Each issue, we investigate the most ghostly places to visit. Here, we take a look at the dark side of Dublin
Hellfire and hauntings
Dublin’s nightlife and fascinating history make it a popular city break destination. And with its numerous phantoms and creepy legends, the Irish capital ranks among the world’s spookiest spots for a getaway.
First stop on a tour of the city’s most-haunted sites has to be the eerie hilltop ruin swirling with dark tales of debauchery, black magic and murder.
The abandoned building on Montpelier Hill was once a fine hunting lodge. Built in 1725 for politician William Conolly, stone from a nearby Neolithic burial site was used in its construction. There were whispers this angered the spirits of those interred there and the building was cursed.
After Conolly’s death, the building was taken over by aristocrat Richard Parsons, founder of the Irish branch of the infamous 18th century secret society the Hellfire Club.
Many believe the club held drunken orgies there, as well as performing satanic rituals involving animal and even human sacrifices.
Legend has it that Parsons and his cronies were playing cards in the building one night when a stranger joined them. They only realised their visitor was the Devil himself when one member bent to pick up a card he’d dropped, and saw the stranger had cloven hooves.
After the building was damaged by fire, the club moved to a building at the bottom of Montpelier Hill, known as the Steward’s House.
It’s rumoured that Hellfire Club members sacrificed a cat during a satanic ceremony there, and now the cat lurks there in demonic form. The beast, dubbed the Killakee Cat, was first spotted in the Sixties when a workman renovating the Steward’s House saw a black cat the size of a German shepherd dog prowling outside.
Also said to haunt the house are the ghosts of two nuns, and the spirit of a man some claim was murdered there.
When an episode of US TV show Ghost Adventures was filmed in locations around Ireland, presenters Zac Bagans and Aaron Goodwin held a paranormal investigation in the ruins of the Hellfire Club.
The pair heard male voices whispering and what sounded like claws scraping across the stone floor. And when the pair went to leave, Aaron felt a clawed hand rake his ear.
‘I felt like I was touched by something I shouldn’t
