31 Days of Halloween with The Kelly Society Day 25 - Haunted Castles

31 Days of Halloween with

The Kelly Society

Day 25

The Surf Bros are back!

Hi! Josh and Brian here again. In between grabbing some waves, we searched for Haunted Castles. Our friend Roger requested this category and we’re here to deliver.

The following is what we put together from various online sites. Here are three of the most haunted castles in Europe. Get ready to get spooked!

Leap Castle in County Offaly, Ireland

(Pictured above) is often called the most haunted castle in the world. The castle’s real age is cloaked in as much mystery as its story. While some historians say it was built in the 15th century, others argue that the grand fort is much older and was built around the year 1250. It was home to the ruling clan O’Carrolls in the 16th century. Brave as they may have been, the ruling clan was not exactly a friendly bunch. In fact, there was bitter contention among the O’Carroll siblings. So much so that one brother drew a sword into the other during a gathering. As the story goes, the victim – who happened to be a priest- was in the midst of a family mass when his angry relative stormed through and killed him. This gory incident earned the church, where the accident took place, a fitting title – The Bloody Chapel.

To this day, visitors report seeing shadows wandering near the priest’s house. Some accounts also suggest the sighting of a broad-shouldered and heavy set man pushing a barrel up the stairs and as soon as he gets to the top he rolls it down. Much to the astonishment of onlookers, both the man and the barrel disappear.

A ghost of a young girl, thought to be the daughter of a one-time owner of the Castle, also haunts the site. The story goes that her father killed the boy she was in love with, so she in turn killed her father one night during his sleep. The following day, the girl was pushed off the castle by an invisible hand, falling to her death from the hand of her own father’s ghost.

The Oubliette

During renovation of the castle in the 1900s, workers found an Oubliette behind a wall in the chapel. At the bottom of the shaft were many human skeletons amassed on wooden spikes. When cleaned out, it took three cartloads to remove the bones. Today, the dungeon is now covered over in order to keep people away from it. It is believed that the O’Carrolls would drop guests through the trap door to be impaled on the spikes 8 feet below. A pocket watch found at the same time, dating from the mid-1800s, shows how recently the oubliette may have been used.

In 1659, the castle passed by marriage into the ownership of the Darby family, notable members of whom included Vice-Admiral George Darby, Admiral Sir Henry D'Esterre Darby and John Nelson Darby. During the tenure of Jonathan Charles Darby, séances were held in the castle by his wife Mildred Darby who was a writer of Gothic novels: this led to publicity about the castle and its ghosts.

The castle is allegedly haunted by a sinister elemental spirit referred to only as "It". The creature is described by Mildred Darby as being about the size of a sheep with a human face, black holes for eyes and a nose and giving off the smell of a rotting corpse.

Dalhousie Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland

Lady Catherine, a.k.a. The Grey Lady, died of a broken heart at 16 years old when she fell in love with a stable hand. She was banished to the castle tower in 1695 and that’s where she starved to death.

The castle was converted into a hotel in 1972, and Catherine has been seen by the castle stalking the corridors and turrets. Many people have thought she was staff with her grey dress with the puff sleeves, sharp features and tiny feet in little pointed shoes. Only when she disappears through locked doors do guests get a fright.

A guest captured what they believe is Lady Catherine at a wedding reception in 2004.

Others have reported seeing a woman in their rooms, waving from windows or merely sitting at the end of their beds.

Another spirit still runs about the castle and had been sighted—a ghost puppy by the name of Petra, who perished in a fall from a castle tower back in the ‘80s.

Château de Brissac

The tallest building in the Loire Valley, Château de Brissac is perhaps best known as the site of the grisly murder of Charlotte of France. Legend has it that Charlotte, the illegitimate daughter of King Charles VII, was killed by her husband after he discovered her adulterous behavior. The Green Lady, named for the color of the dress in which she met her end, is said to haunt the castle’s tower.

The ghost of Charlotte de Brézé has reportedly remained in the tower of the castle chapel ever since the fateful night of her murder. While the spirit of her lover appears to have moved on rather quickly, Charlotte herself has haunted the rooms of the castle for centuries, striking fear into the hearts of visitors. According to ghost-hunter Wesley McDermont, she is often seen floating through the castle wearing a green dress, earning her the nickname of the ‘Green Lady’. Her face is a shocking and ugly sight to behold, with large gaping holes in place of her eyes.

Incidentally, in a twist of fate, Charlotte's murderer, husband Jacque de Breze moved away from the castle soon after Charlotte’s death, apparently plagued by the incessant wailing of her ghost that haunted the castle.

Another chill went down our spines with these shares! We'll continue our research to bring you all another Haunted post soon!

Happy All Hallows Eve Season to all!

Josh and Brian for

The Kelly Society