The Haunting Tale of the Mermaid's Curse of Newhall House and Killone Lake

The Crypt’s Stolen Wine at Newhall House

During this era, the crypt of Killone Abbey had been repurposed to store a prized treasure—fine wine by the O’Brian family that resided in the Newhall House close to the lake.

The locals had told him a lot about a mermaid that lived in the lake. She was wearing a green cloak, sitting on a rock and combing her long and black hair. O’Brian laughed at this, and didn’t care about the local superstitions and the poor people that lived around him. He only cared about his riches, his sport and his fine wine.

The Mermaid Thief of Killone Lake

A vigilant servant, tasked with guarding this valuable cache of wine in the basement, made a disconcerting discovery: the wine had begun to vanish mysteriously, bottle by bottle. Determined to solve the perplexing riddle, he stood sentinel within the crypt, clutching a knife in anticipation of the thief’s arrival.

**The Crypt of Killone Abbey:** Underneath the ruins of the abbey, they used the crypt to store the wine.

As the veil of darkness descended upon Killone Lake, the crypt’s stealthy intruder revealed herself, and the servant’s eyes widened in disbelief. Before him stood none other than the elusive mermaid of Killone Lake.

Enraged by the audacious theft, the servant launched a frenzied attack upon the mermaid, his knife plunging into her repeatedly. Sometimes it is said that it was O’Brian himself that killed her. With each piercing blow, her life force dwindled, and she struggled to escape his vengeful wrath. Bleeding and weakened, the mermaid dragged herself toward the water’s edge, where her strength ultimately failed her, and she succumbed to her injuries.

The Crimson Waters: The Mark of the Curse

As the mermaid’s life ebbed away, her blood mingled with the tranquil waters of Killone Lake, transforming its serene surface into a ghastly crimson hue. This macabre spectacle unfolded in the obsidian shroud of night, etching the lake’s eerie transformation into the annals of local legend.

Before dying though, she cursed the family:

**Killone Lake:** In the cemetery there are reported about strange lights, and the lake is haunted by a mermaid. //Wikimedia

Filedhan bhradráin on sruith,
File gan fuil gan feoil,
Gur ba mar sin imtheochas siol mBriain,
Na ndeasacha fiadh as Chilleóin.

As the return of the salmon from the stream,
A return without blood or flesh,
May such be the departure of the O’Briens,
Like ears of wild corn from Killeoin

– The Curse of the Mermaid: A Chilling Legacy

The legacy of the mermaid endures to this day, casting a haunting shadow over Killone Lake. It is foretold that once every forty years or upon the changing of ownership of Newhall Estate, the lake’s waters shall mysteriously turn crimson once more.

The legend about the mermaid has been told many times and made into songs and stories like with The Ballad of Killone. There are many version of the legend as well. Some say that O’Brian actually took her because he found her pretty and kept her imprisoned as she didn’t want to talk or be with him. To make her talk they threw scalding water on her and she cried out her curse.

Whether this phenomenon is the result of iron shale or the lingering curse of the vengeful mermaid, the ruins of Killone Abbey and the enigmatic lake invite brave souls to unlock their secrets and bear witness to the eerie tale that has haunted the land for centuries.