque thing was tucked under his arm, its eyes glowing faintly, its mouth twisted into a terrible grin that fixed itself upon Charley.
Terrified yet unwilling to show it, Charley rode on beside the spectral huntsman, even daring to exchange a few words. The ghost’s voice was deep and hollow, his tone strange but not unkind. Soon, the headless horseman challenged him to a race across the moonlit countryside. Charley accepted, and the two thundered across fields and ditches, the earth shaking beneath their hooves. When at last Charley pulled ahead, the spectre declared that he had waited a century for a rider brave enough to face him. With that, he faded into the mist, vanishing like breath on a cold windowpane. Charley swore the tale was true, though none believed him. Yet on St. Stephen’s Day, his mare outran every rival and he won his wager. Some said it was luck, others the hand of something far older, but Charley never again rode that dark road without glancing over his shoulder.
The Tale of the Good Woman
In the tale The Good Woman from Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland, it also shows a version where the Headless Horseman hides in disguise of a woman.
A peasant named Larry Dodd from the shadow of the Galtee Mountains meets a cloaked woman on his way to the Kildorrery fair. Thinking her merely a traveler, he offers her a ride, but when he leans in to steal a kiss as payment, he discovers with horror that she is a Dullahan. The world goes black, and Larry awakens amid the ruins of an ancient church, surrounded by a ghastly sight: a great wheel of torture covered in severed heads and headless riders of both men and women, nobles and peasants alike. Offered a drink by his spectral hosts, he raises the cup to his lips, only for his head to be sliced clean off mid-sentence. When he awakes again, his head restored, the Dullahans have vanished into the night and his horse is gone with them.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ghosts of famed writers in dark pubs, still sipping their Guinness, secret societies in the mountains or the victims of the famine, wars, the most haunted places in Dublin range from the obvious old castles and battlefields to the more quaint streets and buildings.
Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland
Although far from a complete list, let’s have a look at some of the more famous ghost stories and places that are said to be particularly haunted in the capital of the Emerald Island.
Hellfire Club | Dublin
Montpelier Hill: Here from the hunting lodge at Montpelier Hill in Dublin, were the Hellfire Club had meetings and many of the stories of dark rituals and the likes comes from. //Source: Joe King/Wikimedia
This mysterious ruin perched atop the Dublin Mountains has long been steeped in sinister legend. Built in 1725 as a hunting lodge for William Conolly, the site later became home to the Hellfire Club, a secret society of the rich and powerful said to dabble in the occult, black masses and unspeakable ceremonies. Among the most enduring tales is that the devil himself once appeared as a nobleman invited to play cards with the club’s members, revealing his cloven hooves when picked-up the fallen card from the floor. Besides those chilling legends the site is associated with ghostly figures, animal sacrifices and the uneasy notion that the lodge was built on top of an ancient grave or standing-stone cairn disturbed by the construction.
Built in 1796 and closed in 1924, Kilmainham Gaol housed not only ordinary criminals but many of Ireland’s most famous revolutionaries during the fight for independence. During its restoration in the 1960s workers reported numerous paranormal events like lights switching themselves on, footsteps echoing on empty corridors, and even violent episodes of unseen forces pinning people to walls.
Throughout Dublin City, the many pubs and bars come with centuries of stories, some of them ghost stories. 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. You don’t have to choose between checking out haunted locations and sitting down for a pint in Dublin as the number of haunted pubs and bars around the city will take you around a haunted pub crawl around the streets of Dublin all night.
Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, Ireland’s largest burial ground, spanning over 124 acres with more than 1.5 million burials, and is home to both the nation’s heroes and its restless dead. Among its most famous legends is that of a Newfoundland dog who refused to abandon his master, Captain John McNeill Boyd, after the sailor’s death in 1861. The loyal creature is said to have starved to death by his grave, and even now, witnesses claim to see his ghost wandering the pathways or hear the soft padding of phantom paws in the dark. There are also said to be ghosts from the cemetery venturing into the neighboring pub for a cold one.
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland’s oldest university founded in 1592, is steeped in history and haunted lore that stretches across its centuries-old campus. The most famous ghost story is Edward Ford, a stern Fellow murdered by drunken students in 1734, whose ghost is said to still wander the Rubrics at dusk in his powdered wig and gown. Other spectral figures include physicist George Francis Fitzgerald, mathematician Thomas Meredith, and even Archbishop Narcissus Marsh, who searches eternally for a lost note among his library’s books. The college’s dark past with body snatchers also lingers, as the ghosts of dissected corpses are believed to haunt the School of Medicine, where their remains were once found buried beneath the earth.
Dublin Castle is said to be haunted by the headless ghosts of prisoners executed centuries ago after attempting to storm its walls. Built on the site of a Viking fortress and serving as the seat of British rule in Ireland for more than 700 years, the castle has witnessed betrayal, bloodshed, and rebellion. The restless spirits of those who met their fate within its grounds are believed to wander the Upper Yard, once the heart of the medieval stronghold. Visitors have reported eerie sensations of being watched, fleeting shadowy figures, and the sound of footsteps echoing through the empty halls. Legends also tell of a grieving woman mourning her lost lover and of strange happenings reported by guards in more recent times, including lights flickering and phantom noises in the night.
Once home to the Guinness family and now the Department of Foreign Affairs, is said to be haunted by the spirit of a dying servant girl denied her last rites. According to legend, the young maid, a devout Catholic, begged for a priest as she lay dying, but her Protestant employers refused her plea. After her death, a glowing cross began to appear on her window every Holy Thursday, drawing crowds who prayed beneath it in awe. The mark was said to return even when the glass was scrubbed or replaced, as if the girl’s faith had imprinted itself upon the house forever. Some also link the haunting to Dermot O’Hurley, the Archbishop of Cashel, who was executed nearby in 1584.
Connolly Station, one of Dublin’s busiest transport hubs, carries a darker history beneath its bustling platforms. Built in 1844, the station is said to be haunted by the spirit of a weary soldier who wanders the tracks, still waiting for a train that will never come. His apparition, seen by night guards and passengers alike, is linked by some to the tragic Dublin bombing of 1941, when four German bombs struck nearby, killing twenty-eight people. Even today, eerie reports persist of doors opening by themselves, ghostly footsteps echoing through empty halls, and spectral figures seen on security cameras. Other sightings include a Victorian woman near the stairs, a man in a grey suit on platform 5, and a mysterious woman in a sun hat haunting the bus area.
The ghost of Buck Jones, Dublin’s infamous headless horseman, is said to haunt Jones’s Road, galloping through the night on a spectral white horse. Once Dublin’s respected City Sheriff, Frederick “Buck” Jones lived a life of privilege before his obsession with gambling led to financial ruin and disgrace. After years of downfall and imprisonment, he died destitute in 1834, cursing the men who betrayed him. Soon after, witnesses began reporting the thunder of ghostly hooves and the chilling sight of a headless rider racing toward Croke Park, clutching his severed head beneath one arm.
The Four Courts Marshalsea Debtors Prison | Thomas Street, The Liberties
Image: Elinor Wiltshire/1969
The ghost of Pat Doyle is said to haunt the site where Dublin’s Marshalsea Barracks once stood, a grim debtor’s prison in the Liberties where men and their families were confined for the sin of poverty. Desperate to escape, Doyle fell to his death one stormy night while attempting to flee across the roof. Ever since, witnesses have reported hearing footsteps along the vanished walls and seeing a flickering shadow pacing the spot where he fell. Though the prison was demolished in the 1970s, locals still claim that the air around its remains carries a strange chill and the uneasy feeling of being watched.
Croppies Acre: Overlooking the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. //Source: dronepicr/Wikimedia
Croppie’s Acre, a quiet green stretch beside the River Liffey near Kilmainham, is said to be one of Dublin’s most haunted places. Believed to be a mass grave for the rebels of the 1798 uprising, the field is thought to hold the restless spirits of the “Croppies” who were executed and buried without ceremony after their failed rebellion. Though no remains have ever been officially found, locals insist the ground itself feels uneasy, with tales of cold chills, shifting earth, and shadowy figures watching from the edges.
Once known as Dublin’s most haunted street, Hendrick Street in Smithfield carried a chilling reputation for generations even after the houses were demolished from the 1950s. The adjoining houses at numbers 7 and 8 were said to be home to at least six restless spirits that tormented tenants for decades. Strange knocks, footsteps, and icy drafts plagued those who dared to live there, and many fled after nights of terror. One haunting told of a woman’s ghost pacing the stairs until dawn, while another spoke of a bitter husband’s spirit that lingered by the fireplace to torment his widow.
In Dublin 7, the dark stone walls of St Mary’s Chapel of Ease, better known as The Black Church, have long inspired fear and fascination. Built in 1830 from black calp limestone, the church’s ominous appearance gave rise to a legend that the devil himself can be summoned there. Locals say there are three rituals to call him forth: running around the church three times at midnight, circling it backward thirteen times, or reciting the Our Father in reverse at its door. Though it was deconsecrated in the 1960s and now serves as offices, eerie stories persist of cold drafts, flickering lights, and the feeling of unseen eyes watching.
The Ghost of Darkey Kelly | The Green Lady of the Liberties
In the heart of Dublin’s Liberties, the ghost of Darkey Kelly, known as The Green Lady, is said to haunt the 40 steps leading to St. Audoen’s Church. Once an 18th-century innkeeper and madam of the Maiden Tower brothel, Darkey Kelly became entangled with the Hellfire Club and its notorious member, Sheriff Simon Luttrell. Accused of witchcraft and murder after a bitter dispute, she was publicly burned at the stake in 1761. Her execution, one of Dublin’s most brutal, sparked centuries of rumor and legend of her hiding corpses beneath her brothel to tales of dark pacts and vengeance from beyond the grave. To this day, on misty nights, people report seeing her glowing green apparition gliding near St. Audoen’s.
The Haunted National Museum of Ireland: Ghosts of Collins Barracks | Benburb Street
Once the Royal Barracks and now home to the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks in Dublin still echoes with its centuries of military history. Guards and visitors have reported the tread of unseen boots, the ring of distant gunfire, and ghostly figures in Napoleonic uniforms marching across the courtyards. The most famous spirit is that of a First World War Quartermaster who still patrols the east wing, while an old army tale from 1925 tells of ghostly British troops departing for “Blighty” after death. Some even claim to hear a woman’s mournful singing, believed to be the spirit of a young guest allegedly murdered by officers centuries ago.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral: The Restless Spirit of Jonathan Swift
Within the towering walls of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, whispers of the past still linger. Jonathan Swift, the famed author of Gulliver’s Travels and former Dean of the Cathedral, is believed to haunt the sacred halls he once presided over. Buried beside his beloved Stella, Swift’s peace was shattered when his remains were exhumed in the 1800s for scientific study. Since then, visitors and clergy have spoken of cold drafts, ghostly footsteps, and a tall shadow in clerical robes that drifts through the nave before vanishing into the dim light. Some believe the spirit still guards the cathedral, while others think he wanders between St. Patrick’s and Marsh’s Library, visiting Stella’s skull kept there after the dissection.
The Haunted Shelbourne Hotel and the Ghost of Mary Masters
Shelbourne Hotel: Joseph Mischyshyn / Dublin – Shellbourne Hotel / CC BY-SA 2.0
For nearly two hundred years, this elegant landmark has welcomed kings, poets, and presidents, but one guest has never checked out, said to be Mary Masters, a little girl said to have died of cholera long before the hotel’s construction. The haunting became legend in 1965 when famed paranormal investigator Hans Holzer and psychic Sybil Leek conducted a séance in Room 526. Leek claimed to contact the spirit of a frightened seven-year-old girl who said she had lived and died on the site in the 18th century, searching still for her mother and sister. Since then, countless visitors have reported strange happenings like taps turning on by themselves, soft footsteps, whispers in the dark, and the feeling of a child climbing into bed beside them.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There are too many ghost stories in Ireland to list. From ancient druids, tales of the Devil coming for a visit to play cards, revolutionaries fighting for Irish independence in the abandoned prisons and women in white lingering in the crumbling mansions. Here are just some of the most haunted places and ghost stories in Ireland.
Lofthus Hall | County Wexford
According to the tale, Lord Anne Tottenham played cards one stormy night with a mysterious stranger who revealed himself to be the devil before vanishing in a burst of flame. The traumatized Anne never recovered and died in the very room where the encounter occurred, leading to rumours that her spirit still wanders the castle’s corridors. Numerous reports of paranormal activity including phantom figures, unexplained voices, and even the discovery of an infant skeleton in the walls.
Montpelier Hill: Here from the hunting lodge at Montpelier Hill in Dublin, where the Hellfire Club had meetings and many of the stories of dark rituals and the likes comes from. //Source: Joe King/Wikimedia
This mysterious ruin perched atop the Dublin Mountains has long been steeped in sinister legend. Built in 1725 as a hunting lodge for William Conolly, the site later became home to the Hellfire Club, a secret society of the rich and powerful said to dabble in the occult, black masses and unspeakable ceremonies. Among the most enduring tales is that the devil himself once appeared as a nobleman invited to play cards with the club’s members, revealing his cloven hooves when picked-up the fallen card from the floor. Besides those chilling legends the site is associated with ghostly figures, animal sacrifices and the uneasy notion that the lodge was built on top of an ancient grave or standing-stone cairn disturbed by the construction.
Built in 1796 and closed in 1924, Kilmainham Gaol housed not only ordinary criminals but many of Ireland’s most famous revolutionaries during the fight for independence. During its restoration in the 1960s workers reported numerous paranormal events like lights switching themselves on, footsteps echoing on empty corridors, and even violent episodes of unseen forces pinning people to walls.
Leamaneh Castle: Today there are only ruins of the Leamaneh Castle amidst the green in County Clare in Ireland. It is believed that the castle is haunted by its former mistress, the Red Mary. //Source: Jerzy Strzelecki/Wikimedia
Leamaneh Castle once served as the stronghold of the red-haired and formidable Mary Rua O’Brien, nicknamed Red Mary, who ruled its halls in the 1600s with harsh authority and a fearsome reputation.
According to legend, her cruelty included brutal punishments, servants executing because of minor faults, and dark tales of death and betrayal tied to her multiple marriages and alliances. After her death her spirit is said to haunt the castle ruins, appearing near the castle itself and also near a nearby druidic altar.
Once ruled by the ruthless O’Carroll clan, the castle is said to harbor dozens of spirits, among them the fearsome entity known as the “Elemental,” a malevolent force believed to predate the castle, perhaps rooted in ancient druidic rituals. Within its walls lurk stories of the “Red Lady,” a woman dressed in scarlet who wanders the corridors clutching a dagger after her child was killed. In the castle’s infamous “Bloody Chapel” the murdered priest’s slow footsteps are still heard.
Some of the more famous ghostly residents include Lady Maud Plunkett, who is believed to pursue the ghost of her ill-fated husband through the corridors following his death on his wedding day. Miles Corbet, the Cromwellian soldier awarded the estate and later executed, whose apparition is said to appear fully armoured before dissolving into pieces. Puck, a former jester at the castle, allegedly murdered and cursed to haunt the castle until a master from common stock rules there; his figure appears in towers and hidden passages.
Aughrim Battlefield: Depiction of the Battle of Aughrim (1691) by John Mulvany. The battle was a bloody one and it is believed that the ghosts of the fallen soldiers is still haunting the fields.
Aughrim Battlefield is haunted by the ghosts of soldiers from the 1691 battle. The brutal clash between Jacobite and Williamite forces left thousands dead, and locals claim the cries of the wounded and the clash of weapons can still be heard on misty evenings. Apparitions of soldiers, horsemen, and priests have been seen moving through the fog as if the battle never ended.
The Star Shaped Fort: Charles Fort was built on the site of the ruins of an earlier stronghold known as Barry Óg Castle, at Rincurran. The Ringcurran defences had featured prominently during the Siege of Kinsale in 1601. Now the fort is in ruins and only ghost story remains. //Source: Dieglop/Wikimedia
Legend tells of Wilful Warrender, newly married and wandering the ramparts with her husband when tragedy struck: a guard asleep on duty was shot by her father, the fort’s commander, only for the body to turn out to be her husband. Grief-stricken, she flung herself from the wall into the cold sea below. Since that fateful night, glimpses of a woman in a white wedding dress have been reported navigating the corridors, peering through windows, drifting through locked doors. Children playing in the fort’s barracks have spoken of a pale figure bending over their beds, while officers stationed on duty have described being pushed down stairs by unseen hands.
Image: Mike Searle / Coolbawn House (2) / CC BY-SA 2.0
In the countryside, the ruins of Coolbawn House, once a grand 19th-century mansion now overtaken by ivy and time. The house hides a tragic legend of a young servant girl, struck by lightning as she stood by a window during a storm, and died instantly. Her outline was said to have been seared onto the glass by the bolt and her spirit now haunts the ruined shell of the building, often glimpsed standing by the glassless window she died at. While the mansion burned in 1923 and has remained abandoned, witnesses claim the ghost still lingers, seemingly forever watching the sky she once faced.
Built in 1774 by the Croker family, the estate fell into ruin as its owners squandered their fortune. One evening a mysterious stranger on horseback was invited inside, only for a servant to reveal his cloven hoof after removing his boots. The next morning the visitor and his horse were gone, but the floor bore scorched hoof-marks and the locals adopted the phrase “as sure as the devil was in Ballinagarde”. Over time the house became connected to the secretive Hellfire Club and dark rituals allegedly held within the estate.
Charleville Castle with its imposing towers rise from land ancient druids once walked. Inside, visitors report eerie mists in the corridors, ghostly children playing on the staircase, and mysterious monks in hooded robes drifting through locked rooms. Among the most haunting is the spirit of a young girl named Harriet, who died falling down the castle’s grand banister. Outside, the legendary King Oak is said to foretell death in the owning family whenever a branch falls.
Also called Our Lady’s Hospital and Eglinton Lunatic Asylum, became infamous for overcrowding, filthy conditions, and the incarceration of the innocent; inspection reports from the 1930s described wards with no soap or towels, plywood-covered windows and toilets without seats. In the years since its closure in 1992 and the partial fire in 2017 the site has been converted into apartments, but the haunted echoes remain. Visitors and former workers report chilling footsteps in empty corridors.
A young woman died in a riding accident on the estate, and her grief-stricken mother cast a piseóg, an Irish curse, on the Duckett family. In the years that followed, witnesses claim to hear the banshee’s wail echoing through the towers before misfortune struck those who heard it: livelihoods lost, sudden deaths, and unexplained despair. Visitors also report ghostly figures of the Duckett family, mysterious lights among the ruins, and the fearful orbs of a demonic dog with glowing red eyes.
According to legend, in 1730 a Danish ship laden with silver went down near the coast and its cargo ended up in the hands of the castle’s owners, the Crosbie family. A photograph taken in 1962 shows a ghostly figure in a window of the ruined castle holding a sword, believed by many to be one of the Danish crew still guarding the hidden silver. Some locals insist the treasure remains buried beneath the ruins and that the chilling apparition reappears each year on the anniversary of the wreck.
Wicklow Gaol: Today the old prison is turned into a museum, and believed to be haunted by the former inmates. // Source: Sheila1988/Wikimedia
Wicklow Gaol, often referred to as “The Gates of Hell,” is a former prison, renowned for its dark history and reported paranormal activity. Established in 1702 and operational until 1924, the gaol housed prisoners during significant events such as the 1798 Rebellion and the Great Famine. Visitors and staff have reported numerous ghostly encounters. In the old schoolroom, a young boy’s apparition is frequently seen, and a mysterious mist has been observed following individuals around the room. Cell 5 is noted for sudden temperature changes and shifting odors, while Cell 13 is associated with the spirit of a young girl named Grace, believed to have died there during the Famine. A woman in a black cloak is often seen near Cell 22, and a shadowy figure appears in the ship-themed exhibit. Additionally, a malevolent entity named “Jack” is reported to haunt the gaol, displaying aggressive behavior toward women.
Lady Margaret Hodnett was a vain noblewoman who adorned her castle with numerous mirrors to admire her beauty. When she rejected the advances of Clon Rockenby, he besieged the castle, leading to a prolonged starvation of its inhabitants. Upon surrendering, Margaret’s appearance had deteriorated, shocking Clon. In a fit of rage, he shattered one of her cherished mirrors, and shortly after, he was fatally wounded by her brother. Clon cursed Margaret, wishing her to seek her reflection forever without finding it. Margaret descended into madness, obsessively searching for mirrors, which she had initially banned, to reclaim her lost beauty. Her spirit is said to haunt the castle, appearing as a faceless woman in white or with a veiled face, often seen touching walls where mirrors once hung.
Rosses Point: The entire area is said to be haunted by the wrecked sailors that met a watery grave off the coast of Rosses Point and Sligo Bay.
Rosses Point, perched on the wild Atlantic shores, is said to be haunted by the restless souls of shipwrecked sailors, smugglers and the unseen fairies of Irish legend. With over sixty documented wrecks in nearby Sligo Bay, many who vanished beneath the waves are believed to still linger in the fog and surf. The legendary poet W.B. Yeats once claimed that no place in Ireland held as many spirits as Rosses Point.
Kilkenny Castle: An old photo of Kilkenny Castle from 1890 or 1900.
Home to the Butler family for over 600 years, the castle is now believed to be haunted by as many as forty-one spirits. Among them, the most frequently sighted is the ethereal White Lady, thought to be Lady Margaret Butler, grandmother of Anne Boleyn, seen gliding through the gardens or along the corridors at dusk. In the old Parade Tower, an electronic visitor counter has recorded over a hundred entries after hours, long after the doors were locked and without any staff or official tour present. Staff and visitors alike report chilled air, sudden sensations of being watched and ghostly footsteps. The dungeon beneath the tower, where countless prisoners once languished, is also said to emanate distress and cold spots.
Lisheen House: Today, the house is almost taken back by nature and only its shell remains. The house was thought to be haunted, possible even cursed by poltergeist like activity. There could be because of an alleged curse put on the family there, or something from the strange and foreign artifacts that were brought back. //Source
Built during the Great Famine by William Phibbs and later transformed into a collection hub of Egyptian relics by his descendant Owen Phibbs, the mansion is said to have awakened malevolent forces. Servants reported violent poltergeist activity of objects thrown, phantom coaches outside, the house shaking violently. By 1938 the family fled, leaving it to crumble. The ruins now stand quiet, ivy-clad and brooding, a testament to treasures once brought home and the restless spirits they may have stirred.
Built in 1536 for Richard Nugent, 12th Lord of Delvin, known as the Black Baron, the castle’s dark legacy is tied to his daughter Sabrina Nugent. Despite her family’s cruelty and bitter enmities, Sabrina fell in love with Orwin O’Reilly, son of one of her father’s sworn foes. Their secret escape ended in tragedy when their boat capsized on the lake. Sabrina survived but succumbed to grief and starvation, while Orwin drowned, leaving the pair forever separated. Today, visitors speak of Sabrina’s ghost drifting through the tower where she died and of her father’s own tormented presence roaming the halls.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In a cemetery turned into a public park, the Wolfe Tone Square is said to be haunted by John Toler, one of Ireland’s most haunted man and remembered as the Hanging Judge.
Along Jervis Street in Dublin, the hum of the city never seems to stop and Wolfe Tone Square, a public place that hides a far darker past beneath its modern surface. Long before cafés and benches filled the square, this ground was home to St. Mary’s Church and Graveyard, and later the site of a hospital where countless souls drew their final breath.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland
Around the mid-1800s, the graveyard was so overcrowded, they had to gig up buried people to make rooms for others. Still after the area was turned into a park, the last burial was in the 1950s. The earth here has seen centuries of sorrow, and some say it has never forgotten.
Wolfe Tone Square: This statue is located at Wolfe Tone Square, Dublin, Ireland, beside the Jervis Shopping Centre. // Source: Ag Crú na Gréine “Enjoying the Sun” (2003)
The Hanging Judge Haunting Wolfe Tone Square
Among the many buried in St. Mary’s is one man whose presence still disturbs the peace is thought to be the ghost of John Toler, the Earl of Norbury, known to history as the “Hanging Judge.”
During his lifetime, Toler earned his grim nickname for his unrelenting cruelty in sentencing men and women to death, often delivering the verdict with a smile. He was deemed Ireland’s most hated man in the 1700s.
The Hanging Judge: John Toler, 1st Earl of Norbury, known as The Lord Norbury between 1800 and 1827, was an Irish lawyer, politician and judge. A greatly controversial figure in his time, he was nicknamed the “Hanging Judge” and was considered to be one of the most corrupt legal figures in Irish history. He was Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas between 1800 and 1827.
One of his most infamous judgments was against a young man convicted of sheep stealing, a crime that, even then, rarely merited the noose. But Toler showed no mercy. The young man was hanged, leaving behind a heartbroken widow. He was also the one who hanged the Irish revolutionary Robert Emmet, making him the most hated man in the country.
Before she died, the widow is said to have placed a curse upon Toler, condemning him to never find rest in death. When Toler himself passed in 1831, his body was laid to rest in St. Mary’s Graveyard, but his peace was not to last. Some say that his ghost is haunting the area in the form of a black dog. There are also those who talk about eerie sounds near the graveyard — the clanking of heavy chains and the slow, dragging footsteps of something unseen. The noise, they said, would travel from Cabra to Jervis Street, echoing through the night as though the Hanging Judge himself were being marched to an eternal gallows.
There are also people talking about another ghost of a tall dark figure, passing through a wall and walking across the square in the night. The thing is, the bottom part of his legs are underground.
The Haunted Wolfe Tone Square
Even now, after the graveyard has been cleared and the square transformed, there are whispers that the Earl of Norbury still walks, bound to the earth by the widow’s curse. On quiet nights, when the city falls still, some claim to hear the faint rattle of iron links and the hollow tap of boots across the stones. Few linger long once the sound begins. Wolfe Tone Square may be a place of rest for Dubliners today, but for one soul beneath its soil, rest will never come.
In the early 2000s, excavations uncovered “consideral quantities” of human skeletons were uncovered and sent to museums before the area was covered with gravel and concrete, trying to keep the remaining buried bodies buried.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
On the hills where the last wolves in Ireland roamed, ghosts have been spotted on Feltrim Hill, always moving towards the sacred spring that were said to have healing powers.
Rising quietly over Malahide, Feltrim Hill holds a shadowed place in Ireland’s ancient past. Long before houses dotted the landscape, this was wild country, where wolves roamed freely and whispers of the Otherworld clung to every stone in what was once known as The Hill of the Wolves. The air here feels older, heavier, as though it remembers what the living have long forgotten.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland
It is also reported that Feltrim was the last place in Ireland that wolves were to be found with the last of the species killed here in the 18th century. Hidden among the rolling fields lies a holy well, once dedicated to a Saxon princess said to possess healing powers, although today, most legends are of the haunted kind.
Once, there used to be a historic village called Feltrim Hill. Close to it, it was a sacred spring that they turned into a well and deemed holy. Because of quarrying of the limestone since the 1880s, both the spring and half the hill is gone, but the legends about the place remain.
As mentioned, there was a Saxon princess who ruled these parts around 689 C.E, and that the well was dedicated to. In ancient times, there used to be 14 beech trees in a line that guided pilgrims to the well where they attended mass. And although the well itself is believed to have been destroyed, the water is still there. In 1947 an archaeological excavation was conducted atop Feltrim Hill uncovering over 500 artifacts including Roman coins and tinned bronze from the 4th century C.E.
St. Werburgh: Meaning “true city” from c. AD 650 – 3 February 700, was an Anglo-Saxon princess who became the patron saint of the city of Chester in Cheshire. She was the daughter of King Wulfhere of Mercia. Her feast day is 3 February. Following Werburgh’s death, her brother Coenred became king of Mercia. In 708 he decided to move his sister’s remains to a more conspicuous place within the church at Hanbury. When the tomb was opened, her body was found to be miraculously intact. This preservation was taken as a sign of divine favour.
The remains of Fagan’s Castle can also be found on Feltrim Hill. Built in 1427 by the Fagan family, a once powerful Catholic family whose power waned significantly after the Battle of the Boyne and where only small pieces of ruins are still visible. After 1560 Richard Fagan built a manor house at feltrim. His descendants were known as the Fagans of Feltrim.Today, this also lies in ruins, overgrown by woodland.
Some say that the well is still there though, although sealed off from the public by the Feltrim Quarry who owns the land.
The Hellhound of Feltram Hill
The people of Malahide speak of a hellhound that stalks the slopes after nightfall. Its eyes are said to glow a deep, unnatural red, like embers burning in the dark. Those unfortunate enough to meet its gaze are struck with an overwhelming dread, their hearts pounding as the creature watches silently from the shadows. Some say it is a guardian of the hill, others believe it is a cursed soul condemned to roam for eternity. Its howl, low and mournful, has been heard on stormy nights, echoing across the fields like a warning to stay away.
Picture from the 1930s, showing the holy well, now said to be destroyed and walled up by concrete. Source
But the hellhound is not alone. A phantom horse, pale as fog, is said to gallop across the summit, its hooves making no sound upon the earth. Riders have tried to follow it, only for the apparition to vanish into thin air as it nears the holy well.
And near that same well, when the mist settles thick upon the ground, the figure of an old woman has been seen struggling up the hill, a heavy bundle on her back. Her face is hidden, her steps slow and deliberate, as she makes her way toward the sacred spring before fading like smoke in the morning light.
Feltrim Hill is a place where the veil between worlds wears thin and where Irish history lurks right behind the fenced off areas. The healing waters may still bless those who come with pure hearts, but the hill also guards darker secrets and Feltrim Hills seemingly looks like one of the most haunted hills around.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In the Naul outside of Dublin, the Westown House was for a long time abandoned and left to ruins. Now the work of restoring the building has started, but the question is, how about the ghosts said to linger there? Are they still haunting their ruins?
Hidden among the quiet fields of Naul, the ruins of Westown House stood like a memory half-buried in ivy and stone after it was abandoned in the 1920s. Once an elegant 18th-century mansion and seat for the Hussey family, the grand home has long since fallen to ruin. Its crumbling walls and overgrown grounds whisper of days of wealth and laughter now long gone.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland
Today, the house is being restored to its former glory, and works have been going on since 2015,, but there are those who say that some of its former inhabitants never left. Among them is the ghost of a man who met a violent end, and whose presence still chills the air around the ruins.
Imagined Reconstruction of the house after the project will finish. // Source
The Ghost of the Poacher
Local legend tells of a poacher who once prowled the woods and fields surrounding Westown House. He knew the land as well as his own breath, moving silently beneath the cover of darkness, hunting the game that belonged to the estate’s owners. One night, his luck ran out. Caught in the act, he was shot dead where he stood. His body was said to have been left where it fell until dawn, the mist rising around him like a shroud. Now, his spirit is said to haunt the grounds, restless and unseen, but never far away.
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Those who walk the paths near the ruins after dark often speak of a presence at their back, a faint sound of twigs snapping under unseen feet. The air grows thick, and a heavy breath can be felt on the neck or heard just beside the ear, close enough to make the heart stop. Some claim to hear the low rustle of a man’s coat or the sound of labored breathing echoing between the trees. When they turn to look, there is nothing but the empty ruin and the sighing wind through the grass.
The Woman from the Third Floor
The Westown House has more than one ghost story lingering over the estate. On the third floor, there used to be several bedrooms for guests. Once upon a time, when the house had its lights on and people came for visits, its said that one of the guests had an unfortunate end.
According to the story, one of the guests staying at the house fell out from one of the windows and was found dead the next morning. Ever since then, people have talked about a ghost roaming the area, and many stories have come from students camping and people taking a walk on the grounds, and where they have experienced paranormal activity. Was it the ghost of the poacher they met, or perhaps the guest who met an unfortunate end?
The restoration may bring new life to Westown House, but it seems unlikely that the poacher’s ghost will ever move on. His final breath lingers in the air, caught between worlds, bound forever to the land he once hunted and the house that became his grave.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 whole estate of Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin is said to have its ghosts. From the antique ballroom, its icy lakes and roads leading up to it, ghosts are said to linger.
In the suburb of Rathfarnham, this grand Elizabethan castle was built in the late 16th century for Archbishop Adam Loftus, one of Dublin’s most powerful figures and is one of the oldest surviving residences in Ireland.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland
Rathfarnham Castle, or Caisleán Rath Fearnáin, and its sprawling grounds have more than one ghosts said to be haunting it.
Haunted Castle: Rathfarnham in County Dublin is said to be haunted by more than one ghost. // Source: PaulT/Wikimedia
The Woman in the Castle Ballroom
The first and most mysterious ghost legend of Rathfarnham Castle is that of the Ballroom ghost. It is a bit unclear when it was supposed to have originated, and who first started telling the story.
The Ballroom: Thought to be haunted by the ghost of a woman. // Source: Johnny King.,./Wikimedia
The story goes that there were once two suitors fighting for her attention and hand. For whatever reason, they locked her away behind the panelling of the ballroom walls from the 18th century. They would have a duel and the winner would free her and take her hand. But, the two men died in the duel and no one knew the woman was trapped in the ballroom, and would remain so to this day. Now, she is haunting the ballroom, waiting for someone to find her.
The Man Drowned in the Pond and his Dog Haunting it
The most famous legend tied to Rathfarnham Castle tells of a man who drowned in the pond nearby one bitter winter in 1840 or 41. The story was most likely first written down when the book True Irish Ghost Stories, by St. John D. Seymour and Harry L. Neligan came out in 1914.
Visitors had gathered to skate on the frozen water, laughter and music filling the air, when the ice gave way beneath one unlucky skater. His devoted retriever leapt in after him, struggling against the freezing water in a desperate attempt to save its master. Neither survived.
To this day, locals and visitors claim to see a ghostly dog running across the grounds at dusk or hear splashing and faint cries from the pond when the air turns cold. Some even say the phantom hound appears beside lone walkers on the road between the castle gate and Dodder Bridge.
The Murdered Boy from the Lodges
At one of the lodge gates, the spirit of a young boy is said to linger in one of the lodges according to a former lodge keeper. As with most of the Rathfarnham Castle’s legends, it is unsure when and who the legend talks about.
The ghost seen around the lodges is believed to be a tragic victim of murder at the hands of a Romani, long ago. How long ago is not certain though, but it supposedly happened before 1914 when the book about Rathfarnham Castle’s ghostly legends were published. His restless presence is often felt by those who pass through at night, accompanied by the faint sound of sobbing or the soft patter of footsteps following close behind.
The Haunted Rathfarnham Castle
Whether it is the loyal retriever still searching for its master, or the lost child forever bound to the gate where his life was taken, Rathfarnham Castle holds tightly to its ghosts. By daylight, it stands as a proud monument to Dublin’s past and a host for cultural events. But when the sun sets and the wind sighs through the old trees, the estate becomes something else entirely and a haunting presence lingers.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A stop on the haunted pub crawl through Dublin, one of the stops would be John Mulligan’s. Stories about glass and bottles flying from the shelves has haunted the place for decades now according to the people behind the bar.
In the midst of Dublin’s literary quarter you will find John Mulligans, or simply just Mulligan’s, a pub steeped in more than stout. The Mulligan’s on 8 Poolbeg Street has long been a water hole for journalists, poets, and dreamers seeking comfort in its Victorian embrace with no rush to move on with the times.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Ireland
The old wooden bar, polished smooth by generations of hands, seems to hum with memory. Mulligans is no stranger to fame since it opened its door in 1854 on this street. Mulligan’s had already been in business on Thomas Street since 1782. Because of its proximity to the Theatre Royal, it has drawn in artists, actors and writers alike. And according to the rumors, there are some ghosts among the patrons as well.
The Haunted Mulligan’s Pub
Immortalized by James Joyce in his short story Counterparts, the pub has become a literary landmark, its walls echoing with the voices of Dublin’s creative elite. But fame brings its shadows, and as the night deepens, it is said that the pub’s more spectral patrons emerge.
Staff behind the bar tell of bottles flying from shelves, doors slamming without warning, and a low, rhythmic banging that rises from the cellar long after closing. A lot of the stories come from what the staff told Declan Dunne, a writer who wrote a book about the history of the bar. As he said himself to the Journal:
“One of the co-owners, Gary Cusack, said a barman saw a bottle of brandy flying off the shelf. It went quite a distance onto the sink and didn’t break. Gary also stayed above Mulligans for a period and without questions he used to hear footsteps and when he went to investigate, there was no one there.”
In the cellar, there are also rumours of a ghost seen sitting on one of the barrels as well according to employee Christy Hynes:
“He wasn’t even looking at me. He was looking straight ahead as if he was minding his own business. I just felt cold.”
As Declan Dunne wrote in his book:
“His brother, Brian, began working in the pub in the 1990s as he was studying for a law degree. He and Gary were working in the front lounge bar when Gary felt and heard a knock from beneath the cellar hatch on which they were both standing. They knew there was no one in the cellar. Gary turned to Brian to ask him if he had noticed anything. Brian had heard and felt the same rap from the hatch. They both waited a while, afraid to check the source of the noise as they laughed nervously. Eventually, Gary opened the hatch and checked the cellar. There was no one there.”
Some have even seen a ghostly figure of a man sitting atop a beer barrel in the basement, silent and watchful, as if guarding something long forgotten.
Those who linger after hours speak of a sudden chill that creeps through the air, the faint scent of tobacco, and a feeling that someone unseen is standing just behind them. Perhaps it is a former patron who could never quite leave the warmth of the pub, or maybe a remnant of the countless stories and sorrows soaked into its floors.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
An online magazine about the paranormal, haunted and macabre. We collect the ghost stories from all around the world as well as review horror and gothic media.
After her public death in the tower of the Munich Frauenkirche, many have claimed to have seen the ghost of Fanny appearing at her death anniversary wearing white.
What really happened around the Pollingsried Chapel, and its supposed plague cemetery? Is there really a curse around the area? As far as the ringing of the bells can be heard?
Searching for its name, the utburd ghost from Norwegian folklore haunts the forests, waters and houses its parents left them to die. For the most part, they remained in folk tales, but sometimes, the stories about the dead children got real life consequences.
Perhaps one of the most well known figures from Irish mythology is the Banshee, the omen of death, wailing as death comes to a house. But where does she come from? And what does she want from the dead?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
