Paranormal stories from Ireland’s buildings: part 7

Warning: contains topics that may cause an uneasy feeling. Advised to not read at night or rather with someone when easily feeling unsettled.

Ireland has many buildings that behold ghost stories, or well, paranormal ones. I’ve always been interested in such stories, including abandoned buildings. Sure, the question will always be the same: are such stories true? Multiple buildings have been visited by paranormal scientists, and they said it was true. In several parts, I’ll be telling all paranormal stories and the history of Ireland’s buildings! Today: the last part!

1. York Road Railway Station

At Belfast’s York Road Railway station, there have been a number of reported sightings and it’s yet to be established if it’s the same figure being seen by witnesses. A ghostly figure has been reported as sitting in the station’s canteen at night, which is locked by staff at closing time. There have also been reports of a figure that may possibly be the same one, but this time spotted in the station’s running sheds. There’s a story that there was once a bungled wages snatch attempt at the station and that during the attempted robbery, a man was either shot or beaten, eventually dying from his injuries. Staff at the station working the night shift has reported hearing disembodied footsteps too.

Source image

2. Antrim Castle

There are a number of hauntings that are reported to occur at Antrim Castle. A coach, pulled along by a team of four horses is said to appear on 31^st May each year. The apparition is then said to sink into the pond at the castle, drowning all on board. At the gates of the castle stands a wolfhound made from stone. The story is that the hound was once real, made from flesh and blood. The dog is said to have warned the people because of an advancing attack upon the castle before turning into rock. It now stands in its current form at the castle gates, safeguarding the family name of Clotworthy and legend says that it may never be removed. There have also been reports of unexplained heavy breathing by those that have visited the castle.

Source image

3. Bruce’s Castle

No, this isn’t Bruce Wayne’s Castle. The island of Rathlin sits three miles of the coast of Northern Ireland and is home to the ruins of what’s known as Bruce’s Castle. It is said that ‘King of the Scots’, Bruce and his faithful warriors went into hiding on the island, following a defeat by Edward I’s army in Scotland. Bruce and his men are said to be under the spell of an enchanted sleep in a cave on the site where the castle stood. The story is that once they wake, they will rise up and unite Rathlin to Scotland. A far more recent story is that of a group of fishermen who settled down in the cave for a break. Lighting a fire and making tea, they used a large, flat boulder in the centre of the cave as a makeshift table. They placed their cups on it as one of the group members began to pour the tea. A hand appeared out of the darkness, placing another cup on the boulder. All men saw the hand but didn’t dare to look up at their ‘guest.’ Once the extra cup was filled, the mysterious hand grabbed the cup and withdrew, back into the darkness.

Source image

4. Ossian’s Grave

Ossian’s Grave is a Court Tomb, located northwest of Cushendall in County Antrim. It lies on the northeast slope of one of the nine Glens of Antrim. Ossian’s Grave is named after the mythical warrior and poet Ossian, a son of Finn MacCool, which was buried here according to legend. A recent haunting involves a couple who visited the site. While there, the man proposed to his partner. Seconds later, they heard an almighty scream which lasted several seconds, they reported that their ears rang for hours afterwards.

Source image

5. Roe Valley Hospital

At this spot an apparition has been caught on camera. A security guard was photographing the building one night when he captured a strange figure. In the same spot, there have been reports of the sounds of crying babies and sightings of men and women in uniform. There’s the story of a nurse that kept her pregnancy secret, delivered the baby herself and killed it. Sometime later, wracked with remorse, she hung herself. And people say they’ve seen a nurse in an old-fashioned cape with a red hood sitting on the bridge out at the front of the hospital.

Source image

That’s it for the last part! Which story had you heard before? And which one seems the most ‘creepy’ to you?

Love, Deem/Skye Lewis ❤

You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Twitch