Leap Castle

A location dating back centuries with a murky past, Leap Castle is known as the most haunted Castle in Ireland. It boasts a great many spirits to be present, but also a strange otherworldly being known at 'The Elemental' which is said to be older than the Castle itself. Leap Castle is one of the longest continually inhabited castles in Ireland, with only four families to have called the castle home since it's construction. With a history filled with violence, murder, scheming, and war; it's no wonder that the location is said to be so haunted.

History

As said in the opening paragraph, Leap Castle has a murky history around certain details; one of which is when it dates back to. Built in Coolderry Town, County Offaly, Ireland, Leap Castle is said to date back to the 1250s, although some believe for it to have been built during the early 1500s. One thing for sure is that it was built by the O'Bannon Clan, with the original Gaelic name of the castle being 'Leim Ui Bhanain'; the name meaning 'Leap of the O'Bannons'.

The reason the castle was named as so comes from an old legend about two O'Bannon brothers who competed for cheiftainship of the clan. To show their strength and bravery, the two brothers jumped from a rocky outcrop with the agreement that the survivor would lead the clan. It's said the castle was built in the area they performed this competition from.

Another murky detail is how the Ely O'Carroll clan came to own the castle. Through my research it's been implied that this castle was built by the O'Bannons, who were secondary chieftains, for the ruling O'Carroll clan, but then other sources have implied it was lived in by the O'Bannons and later taken over, potentially with force, by the O'Carroll clan who were known to be incredibly fearsome. It is thought that the current building stands on the grounds of a previous castle, and that before that previous castle the land was used as a Druid site for rituals and initiation ceremonies. With this knowledge, perhaps the first castle was owned by the O'Bannons and then the second was one which the O'Carrolls claimed? Either way, this passing of hands is oddly indescript.

Under the ownership of the O'Carrolls, Leap Castle was used as their main stronghold which guarded the pass through the Slieve Bloom Mountains. It's believed that Leap Castle was the most fortified of all castles, which is andetail that would certainly live up to the O'Carrolls brutal reputation of using ruthless tactics in fierce combat. The O'Carrolls even killed one another without a second thought if it meant they became a step closer to ruling the clan. Even soldiers from other clans who they hired to assist them in combat weren't trusted and so were murdered by the O'Carrolls during celebratory feasts following a battle. Examples of this occur during the 1500s when thirty nine members of the O'Neill clan assisted in battle and then had their throats slit while sleeping at the castle, and then during 1599 when roughly forty soldiers from the McMahon clan assisted in battle against the earl of Tyrone only to have their food poisoned during the celebratory banquet at the castle. Some sources do say the McMahon's had their throats slit too, instead of the poisoning.

There are a few mentions of the O'Carrolls killing other members of their own clan. John O'Carroll was known as the first Prince of Ely, and since his rule at least seven O'Carrolls were murdered in order for someone else to obtain the title. Half of these murders were done by other O'Carrolls. Another mention of one O'Carroll killing another occurs during 1532 after the chieftain Mulrooney O'Carroll died. This led to a rivalry between the brothers Teighe and Thaddeus O'Carroll over the leadership of the clan. It's said that Thaddeus O'Carroll was a priest, and on one occasion began to hold mass without his brother Teighe being present; an act which was thought to be incredibly disrespectful at the time. Once Teige arrived, he was outraged by his brother's actions, and so stabbed him in the back. It's said that Thaddeus died on the alter, in what is now known as the Bloody Chapel, with all of his family bearing witness.

It's said that for the mass killings, or even for any unwanted visitors to the castle, that the O'Carrolls utilised a space within a corner of the Bloody Chapel. This space is called an Oubliette, which of French for 'to forget'. It's a space commonly referred to as a dungeon, but from what I've seen is more of an 8ft deep pit which is said to have had wooden spikes along the floor. The entrance to this space was a trap door, and it's said that the space could be utilised to hide away treasures, or to hide yourself during a seige of the castle. Another use, which is believed was commonly utilised, is that the O'Carrolls would dispose of bodies by throwing them down this pit and onto the spikes below. Even if the people in this pit were still alive, they would be abandoned and forgotten about.

It's been said that during renovations of the property during the 1900s, one source citing the 1930s, that three cartloads of human skeletons were found and removed from this space. The number on how many skeletons were found also varies, with some saying one hundred and fifty, and others saying thirty nine. Personally, I think that one hundred and fifty bodies seems a little excessive and so think the smaller number may be more accurate. Regardless, if both the McMahon clan members and O'Neill clan members were disposed of in this space, then that makes for a potential of at least seventy nine bodies.

Another tale of murder from the castle centres around a a woman and her child. It's said that an O'Carroll clan member took a woman prisoner and after the varying clan members had their way with her, she gave birth to a child. The O'Carrolls were already unhappy with the woman, with them saying they wouldn't pay for her for another month, and so it's speculated that one of the clan members killed the woman's child with a dagger. It's then thought that the woman, distraught over the death of her child, took the dagger and killed herself with it.

It isn't just tales of murder that hang over the castle though; it's seen it's share of war too. During 1513, the Earl of Kildale, a magician who went by the name of Gerald Fitzgerald, attacked the castle. He was unsuccessful in this attempt, but then attacked again three years later in 1516. This second attack partially destroyed the castle, and Gerald had control of it for a little while until the O'Carrolls reclaimed it by 1557. Then, in 1558, the castle was set on fire and ruined by the O'Carroll clan to try and prevent capture and occupation from Elizabethan forces. These forces occupied the castle regardless, and the O'Carrolls reclaimed the castle less than a year later.

Following the O'Carroll's ownership, the Darby family came to possess the castle during either 1642, 1649, or 1659. Even the reason the Darby family came to own the castle seems muddled in history. I've found two seperate tales; one says that Jonathan Darby was a soldier for the Cromwellian forces and due to his assistance during the conflicts in Ireland, he was gifted the castle. Another tale I've heard is that Jonathan Darby married one of the O'Carroll daughters following imprisonment at the castle, and so rightfully owned it through this marriage. I could be wrong, but I believe the military reward is the more likely of the two scenarios as I've seen the owner before the Darby's was a royalist, and so relinquished control of the castle to Cromwell's forces.

I've also seen that Jonathan Darby's son was also called Jonathan Darby, that he was also a soldier, and that he was apparently captured for a number of years; even being sentenced to being hung, drawn, and quartered, before being released. It's said that he buried treasure on the land of the castle, but that he couldn't remember where he buried it due to all he went through in his imprisonment. I should make it absolutely clear that these two Jonathan Darby's may very well be the same person. It became incredibly mucky when I was researching this period of time, and it was never clear in the sources which Jonathan was being referred to. What is known is that a Jonathan Darby acquired the castle, and that a Jonathan Darby remodelled the castle during the 1700s to give it a gothic look. It was possibly also the Darby's who extended the castle and added a Jacobean House to the North face of the Tower house during the 1600s. The Georgian House was added later.

The Darby's went on to reside in the castle until 1922, and had to move out due to them being an English family during the Irish Civil War, a time when tensions between the Irish and the English, were high and filled with conflict. Before this though, another Jonathan Darby and his wife Mildred lived in the castle during the 1880s. Apparently they moved in on the 16th of July 1880. Mildred Darby was definitely the more interesting of the pair as she was an author and dabbled in the occult, performing séances within the castle. It's believed the paranormal activity of the castle spiked after her residence, and she wrote about what she experienced in detail.

When the Darby's did move out, and the location was attacked and looted by the IRA, through the use of thirty bombs and twenty cases of petrol, the location was left abandoned. Extensive fire damage had occured, and Leap Castle was sadly in much need of repair and renovation. It stayed like this until it was bought by an Australian during 1974. The Australian's name was Peter Bartlett, and it's believed that he was a descendant of the O'Bannon family who originally built the castle. Sadly, Bartlett died during 1989, but did start some renovations and repairs of the castle. He managed to rebuild the gatehouse and started rebuilding the upper floors. It's thought that Bartlett also experienced hauntings at the castle with a white witch apparently being brought in during the 1970s to investigate the property.

Currently, Leap Castle is owned by Sean and Anne Ryan who bought the castle during 1991. They've taken on the task of restoring the castle, and begun this from 1994. The Ryan's do use the castle as their home as they privately own it. If you want to look around the castle, I've read that you can, but that it's best you email Sean Ryan first. It seems he doesn't charge much, I've seen the quoted price of £6, and is more than happy to give guided tours of the location. Now with the history out of the way, onto the hauntings.

The Hauntings

I have found out that the quantity of hauntings really do match Leap Castle's reputation as being the most haunted Castle in Ireland. Due to this, I will discuss each spirit in their own little bit as there is a good bit of information on a few of the spirits.

1. The Screaming Woman

The screaming woman apparently wears little clothing, with it being torn, and has been seen around the back staircase. It's said that she screams twice before disappearing, but also that one Darby saw a woman and heard her screams. This Darby opened the door to the back staircase and heard someone walking up the stairs. Then, a woman walked from the stairs and past Darby to the window where she fell while screaming. Apparently the Ryan's have heard her screams too.

2. The Oubliette Ghost

Sean Ryan has said that there is a spirit who resides within the Oubliette, but that he doesn't always stay there.

3. The Bloody Chapel Light

There have been reports from people that a light can sometimes be seen coming from the higher windows of the Bloody Chapel after midnight despite there being no clear cause of this.

4. Thaddeus O'Carroll

The priest who was murdered by his brother Teighe, Thaddeus is thought to haunt the Bloody Chapel. His spirit has been seen around the staircase to the Chapel.

5. The Red Lady

Thought to be the woman who killed herself after her baby was murdered, the Red Lady is said to be a very tall woman who wears a long red dress and has long brown hair. It's also said that when she's seen, she is seen holding the blade that killed both her and her child.

6. Emily

Emily is one of two young girls thought to haunt the castle. They both are said to walk up and down the winding stairway and play, laugh, and cry in the main hall. It's believed that they resided at Leap Castle during the 1600s and that Emily fell from the battlements, killing her, when only eleven years old. People have reported seeing her spirit fall from the battlements, but that she disappears before hitting the ground.

7. Charlotte

Charlotte is the other young girl thought to haunt the castle. She does everything Emily is said to do, however she does not fall from the battlements. Instead, Charlotte is said to chase Emily while shouting her name. One other detail can be interpreted in two ways. I've read that Charlotte can be seen walking with a deformed leg which she drags behind her. Either this means one of Charlotte's legs are deformed, and so she drags it behind her as a limp, or, she literally drags a deformed leg behind her in hand; potentially that of Emily. All sources were unclear on which of the two scenarios were true.

8. The Elemental

The most unusual haunting of the castle, The Elemental, also referred to as 'It', is thought to date back to potentially the times of the Druids who used the land before it was a castle. There are four theories I've found on what The Elemental could be. One theory is that The Elemental was summoned by the Druids to protect the land. The second theory is that the Earl of Kildale, Gerald Fitzgerald, summoned The Elemental through his magic to set the castle on fire from within during his invasion attempts. The third theory, which comes from local folklore, is that The Elemental is the ancient O'Carroll spirit of an O'Carroll who died from leprosy. This explanation explains the rotting face and horrible smell often said to accompany this creature. The fourth theory is that Mildred Darby provoked The Elemental due to her fascination with the occult, and so summoned it herself. She has written about this creature, describing it as being roughly sheep-size, having human visuals, dark holes for eyes, and a rotton corpse-like smell. The current owner has not seen The Elemental, but is wary of it. It has also been speculated that moving the bodies from the Oubliette awoke The Elemental.

9. A Peasant Man

Within the priest's house, it's said a peasant man has been seen pushing a barrel up the stairs.

10. A Monk

Also within the priest's house, it's said that a monk passes through one window and leaves through another.

11. A Tired Spirit

Again, in the priest's house, it's said if you sleep there you may feel a heavy weight on you which also snores.

12. The Captain: Jonathan Darby

This Jonathan Darby is whichever one is said to have buried his treasure on the land. It's said that his spirit wanders the grounds trying to find where he buried it.

13. The McMahon Clan

The roughly forty soldiers from the McMahon Clan who were killed in order for the O'Carrolls to avoid paying them for their services are said to haunt the great hall. This implies that, unless they fell asleep in the great hall following the feast, that they were likely poisoned as one source says rather than having their throats slit.

14. The Governess

It's been said that the governess who looked after Emily and Charlotte during the 1600s also haunts Leap Castle. Who knows, maybe she has a guilty conscious over what happened to Emily?

15. The O'Neill Clan

It's suspected that the thirty nine members of the O'Neill clan also haunt Leap Castle. As their bodies were thrown into the oubliette, I would suspect that they haunt this space, but I've found no information on where they haunt. Maybe the man Sean has seen in this space is one of them?

16. The Green Man

This spirit, who I've dubbed 'The Green Man', is the spirit of an old man who is seen wearing green. His spirit is often located in the main hall and likes to sit by the fire.

17. A Woman

This woman often accompanies the green man and has been seen wearing an old fashioned dress and a large head-dress.

18. A Priest

This priest has also been seen with both the green man and the woman above. He is the spirit of another old man who happens to be dressed as a priest.

19. Shadow Figures

It's been said that shadow figures haunt the priest's house

Activity

1. Noises of furniture being moved around at night

2. Front door bell rings for no reason

3. Chanting from the grounds

4. Name is called from no one

5. Tools move around untouched

6. The smell of rubber occurs around the priest's house staircase

7. Blood stain on the floor that couldn't be cleaned

8. Cold hand felt before hearing someone unseen collapse and recite prayers

My Thoughts

With a potential nineteen individual spirits to boast, potentially with much more if all the murdered soldiers are present, it's no wonder that Leap Castle is said to be the most haunted Castle in Ireland. I do have a couple of point to make on the spirits though. I believe the Red Lady and the screaming woman could be the same spirit. The screaming woman is said to wear ripped clothing, and hardly any of it, so this implies to me that it could be a woman who was raped; just as the Red Lady is believed to have been. So, they could be the same spirit, but just at different points in that spirit's life.

Also, the shadow figures could be of the monk and the peasant but just in a different form of apparition. The tired spirit could also be one of these two, I've just listed it separately as it doesn't boast any further detail than what I've mentioned. It's also important for me to mention a room I found information on, but didn't see come up that often: The Murder Hole Room, also known as The Muckle Hole Room. When I first heard of this room, I thought it was the Bloody Chapel due to the literal murder hole that is the oubliette. Apparently though, this room is thought to be either the blue room in the North Wing, or the red room in the south wing. It's believed to be where the cold hand and prayer recital experience occured, as with the blood stained floor, and where the priest brother was killed.

These are events Mildred Darby wrote about in a book, but it doesn't make sense to me for the brief brother to have been killed away from the Bloody Chapel when he was holding mass, and it makes no sense for those areas to be named after a murder hole when the literal murder hole on the property isn't in those areas. This brings me to the point of how vague, yet oddly detailed, everything to do with Leap Castle is. It all seems to be lots of rumour and hearsay rather than facts and dates, and even when there are names and dates; these are inconsistent across sources.

I don't doubt that what I've written in this article is true, but what I do doubt is exactly how much of it is true. There are facts here, but I don't know with confidence what they are. So, please, anyone who reads this and knows about the accurate facts; let me know. I will update this article accordingly. As for the ghosts, I suspect they're more of what the history seems to be: rumour and hearsay. I don't doubt that Leap Castle is haunted, but exactly how haunted is up for fierce debate. There seems to be too many apparitions, and not enough personal events for my liking. That isn't to say that these apparitions don't exist, but Mildred's fascination into the occult may have been prompted or accompanied by drug use; and a fair bit of information on the spirits of Leap Castle seems to come from Mildred Darby.

Thank you for reading to the end of this post! I'm really sorry I got this one out a tad later than I expected. Every post from here should, fingers crossed, be out on time. This means location Mondays and either a review, experience, or something a little different on a friday. A special thank you to Damain, Nicolette, and The Cornish Ghost Whisperers for your ongoing support of The True Paranormal. If you want to follow The True Paranormal, you can do so on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, or Tumblr. You can also follow The True Paranormal on YouTube, or subscribe for free to this blog by clicking the subscribe button in the bar on the left of the page. Doing this will allow you to recieve email notifications. If you want to contact me about this post, or maybe even about an experience you've had, you can email me at: thetrueparanormal1@gmail.com

The Sources I Have Used:

1. Carpe Die Meire

2. Ciaran Mchugh

3. UK Mythology

4. Leap Castle

5. Leap Castle: History

6. Revisiting History

7. Irish History

8. European Waterways

9. Megalithic Ireland

10. The Standing Stone

11. Castles Uncovered