The Bloody Leap Castle In Ireland- A Beautiful Castle You Would Never Take Your Kids To!

#1

Leap Castle is located in the town of Roscrea. The castle was built in the 15th century. It was built by the O'Bannon family for the ruling clan of the O'Carrolls. The Earl of Kildare once tried to seize the castle in 1513 but he was unsuccessful. He attacked the castle again after three years and he was able to partly demolish it. The O'Carrolls got the castle back in 1557.

#2

Over 400 years ago in what is now known as the "Bloody Chapel" a shocking murder occured. Leap Castle was then a stronghold of the O'Carroll family, powerful Irish Princes, Chieftains of the area.

In 1532, on the death of the O'Carroll Chieftain, a fierce rivalry for the leadership erupted within the family. The bitter fight for power turned brother against brother. One of the brothers was a priest. The O'Carroll priest was holding mass for a group of his family (in what is now called the "Bloody Chapel"). While chanting the holy rites, his rival brother burst into the chapel plunging his sword into his brother. Fatally wounding him, the butchered priest fell across the altar and died in front of his family.The priest died and the chapel is now called "The Bloody Chapel".

The priest's spirit is said to haunt the Bloody Chapel and is thought to be one of Leap's earliest ghosts. Even centuries later when the castle lay in state of ruin, passers-by have seen the window of the room light up suddenly late into the night.

The brutal act of brother killing brother and the blasphemy of a sacred mass cut short by such an evil event sent an echo of misery ringing throughout the castle.

Castle ownership fell into the hands of the Darby family through marriage. According to history, one theorized motivation for burning the castle during the Irish Civil War is that the rents were raised because of the extensions and repairs being done on the castle. Much of the surrounding land of the castle was also sold.

During the castle's renovation, workers found a dungeon where people were locked away to die. At the bottom of the shaft were spikes. When the dungeon was cleaned out, there were three cartloads of human bones. A pocket watch was also found in the dungeon. Today, the dungeon is now covered in order to keep people away from it.

Because of its extremely bloody history Leap Castle has always had a reputation of being haunted, a reputation so strong local people avoided it at night. Completely gutted by fire, Leap Castle was boarded up and it's gates were pad locked for over 70 years. Locals have described seeing the windows at the top of the castle "light up for a few seconds as if many candles were brought into the room" late at night. The castle laid in ruin for years.

#3

Shadows are also seen wandering the Priest's House. The Priest's House has been an empty shell of itself since the burning in 1922. A burly man has been seen pushing a heavy barrel up the stairs and when he gets to the top, the barrel rolls down and then the man and the barrel disappear.

There is also the Murder Hole Room which is also called the Muckle Hole Room. There is a blood stain on the floor of the room and it is said to be that of the man who was stabbed to death by his own brother. The brothers quarreled for ownership of the castle.

The Red Lady has been encountered by many people too. The Red Lady has been seen carrying in a dagger in her hand and raising it in a menacing manner, as if wanting to stab someone. Story goes that the Red Lady is the ghost of a woman who was captured and raped by the O'Carrolls. She got pregnant and as a result of the rape. The baby was killed by the O'Carroll and in despair she killed herself.

Two young girls have been seen and heard playing in Leap Castle. They are often seen by castle visitors playing in the hall and running up and down the stairs. They are called Emily and Charlotte. Emily died at the age of 11 when she fell from the battlements. Many people have seen her ghost falling from the castle and disappearing before hitting the ground. Charlottes has been seen dragging her deformed legs behind her.

Leap was burnt out and destroyed in 1922 by the IRA while the Darbys were living in England. The castle lay in ruins until it was purchased by the current owners Sean and Anne Ryan in 1991. Sean has restored the castle and was a most gracious host when I called to visit Leap to take these photographs. Sean has frequent sightings of the numerous spirits of Leap but thankfully the Ryan's have never encountered the Elemental who for now seems to have retreated. Despite some early skirmishes he has found that his family and the resident spirits have been able to coexist quite happily at Leap.