Fright sites: eight eerie Irish locations to chill the bones

Take a walk on the witchy side this Halloween with these spooky places to visit around Ireland

Mon Oct 26 2026 - 05:00 • 6 MIN READ

An old truism holds that if people want to believe something, they will, and in every age, there have been those with an unshakeable certainty that something lies beyond the material world. Stories of hauntings and the macabre have been passed on from one generation to the next.

If you’re searching for something spooky to do over the Halloween break, these eight sites and walking trails are guaranteed to send a chill down your spine.

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The cursing stone of Tory

Exposed and isolated, Tory Island has been the scene of many shipwrecks. One such ship was Wasp, a royal navy gunboat that sank beneath Tory lighthouse in 1884. On a mission to evict tenant farmers on Inishtrahull Island during the Irish Land Wars, the gunboat sank after hitting rocks on a clear, calm night. Of the 60 crew members, only six survived, with the bodies of those who died washed ashore and buried in Reilig Ghallda, the island cemetery where those lost at sea were interred.

Tradition holds that the disaster was caused by the then king of Tory. He used an ancient cursing stone to bring about the Wasp’s inexplicable destruction because he believed the gunboat was coming to evict tenants living on Tory. Later the island priest was said to have thrown the cursing stone into the ocean to ensure it could never be used again to bring about destruction.

Tory Island makes an interesting place to visit at any time of year, since its compact size makes it perfect to discover on foot. You can explore the west of the island on a pleasant 4km walk, taking in the lighthouse, Reilig Ghallda and the remote studio where renowned artist Derek Hill worked. Information on ferry times to Tory at toryferry.com

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The White Lady

Tragic love is among the most enduring themes for stories of the supernatural, with the White Lady of Charles Fort in Kinsale being no exception. The daughter of the fort’s commander married an army officer at the fort. On their wedding night, the groom fell asleep on the walls of the fort. The commander discovered the sleeping figure, mistook him for an intruder and shot him dead, before realising it was his son-in-law. When the new bride discovered this, she threw herself from the battlements in her wedding gown. As a result, the ghost of the young bride wanders the battlements of Charles Fort at dusk, dressed in her flowing white gown.

The full story of the White Lady is recounted on a guided tour of Charles Fort, which is open from 10am to 5pm throughout the winter months. Admission: adults, €5; concessions, €4;

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The haunted lake

Even in high summer, you are unlikely to see swimmers in Bay Lough, Co Waterford. A local tradition warns that this haunted lake is the last resting place of local witch Petticoat Loose. If you have brought along the kids, you can recall the story of how this alleged sorceress was banished into the lake by a local priest. As revenge, her ghostly arm will rise from the depths to ensnare anyone foolhardy enough to enter her watery abode.

You can, however, have a good time visiting Bay Lough without daring to enter the waters. The good news is that a newly resurfaced 1km path makes this haunting corrie lake accessible to all, including buggies and wheelchairs. It starts from the high point of the Vee Gap in the Knockmealdown Mountains on the Tipperary-Waterford border.

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The Hanging Tree

Even without the macabre echoes, this makes a nice family walk. Follow the blue arrows for the 4km Bianconi Loop from the Christ the King trailhead at Aherlow, Co Tipperary. Continue along a path through natural forest to reach an old road once used by the long cars of the 19th-century transport innovator Charles Bianconi. Downhill at a pretty little bridge, you will encounter a forlorn-looking sessile oak that is nearing the end of its long life. Known as the Hanging Tree, this is where people were executed in the 18th century for inconsequential crimes and their bodies left hanging as a warning to passersby not to tangle with authority. Afterwards, complete the Bianconi Loop by following the arrows back to the trailhead, while perhaps breaking for a cuppa in the atmospheric Aherlow House Hotel, just off the trail.

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The tragic lovers

Atop a rocky outcrop, Dunluce Castle is an eerie place that seems the perfect abode for a restless spirit returning after a tragedy. And indeed, tales of hauntings abound. One such concerns Lord McQuillan of Dunluce Castle, Co Antrim, who betrothed his daughter Maeve to a family ally despite her passion for Reginald O’Cahan from a rival clan. To cool her ardour, Maeve was locked in the northeast tower at Dunluce to await her assigned fate in marriage.

Undeterred, Reginald entered the castle on a stormy night and led Maeve away. The lovers followed a steep path downhill and escaped through the Mermaid’s Cave lying beneath the castle. Launching a boat into the turbulent Atlantic, their tiny craft was thrown against the rocks, with both perishing in the freezing waters. Since then, visitors have reported hearing anguished cries from the northeast tower during storms.

You can follow in the footsteps of the tragic lovers starting from a gate outside the main castle area at Dunluce. Descend, with care, the 115 steps to the Mermaid’s Cave, which, ghost or not, makes for a dramatic spectacle. Please note, the route may be closed in stormy weather.

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The accursed jury

A Catholic priest in Co Tipperary during the 18th century, Fr Nicholas Sheehy became a powerful symbol of resistance to Penal Laws. Having angered the local gentry with his opposition to tithes paid to the Anglican Church and his sympathy for the Whiteboys, who defended tenant farmers, he was charged with the murder of an informer named John Bridge. Despite the prosecution being unable to prove Bridge was even dead, Sheehy was convicted and hanged in Clonmel. The jury, drawn from the local Protestant elite, had been carefully selected with a view to obtaining a conviction. Local folklore holds none of this jury died naturally: all were consumed by maladies and accidents such as drowning, choking and leprosy, while another died by his own hand. The tomb of Fr Nicholas Sheehy lies in Shanrahan Cemetery, on the Clogheen Loop Walk. This scenic but easy 8km woodland walk starts and finishes in Clogheen village.

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The Kilkenny witch

In medieval Europe there was widespread paranoia around the supposed evil caused by witches. Viewed as enemies of society and Christianity, they were seen as creating misfortunes such as famine or disease outbreaks and were routinely burned as a public spectacle. In 1324 Dame Alice Kyteler, a wealthy Kilkenny woman, and her servant Petronilla became the first Irish people condemned for witchcraft. Kyteler immediately fled the country, but Petronilla confessed under torture to the crime of heresy. She was flogged and burnt at a stake on High Street, Kilkenny, in 1324. Historians now believe that Kyteler was the victim of her stepchildren, who coveted the wealth she had received from her four dead husbands. Her Kilkenny home has now been converted into Kyteler’s Inn, a historic pub and landmark in the city centre. On the Kilkenny Ghost Tour you will hear the full story of Kyteler and another spectre who haunts Kilkenny Castle and is believed to be Margaret Butler, grandmother of Anne Boleyn. Information and bookings at kilkennyghosttours.com.

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Jail of horror

A tour of Crumlin Road Gaol, Belfast, is an eerie experience, with its spooky underground tunnel linking the gaol and the old Crumlin Road Courthouse along with the condemned cell and execution room. Here, the hangman’s rope is guaranteed to send a shiver down your spine. At this time of year, the experience is intensified as the prison goes all out for Halloween, offering “an intense journey where terrifying encounters, unexpected scares and sinister surprises await around every corner”. Seventeen men were executed here, and some of their ghosts are reputed to move restlessly through the building, with the tour searching for evidence of their presence.

Jail of Horror runs each evening until October 31st, starting at 7pm, but may not be suitable for those of a nervous disposition. Tickets cost £20 and must be booked in advance at crumlinroadgaol.com.

John G O’Dwyer’s latest book, Stories Beneath our Feet, will be published in November

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