Leap Castle is located in the Offaly County, about 4 miles north of the town of Roscrea on the R421 road. Leap Castle was constructed in 1250 by O’Bannon family under rule of O’Carroll clan and originally was called “Leim ui Bhanain” or “Leap of the O’Bannons”.
Location: 4 miles north of Roscrea on the R421, County Offaly
Phone: (0509) 31115
Hours: 10am - 5pm
Without a doubt Leap Castle is most famous for its paranormal activity. In fact it holds unofficial title of the most haunted castle in all of Ireland. It is not surprising if you know its bloody and violent history. Many people were imprisoned here and found death here. In Bloody Chapel a man killed his own brother for unknown reason during the mass. Not far from this crime scene an oubliette (from French “to forget”) was found that looked like a deep hole with spikes on the bottom and a trap door to close it. It took three cartload to remove all human remains. Amazingly workers found a 1840’s pocket watch on the bottom indicating an unknown murder. It is not surprising that this place has numerous apparitions through its history. Witnesses claim that the most horrifying ghost is that of a small hunched creature that leaves stench. The ghost is referred to simply as “It” or “Elemental” apparently due to smell that sometimes described by witnesses as a smell of sulphur.
Leap Castle is called Ireland’s “creepiest
castle”.
O’Carrolls often invited their enemies to dinner at the castle on
the pretext of reconciliation, and then killed them right at the
table or in bed after a feast. In the same way, dozens of O’Neill
and McMahon clan mercenaries were killed, before helping O’Carrolls
in internecine wars and receiving death instead of paying. Under the
dining room was a dungeon (“kill”), into which unsuspecting guests
fell through a secret door in the corner of the room. The dungeon
bottom was dotted with sharp stakes, on which the victims fell. If
someone missed, the O'Carrolls left him to die among the rotting
corpses ...
From 1667 to 1922, the castle belonged to the Darby family. The
founder of the clan Jonathan received the rights to the castle and
surrounding land as a fee for military service in Cromwell’s army,
and he also married the heiress of the O’ Carroll clan. In 1922,
Darby, as representatives of the English nobility, was expelled by
republican rebels from the country, and the castle itself was looted
and burned.
According to some reports, when the castle was restored after the
fire in the 1920s, the workers found a huge amount of bones to
“remove” - it took three carts to clear the dungeon. In total, the
remains of 150 people were discovered. A pocket watch made in 1840
was also found among the bones, which suggested the use of ublet
even in the 19th century.
Locals and charlatans who visited the castle claim that it is
inhabited by many ghosts. The most terrible spirit is Elemental
("elemental phenomenon") or "It." Eyewitnesses describe him as a
bent, ready-to-jump beast the size of a sheep. Before this spirit
appears, the air is filled with the smell of decaying corpses and
sulfur ... They also say that every night in the "bloody chapel" a
mysterious light comes on.
At the end of the 19th century, Jonathan and Mildred Darby lived in
the castle. Mildred Darby was very interested in the history of the
castle. She was especially interested in ghost stories and the curse
of the castle. She began to study occultism and even began to
conduct magical rituals in the castle of the dungeon.
Now Leap Castle is privately owned by Sean Ryan. The owners are
engaged in its restoration and sometimes let tourists into the
castle.