Outside of Dublin overlooking the Irish sea, a white lady is said to be haunting the premise. Seen coming up from the beach and wandering on the castle grounds, the ghost that is called the Lady of the Stairs is just one of the ghosts said to linger at Ardgillan Castle.
High above the crashing waves of the Irish Sea, where the green hills of Balbriggan roll toward the cliffs, stands Ardgillan Castle around 20 miles from Dublin. It is not the castle itself that draws whispers of the supernatural, but the lonely bridge known as The Lady’s Stairs, where a sorrowful figure is said to appear on misty nights.
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Built in 1738 by Reverend Robert Taylor, Ardgillan Castle has long stood as one of North Dublin’s most striking estates and it remained in the family until 1962. The grounds stretch toward the sea, with manicured gardens giving way to rugged cliffs and the endless horizon beyond. But even in such beauty, tragedy has left its mark. When the railway came, so did the private stairs down to their private beach in the 19th century at the end of the property overlooking the Irish sea. The stairs have been named The Lady’s Stairs, and it comes with a haunted story.
Legend of The Lady of the Stairs
The most famous ghost said to haunt Ardgillan is that of the Lady of the Stairs. There are particularly two legends said to be the origin of the ghosts. According to the first version, the Lady of the Stairs was the devoted wife of a nobleman who loved to swim daily in the cold, unpredictable waters below the estate. Each day, the Lady of the castle would walk to the arched footbridge overlooking the sea, known ever since as The Lady’s Stairs, to watch for his safe return.
One fateful evening, as the tide swelled and the skies turned dark, her husband did not come back. He was claimed by the merciless sea, leaving Lady Langford broken with grief. She returned to the bridge again and again, hoping in vain to see him emerge from the waves. Her vigil ended only when she too passed away, although her ghostly presence is still watching out for her long lost husband.
The Ghost of Lady Langford
Some however, say that the ghost is actually Louisa Augusta Connolly, Baroness of Langford haunting the Lady’s Stairs. Lord Langford of Summerhill House in Co Meath had just married her and brought her to the castle as he went hunting in Scotland as she was a friend of the Taylors.
Lady Langford lost her life in a drowning accident on the 4th of November in 1853 on their private beach. She was known as a strong swimmer, but it was November, and the wind and waves got stronger and she was pulled out to sea. Several people saw her lifeless body floating in the water, but the waves were too strong to swim against.
A boat had been launched from Balbriggan, believed to be manned by Mr McGregor. and at 1.40pm, the boat brought her ashore. The lifeless body of Lady Langford was carried up the steep cliffside and across the bridge and on into the castle. Although the servants tried to bring her back to life by placing her in a hot bath, it was to no avail. She was only 31 years old when she died.
The Ghost of the Lady’s Stairs
For generations, people walking near the cliffs after dusk have claimed to see a figure dressed in white standing silently on the bridge, her gaze fixed on the restless waters below. Locals call her The Lady of Ardgillan or the Lady of the Stairs.
Some say she appears only at twilight, her form faint and shimmering like sea mist. Others insist they have heard soft sobs carried on the wind or seen her vanish when approached. The air grows cold around The Lady’s Stairs, and those who linger too long often describe an overwhelming sense of sorrow, as if the grief of centuries still lingers there. It is also said that if a person goes to the end of the bridge at midnight on Halloween, she will appear and throw them to their death in the ocean.
The Haunting of Uncle Ned
The Lady of the Stairs is not the only one said to be haunting Ardgillan Castle though, and the ghost of the Reverend, now called Uncle Ned is said to wander the cold corridors of the castle, still looking for his bible he lost.
It is believed to be the ghost of Reverend Edward Taylor. He moved to the castle with his wife in 1807. The story goes that he was sitting in the corner of the dining room on the 7th of June, 1852, reading his Bible. Suddenly, he died after a heart attack and the Bible fell out of his hands and to the floor.
Outside there are 21 yew trees that were planted for his birthday, and workers have sometimes claimed to have seen Uncle Ned strolling on the yew walk. He is also said to be the one opening a particular door that opens by its own in the night.
After the death of her husband, Mrs Taylor dismissed the staff and moved to Meath. She left a gardener with the key. Some time after, although not specified, the two sons of the gardener were working on the terrace where a passageway leads to the cellars through a glass door. As they were working, they heard footsteps approaching the door inside of the castle. And although they looked everywhere, they found no intruders, and all of the doors were locked.
The gardener also had some experience with the paranormal activity of the castle, as he a few years before had seen a woman in a white dress, standing behind the glass cellar door. But when he moved to open the door for her, she vanished. When he talked with Mrs Taylor about it, she said she had been visited by the spirit of her son and talked with him, four nights after his death.
The Castle Banshee
Not only has it been said that ghosts haunt the halls of the castle, there are also workers that swear they have met the ancient banshee entity Ireland is filled with. Tom Reilly, according to the Irish Independents says that one of the rangers swears he met the banshee once as he was making his rounds. This activity is said to have happened in the surrounding forest area, and Banshees are Celtic harbingers of death. She asked him for his comb and he never saw it again.
Whatever really happened, the ranger was apparently adamant that it really did happen, although it hasn’t been reported to have happened ever again. There have been investigators that claim to have evidence of a Banshee presence by screaming into an app and getting something screaming back. Make of that what you will.
There are also some reported activities, although a bit more vague in nature, in the old kitchens in the basement and the servants quarters in the east and west wings. According to Tom Riley, the local historian and manager of the castle, the death of Edward Richard Taylor’s death as well as a maid who allegedly died during childbirth in the castle, deaths that have helped fuel the haunted stories as well.
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References:
Ghosts of Ardgillan | Irish Independent
The story of The White Lady of Ardgillan Castle | Skerries Historical Society
And now they say her ghost walks the steps at Ardgillan Castle… | Irish Independent