Castle Leslie

Castle Leslie is located within Glaslough, County Monaghan, Ireland. The location is still in the hands of it's founding family, a legacy which dates back to when the Leslie family arrived in Ireland and bought the estate during either the 1500s or 1600s. As for the present castle, the commonly cited time period for it's present appearance is the 1870s. During this time, it was worked on by the architects Charles Lanyon and William Henry Lynn for Sir John Leslie, the first Baronet of Glaslough. Castle Leslie has hosted the Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill, and was the venue for Paul McCartney's wedding to Heather Mills. Regarding hauntings, those of Norman Leslie and Lady Constance are two prominent ones here. Norman is said to appear within one of the rooms looking through papers, and Lady Constance has been sighted shortly before the death of a different family member.

History

The Leslie (Laszlo) family can apparently trace their ancestry back to Atilla the Hun, however the first Leslie was from Scotland and they were a Hungarian nobleman called Bartholomew Leslie. Bartholomew was the chamberlain and protector of Margaret, Queen of Scotland. The family motto of 'Grip Fast' originated through a story regarding Bartholomew and the Queen. While fleeing from enemies, Queen Margaret rode on the back of Bartholomew's horse and, while crossing a river, she fell off. Bartholomew threw her the end of his belt and told her to grip fast the buckle, an act which saved the queen's life and from that day she bestowed the motto 'grip fast' onto the Leslies.

It's been said that the story occured during 1065, but there was no Margaret who was Queen of Scotland during this year. However, there was a Saint Margaret of Scotland who married the Scottish king, Malcolm Canmore, during 1067. During the year of 1065, Margaret and her brother Edgar returned from exile to claim the English throne; so this could very well be the context around the 'grip fast' story. It also explains why there is seemingly misinformation around her being Queen at the time.

The origins of Castle Leslie seem incredibly unclear, but it's been said that the area around Glaslough was part of the MacMahon territory which was granted to Sir Thomas Ridgeway during 1608. Thomas was the 'Treasurer at Arms' to the English throne in Ireland, and so he was probably one of the most influential and powerful men in Ireland at the time as he exercised great control over the army and finances. It's been said that he built a castle on his newly aquired lands and that he rebuilt and extended the old McKenna Castle, which had apparently been built during 1591, and was located in Glaslough. Thomas then left Monaghan and built a new castle at Favour Royal between Aughnacloy and Clogher.

As I cannot find an existing McKenna Castle, it could be that this castle is what became Castle Leslie. This is unclear though as it's been said that the original castle was built by Thomas Ridgeway, and it's been said that the original castle was built by him during 1608. Having said this, I've noticed sources can say 'built' when really they instead mean something along the lines of extended or remodelled; as what is said to be the case with him and McKenna Castle. It is important to remember though that this is purely speculatory based on seemingly contradictory pieces of information I've found on the subject. The first Leslie to move from Scotland to Ireland was Bishop John Leslie, and it's said he did this during the year of 1633. There is differing information saying the family moved during the 16th century, also known as the 1500s, but it seems those sources could have instead meant the 1600s and not the 16th century.

During the June of 1633, Bishop John Leslie was translated to Raphoe in Donegal, Ireland, where it's said he built Raphoe Castle. At the age of 67, he married a young girl called Catherine Cunningham and they had five children; only two of which survived into adulthood. Bishop John Leslie was known as the 'fighting bishop' and he defeated Cromwell's forces at the Battle of Raphoe. During 1661 John Leslie became the Bishop of Clogher, and on the restoration of King Charles II, Bishop John Leslie rode from Chester to London in twenty-four hours while being ninty years old at the time. The king granted him £2,000 as a reward for his loyalty. It was during 1665 that Glaslough Castle and Demesne was sold by Sir Thomas Ridgeway to Bishop John Leslie, and the original deed is still in the family archives. John used the money which had been granted by the King to buy the castle and the Leslie family have lived there ever since.

Bishop John Leslie soon extended the original castle and during 1670 he built a new church within the walled estate which is still standing today. This church is called St. Salvator's and it was used as the venue for Paul McCartney's wedding. Bishop John Leslie did not see the location for long though as he died at the age of 100 during 1671. The Bishop's son, also called John, inherited the estate following the Bishop's death. John was twenty-six years old when he inherited the estate and very little more is known about him aside that he never married and was Dean of Dromore. John's brother, Charles, then succeeded John at the age of seventy-one and so only enjoyed the estate for a short time as he then died the following year. Charles was both a theologian and a non-jurer and so leveled bitter attacks on the penal laws and strictly defended the catholics. This deeply offended King William III, who ruled between 1688 and 1702, and so Charles was arrested for high treason but managed to escape and flee to France. Oliver Goldsmith has mentioned Charles as being an arguer of some wit and Dr. Samuel Johnson has written that "he was a reasoner not to be reasoned with".

After King William III's death, George I pardoned Charles and reportedly said "let the old man go home to Glaslough to die". No date has been cited for this pardon, but as George I ruled between 1714 and 1727, it can be assumed the pardon occured between these years. Also, it's important that when discussing this story, sources have said 'King William' and not 'King William III'. Having looked more into when each monarch ruled, I'm confident in saying this story would have involved King William III, not King William, due to his rule matching the logical time period for these events; especially as King William III ruled almost directly before King George I. Also close to these events, it's said that Castle Leslie was further altered during the year of 1720.

Charles left three children: Robert, Henry, and "Vinegar" Jane. Henry and Robert were both great friends of Dean Swift; a regular visitor to the castle when on his way to Armagh. Dean wrote many verses about the Leslie family, although not all were complimentary. During 1743, Charles Powell Leslie I took over the estate. He was a man of common-sense and practical ideas, plus he devoted himself to farming methods in the district. During 1771, Charles was elected as the MP for Hillsborough before later being elected, during 1776, as the MP for Monaghan. During the year of 1779, Charles became very active in the Great Volunteer Movement and was Colonel of the Trough Volunteers. It was then, during 1783, that Grattan's Parlaiment was established under pressure from 80,000 volunteers. While representing the county of Monaghan within this parlaiment, Charles gave an election speech during 1783 in which he said "I desire a more equal representation of the people and a tax upon our Absentee Landlords".

A particularly well-known figure connected to Castle Leslie is Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington. Arthur was born on the 1st of May 1769, died on the 14th of September 1852, and was partly raised at the castle. Charles Powell Leslie helped his brother-in-law, Lord Mornington, Professor of Music of TDC, to educate his son; Arthur Wellesley. Arthur would later go on to become the Duke of Wellington and win the Battle of Waterloo against Napoleon Boneparte. During the year of 1800, Charles died as one of the few landlords to refuse Castlereagh's bribe of a peerage to vote for the Act of Union with Britain in 1800.

Charles' son, Charles Powell Leslie II took over the estate but died shortly before the years of the Great Hunger, also known as the Great Famine, which occured between the years of 1845 and 1852. There are sources which disagree on how long this lasted with some other sources saying 1849 and 1850. Farm buildings and the gate lodge had been designed by Charles Powell Leslie II just before the famine. His widow, Helen, ran the estate following his death and had a famine wall built around the estate. Again, just as is the case with King William, sources have said 'Charles Powell Leslie' and not 'Charles Powell Leslie II' for these events. Due to the time period, and the fact Charles Powell Leslie I died forty-five years before the famine, I am assuming that these sources are referring to Charles Powell Leslie II and his widow.

Charles Powell Leslie II was a keen architect and so he designed the present farm buildings along with the fairy tale gate lodge which looks down the lake towards the castle. While Helen ran the estate during the famine, she managed to feed everyone on the estate. The famine wall she had built around the estate provided work for people. Some have suggested the wall was built to keep the Leslies in, but this was not the case. Helen also set up soup kitchens to provide food for the starving. She continued to run the estate until her son, Charles Powell Leslie III came of age. Charles Powell Leslie III was someone who loved big house parties and wanted to entertain on a grand scale. His taste in architecture included 'Free Range Gothic', 'Early Taj Mahal', 'Late Rothschild', 'Bahnhof Baroque', and 'Jacobean Bloody'.

Some of Charles Powell Leslie III's plans included a cut price copy of the French Chateau de Chambord, which was at least six times larger than the present house, and a nine-storey gothic tower in the middle of the lake which was only to be reachable by venetian gondolas. He never married, but did manage to complete a number of successful building projects such as the grain merchant store in Glaslough Village along with the entrance lodges at the main gates to the castle. Charles Powell Leslie III died during the year of 1871 due to choking on a fishbone, and it was due to this that he wasn't able to create any of his grander architectural ideas. Following his death, the building of a new castle was left to his brother: John Leslie.

It was during the 19th century, also known as the 1800s, that subsequent generations of the Leslie family begun to gradually rebuild the estate. During the early 1800s, the water tower was built on the grounds over a deep well. A double handed pump was used to push water into a tank at the top which gravity then fed to the old castle. It has been said that between the years of 1800 and 1879, Charles Powell Leslie was responsible for a series of gate lodges to the estate. From the information already discussed, it seems the sources discussing this were referring to Charles Powell Leslie II and Charles Powell Leslie III. These sources have also said that one of the main entrances known as the Garden Lodge and Gate Lodge was built within the year of 1875 and it was designed by Charles Lanyon and William Henry Lynn. They have also said it was a little earlier than this, during the year of 1850, that the walled garden was built. As all of the Charles Powell Leslies had reportedly died by the end of 1871, they could not have been responsible for any work following this year; however, they could possibly have been involved in the early ideas and designs. It has been said that Charles Powell Leslie III did complete the entrance lodges.

The present house, which is still sometimes referred to as Glaslough House, was built for Sir John Leslie during the 1870s to the design of Sir Charles Lanyon and William Henry Lynn. It has been said that the original castle still existed during 1877, but was later demolished soon afterwards. Due to this, it has been said that the castle seen today dates largely from the 1870s. More specifically, it has been said that the castle, which was designed by Charles Lanyon and William Henry Lynn, can be dated to the year of 1878. There is potentially contradictory information saying that the country house was built as a castle between the years of 1870 and 1871 in the scottish baronial style. It's unclear if this refers to the bulk of the castle, a building potentially seperate to the castle, or if this information is incorrect.

There is also contradictory information saying that the castle was built during 1875 by John Leslie, also known as Sir John Leslie, the 1st Baronet of Glaslough. This means sources have cited the years of 1870, 1871, 1875, and 1878 as potential years for the castle's construction. It has also been said that the castle was designed during the year of 1870 for Sir John Leslie and that it has never been used for defensive purposes. As I'm not a historian, I do not know for sure which is the correct date for when the castle was built. I also don't know if this was a case of completely demolishing the old castle for a new one to be built on the site, or if this build date simply refers to remodelling, expansion, renovation, or rebuilding a portion of the castle from scratch. Sources seem to agree that the current building dates from the 1870s, they just can't seem to agree on exactly when. It has been said that the new house was completed during 1878, so it's possible the other dates refer to other builds on the site or various processes involved such as when design work began.

Sir John Leslie, the 1st Baronet of Glaslough, apparently built the castle at the insistence of his young wife, Constance; the daughter of Minnie Seymour who was alledgedly George IV's daughter by Mrs. Fitzherbert. While the castle was being built, they both went on a Grand Tour, during which they collected the early Italian furniture which can be seen within the house with many pieces dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, also known as the 1500s and 1600s. Sir John Leslie was a fine painter of the pre-Raphelite school. As John grew older, Lady Constance couldn't bear the sight of him and so designed a floral table ornament to hide him from sight. Apparently she called it 'un cache marie', meaning 'hide husband'. Following their golden wedding, which occured during 1910, they both moved to Manchester Square in London. It was here that Sir John Leslie died during the year of 1916. It is said that Lady Constance died in London on the same day, but during 1925.

During the year of 1917, finances took a dive for the Leslies when they invested their compensation money from the Wyndham Land Acts into Russian Railway Bonds. This was done on the advice of the Queen's financial advisor, Sir Ernest Cassell. John Leslie, the 2nd Baronet who was the son of John and Constance, was the only son of five children with the rest being girls. John married Leonie Jerome, sister to Jenny Jerome. Leonie's elder sister, Jenny, married Lord Randolph Churchill; the man who would become known as Winston Churchill's dad. Both Leonie and Jenny were brilliant pianists and pupils of Czerny. The later pieces of furniture within the castle come from the Churchill family and the Bechstein piano in the Drawing Room was chosen for Leonie by the famous concert pianist, Padeweski. This particular piano is over one hundred years old. Many of the Churchill's 'hand me downs' are within the castle as the Leslies were considered to be the poor relations of the family.

It was during 1943 that Leonie died. This event was followed by Sir John Leslie, the 2nd Baronet, dying during the year of 1944. Sir Shane Leslie was the 3rd Baronet, and he was an Irish speaker, author, poet, and ardent nationalist. He had become a Catholic and stood as a nationalist candidate for Derry during the 1910 election, although he lost by fifty-nine votes to the Duke of Abercorn. Shane then retreated into a monastery before meeting the American woman Majorie Ide of Vermont. Following this meeting, Shane forgot all about the priesthood. Majorie's dad was Henry Clay Ide, the Chief Justice of Samoa; a tropical paradise where he and his daughter became great friends with Robert Louis Stevenson, author of books such as 'Treasure Island' and the 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'. Henry Clay Ide was also the Governor General of the Philippines and lived with his family in the Malacanan Palace, a place which is now apparently a museum for all the infamous shoes of Imelda Marcos.

Sir Shane transferred the castle to his eldest son, John Norman Leslie, the 4th Baronet. Due to ill health following five years within a German prisoner of war camp after capture at Dunkirk, John transferred the estate to his sister, Anita, and lived the next forty years of his life in Rome. Anita Leslie-King joined the French Army as an ambulance driver and at times drove it behind enemy lines to rescue Frenchmen from prison work camps. Anita was awarded two Croixes de Guerre by General de Gaulle for her work. She married Bill King, a submarine commander, and during the 1960s they moved to Granmore in Galway.

During 1964, the estate was transferred to Anita's younger brother; Desmond Leslie. Desmond was one of the few surviving wartime spitfire pilots, and he was an author, plus a composer of electronic music. During the war, he destroyed a number of aircraft, most of which he was piloting at the time. During the 1950s, Desmond was the first to seemingly 'realise' UFO's have always been with us and his world best seller 'Flying Saucers Have Landed' was the first book to record supposed human contact with an alien. It was from the 1970s onwards that Helen and Desmond Leslie claimed the Red Bedroom as their bedroom while they lived in the castle. It was within the Red Room of the castle that Anita Leslie-King had given birth to her daughter, Leonie.

It was during the year of 1984 that the lodge and centre had both been sold by Desmond. Then, during the year of 1991, Desmond handed over the estate to his five children. On the 10th of May 1992, tea rooms opened within the old conservatory. During 1994, John returned to the Castle Leslie Estate and as of the time this event was written about, he was said to still be living there. As of writing this, I don't know if this is still the case or if he has now died. I have found reference to a Sir Jack Leslie who was born on the 6th of December 1916 and died on the 16th of April 2016; and so, having looked more into 'Jack', I can confirm that he is the same person as Sir John Leslie, the 4th Baronet. Desmond Leslie, who had been born on the 29th of June 1921, died on the 21st of February 2001. Samantha Leslie, the daughter of Desmond Leslie, was the one to establish tea rooms within the old conservatory which then generated income used to restore the roof.

Between the years of 1995 and 1997, Samantha refurbished fourteen of the castle bedrooms and bathrooms, each in it's own unique style. Dinners were served by candlelight in the original dining room with pre-dinner drinks being served in the Drawing Room or Fountain Garden. The castle at the Castle Leslie Estate was soon rewarded with The Good Hotel Guide Caesar Award for being 'utterly enjoyable and mildly eccentric'. There are no TVs or radios on the grounds, and it was during the June of 2002 that the location hosted the wedding of Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. Over 800 million people worldwide saw this event. During 2004, after twenty years of external ownership, the Estate's Equestrian Centre and The Lodge, which had formerly been called The Hunting Lodge, were re-purchased.

During 2005, the Castle Leslie Estate won the Sunday Times' 'Best Country House' and Food and Wine's 'Best Country House Restaurant in Ulster' awards. Also during 2005, five new sub-ground floor bedrooms were added to the location. These rooms were the Desmond Leslie Room, the Agnes Bernelle Room, the Helen Strong Room, and The Calm Room; the only room not to be named after a family member. During 2006, the location was awarded the Hotel and Catering Gold Medal Award for Best Country House. In the January of 2006, work started on a €10 million refurbishment to expand and improve the location's existing facilities. These included the 29 bedroom Lodge which had formerly been the Hunting Lodge, plus a new state-of-the-art Equestrian Centre. This project was supported by a grant from the Irish Government and was part-financed by the European Union under the National Development Plan of 2000-2006 which was administered by Fáilte Ireland. Following the extensive refurbishment and renovation, both The Lodge and the Equestrian Centre re-opened during the May of 2007.

It was during 2017 that The Leslie Foundation was created, and 2019 saw the addition of 21 bedrooms to The Lodge. This brought the total capacity of the location to 50 bedrooms. Paying guests can stay in The Lodge, the main house, the recently built holiday cottages in the village, or the restored and refitted 'old stable mews'. The redevelopment of the Long Gallery wing in the castle allowed the estate to offer business and corporate facilities, and the addition of six further guestrooms within the castle brought the room total in the castle to 20. The old victorian kitchens had also been transformed into a cookery school. Today the estate is led and managed by Brian Baldwin and Sammy Leslie, plus is guarded by the Leslie Foundation. Sammy considers herself to be the guardian of the land and wishes to protect the estate for future generations, something she has expressed in the following quote:

"Our family’s ethos has always been one of creativity and curiosity, openness and sharing, of innovation and entrepreneurship, of sensitivity and working with, of involvement and teamwork. With 1000 years of Leslie family history recorded it is my great honour to be the one tasked with bringing a unique and important part of Ireland’s living heritage through to the future. Like my father I strongly believe that we neither inherit nor own lands, we are just custodians doing our best for future generations. It is my hope that Castle Leslie Estate will provide more years of employment for those who live locally and continue to be a sanctuary for all our guests.

In 2022, we celebrated Castle Leslie Estate’s 30^th year as a thriving business. In 2017 we established The Leslie Foundation. The foundation was founded to ensure that the wide social and economic benefits created by Castle Leslie Estate will continue and expand for generations to come. The Leslie Foundation’s priorities are – people, place, planet, and peace.

The original dream for Castle Leslie Estate was great horses, good food and good old-style hospitality. It is safe to say that this is flourishing with over 50 national and international awards under our belt."

Hauntings

One of the earliest dating spirits suspected to reside within Castle Leslie is that of Norman Leslie. Norman died during World War One in the year of 1914. It has been said that he haunts the Red Room and that Lady Marjorie Leslie saw him beside the chest of drawers in that room during the year of 1914. Some sources have said he was seen two days before his death, but others have said he was seen a few weeks after he had been killed on the battlefields in France. It's said he appeared to Marjorie as if in a cloud of light and was reading through some of his letters as of looking for a particular one. It's reported thst Marjorie, thinking it was really Norman, said 'why Norman, what are you doing here?' However, instead of answering, he turned to her, smiled, then faded away.

It has also been said that, before he was seen by Lady Marjorie, he was seen during the October of 1914 walking on the castle terrace. Apparently this event occured a week before his death and people only found it odd when he didn't appear for dinner. Despite some sources saying this happened a week before his death, others have said it was soon after he didn't show up at dinner that they found out about his death. It has also been said thst during 1914, on the day that Norman died, the gamekeeper was standing by the sundial at the lake in the grouds and saw Norman in full uniform before then vanishing. Norman has since been known to shush guests who make too much noise within the Red Room. Also within the Red Room, guests have been woken by the sounds of shuffling paper.

Lady Marjorie is also said to haunt the castle. She died during 1951 and, at the same time, she appeared in Desmond Leslie's London flat where his son, Sean, was a baby dying of a poisoned mastoid. It's said Marjorie came up the corridor in a gust of wind, and the touched Sean. It's unclear if it was Sean or Marjorie who said this, but it's said one of them said 'pain gone' and Sean was suddenly cured. Around the same time, Desmond's mother-in-law, Emily Bernauer, had a vision of Marjorie pointing across the lake to a palace which was glowing in the sky. It's said that while pointing to the palace, Marjorie said to Emily 'look where I am going to live now'.

Lady Constance is another who is said to haunt Castle Leslie. Lady Constance died during 1925, and on her death she was seen walking around the castle by servants. When Leonie was on her death bed, she was attended by nurses 24/7 and during her last night, it's said that while a nurse was dozing off, an elderly woman approached Leonie, spoke to her, and then left the room. Following this, Leonie died in her sleep. At the time, the nurse thought the elderly woman was a family member and it was only after the funeral, while everyone was sitting at the dining table, that the nurse identified the elderly woman as being depicted in a portrait within the castle to the left of the fireplace. This portrait was of Lady Constance who had died a number of years before Leonie. It's said that Lady Constance haunts the Mauve Bedroom and that she moves things along with opening and closing doors.

A monk and a crying child are also reported to haunt the castle, and it's said they both haunt the banquet hall. In the basement, a staff member looked up to see a grey man with a frightening expression approach her quickly before disappearing. The water tower is said to be a haunted spot too, however there are no details on the specific hauntings here. A white lady is said to also haunt the Red Room. Other activity reported is that of furniture levitating and the bells apparently ring on their own. Below you can read two seperate accounts I've found which are seemingly true experiences people have had concerning the paranormal activity within the castle:

Spirited Isle Shared Experience

"We stayed in Norman’s room and may have had a visit from him in the middle of the night!!! Maybe I had too much champagne, but I thought I saw a man in the corner of our room reading a book when I woke during the night."

Bella Morte's Experience - 20/08/2007

"I am 26 years old now and this incident happened on the night of my 20th birthday, in Castle Leslie, Glaslough, County Monaghan, Ireland. At the time this happened, Castle Leslie was a small hotel featuring, I believe, eight bedrooms. Each room had a theme and was decorated accordingly. Our room for the night was the "Nursery" which was located on the third (top) floor and had a bay window that overlooked the small lake. The room and view were beautiful, and our bathroom was actually a large dollhouse.

What made Castle Leslie different from most other hotels or bed and breakfasts is that the guest was entitled to have free reign throughout the castle and grounds. One only saw or spoke to the staff when they were called upon. There were telephones located around the castle for this purpose.

As I said before, it was the night of my 20th birthday. My mom and I had a fabulous dinner and she had retired early to our room. I was still so excited about being there that I could not sleep and I wanted to explore the castle. I had bought a nice cuban cigar earlier at dinner (this is a big deal because I am American, and the United States has trade embargos against Cuba) and wanted to smoke it in the drawing room, which was the only room in the castle where one was allowed to smoke.

Well, the staff, who had their own living quarters in a separate part of the house, had gone around and turned off all of the lights, leaving the castle pitch black. I had to stumble around the confusing layout by memory turning on lights as I went down from the third floor to the first floor. I stopped halfway on the stairs to call the staff and ask them to turn off the motion alarm so that I could go smoke. I was informed that they had not set the alarm, and to go on.

I slowly made my way through the hallway, into the huge dining room, turning on lights as I went. Downstairs, the staff had closed the huge floor-to-ceiling shutters from the inside and the doors separating the rooms were all closed. It was pitch black as I entered into the drawing room. This room was as long as the dining room and furnished with, among other things, a black grand piano, several couched with tables for reading and various "museum" pieces like photographs and antiques.

As I said, I opened the door and felt along the wall until I found the light switches. I turned one set on, illuminating the room enough to see clearly. I crossed the room and sat in a pleasant chair with my back to the side wall. From this vantage I could see the fireplace in front of me and slightly too my right. I lit up my cigar and casually glanced at the fireplace, and I saw a light flickering in the glass, like a reflection. I got up from my chair and looked around to where I thought the light was coming from and found to my complete amazement, a white candle in a brass holder with a handle, flickering on top of the piano.

When I got to the candle, I noticed that it had just been lit, there was no wax drippings. Also, besides it being pitch black when I had entered the room, the staff would have been positively fired had they left an unattended candle burning amongst all the old woodwork and curtains. I blew the candle out and sat back down in the chair to finish my cigar.

The experience was not at all frightening. Rather it made me feel comforted and smile. Castle Leslie is noted as being a haunted location in Ireland. One of the young men who had lived there was Shane Leslie, and he died in a war far away and can still be seen standing on the shore of the lake.

I do not know if it was Shane that lit the candle for me, but I feel that it was lit for me because it was so dark, and the ghost wanted me to find my way."

Sean Doherty's Experience - 06/04/2016

"Just got home from a 2 night stay at Castle Leslie in Co Monaghan. I was aware that there was reported hauntings prior to going but did not want to read any stories before I went, and my wife was totally unaware of any stories relating to the castle.

We stayed in Normans Room and a serious of events happened between 1am and first light which would have been around 5/6 am ish. The night in question was Monday night/Tuesday morning 4/5 April 2016.

Firstly, we returned to the room around 12am and we both were very tired after the drive up from Co Wexford. I was woken and I could feel a presence in the room and I could make out the figure of a man sitting in the chair next to the bed. The hair was standing on the back of my neck and I couldn't move. I then saw what I can only describe as a mist/cloud over the right hand side of the bed. I had a restless night of dreams one of those was a dream of being in the bed and and others which I can't recall. It was very warm in the room and I was too scared to move or even hang my leg outside the covers.

In the morning my wife confirmed she too had a night of vivid dreams and awoke to see a cloud of mist at the foot of the bed. No windows in the room was open. I was glad to see the morning and went to the bathroom.

Our room overlooked the vast gardens and lake and whilst looking out over the lake it looked like a wave/wall of water around 10 ft was moving across very slowly. My wife confirmed the same, but by the time I got my camera to take a picture it had disappeared.

The following night we told the night porter our experience and he mentioned that there was reports of the bed being haunted and offered to move us into another room. Nothing like this has happened before and I would say I was open minded yet sceptical.

We had a sound sleep on the Tuesday night with the help of a different set of spirits. I can't explain what we saw and we will return there one day but won't be staying in Normans room.

Sean Doherty"

Summary Of Hauntings

1. Lady Constance - the Mauve Bedroom

2. Norman Leslie - the Red Room, castle grounds

3. Lady Marjorie - castle grounds, Desmond's London flat

4. A monk - banquet hall

5. A crying child - banquet hall

6. A white lady - Red Room

7. A grey man - basement

8. Furniture levitates

9. The sound of shuffling paper - Red Room

10. Bells ring on their own

11. The water tower (?)

My Thoughts

This is another location of interest because yet again there are tales of what I refer to as being 'living ghosts'. I believe these are spirits who appear to people in a way so vivid that they haven't been assumed to be ghosts at the time. This is exactly what happened when the nurse saw Lady Constance speaking with Leonie, and it's what seemingly happened when Lady Marjorie and others saw Normal Leslie. If you've read previous articles discussing 'living ghosts', you will know I have a theory which suggests a connection between these spirits and the presence of water. To check this, I've had a look at Google maps; and there is a lake beside the castle. Plus, there is a water tower which was built over a well which was used to provide the castle with water. So, again, it seems like the trend of locations boasting 'living ghosts' and the natural presence of water persists.

Putting this theory aside, I also think these hauntings could be legitimate because they tie in directly with family members who have lived within the house. If the hauntings here were promoted for tourism, I would expect the bigger names of Winston Churchill and the Duke of Wellington to haunt here; not family members from the 1900s. Granted, I'm not ruling out the possibility of those bigger names being present as they do have history with this location; however, I am always more inclined to think it will be the past residents who will haunt the location, and that's what is mostly described here.

I'm skeptical of the monk and the crying child, and I would like to know more about why the water tower is said to be haunted rather than it just is. I'm also curious about the grey man which was reportedly seen by a staff member. That type of haunting possibly could have come about through staff members messing with other staff members. I feel the reports about Norman are legitimate, especially as stories regarding his spirit seem very tame and down-to-earth. The story about Lady Marjorie appearing in different locations is incredibly interesting as that isn't something commonly reported. Also, the details about the sky palace and her spirit seemingly healing a baby are both bizarre and unusual. Due to this, these stories may not be true but part of me wonders if they are due to how extravagant they are.

As for the story about Lady Constance's spirit visiting Leonie, I think that this could have been something the nurse either had a dream about, or someone did visit while the nurse was half asleep and her mind pieced together the blanks when seeing that Lady Constance may have vaguely resembled whoever had visited. The brain is really good at filling in the gaps, and it doesn't like mysteries, so I think it could have retroactively created a false memory for the nurse upon seeing the painting. So, even though this is a very down-to-earth story, I feel it could have been the product of psychology rather than an actual apparition.

Thank You!

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