Among the many ghosts said to haunt Ireland’s Leap Castle, perhaps the most terrifying is the elemental. This infamous entity has been seen numerous times in the central keep of Offaly’s Castle, the oldest part of the old Irish fortress. A primitive apparition, as opposed to the ghost of a specific person, elementals are believed to reside in remote rural locations.
One of Leap’s elemental witnesses was Mildred Darby, who lived in the castle in the early 20th century. Mildred had an interest in the occult and often held séances at Leap. She had a terrifying encounter with the castle’s elemental, also known as ‘It’, on the gallery off the main hall. In an article for The hidden reviewMildred described the elemental as bestial in appearance and smelling like a decaying corpse.
Some researchers in the field of parapsychology speculate that Mildred’s foray into the dark arts may have helped bring this hideous entity temporarily into the material world. Others suspect, however, that the buildings that once served as the backdrop for scenes of immense cruelty and brutality may occasionally act as a catalyst for ancient and evil spirits. Regarding this theory, a cursory look at Leap Castle’s blood-soaked history could possibly explain the existence of the building’s elemental.
In the 16th century, the castle was the seat of the O’Carroll clan, ruthless Irish chieftains feared throughout the country. The O’Carrolls used to dispose of their enemies in a hidden dungeon or dungeon, which they entered through a trapdoor just off the castle chapel. Enemies of the clan were regularly thrown into this dungeon, some dying instantly from being pierced by the huge pike protruding from the ground, others missing it entirely and thus suffering a longer death.
The chapel itself came to be known as the ‘Bloody Chapel’, after it was the scene of a horrendous crime when Teige O’Carroll murdered her own brother while the latter was celebrating Mass. This heinous act formed the climax of a dispute between the two brothers for clan supremacy after the 1532 death of Chieftain Mulrooney O’Carroll.
One of the other appearances in Leap is the ‘Red Lady’, who allegedly terrorized several guests sleeping in the State Bedroom. These guests have recounted how they woke up in the dead of night with an ominous chill in the region of their hearts. Turning around, they were met with an eerie sight of a tall woman in a long red dress, her right arm raised and a knife in her hand, ready to strike. As they watched her approach her bed, they noticed how she seemed to be lit from within. However, turning on the light, she quickly disappeared.
The spooky castle is also home to a pair of ghostly girls who apparently lived there in the 17th century, as well as a ghostly monk and the restless spirits of an elderly couple who are believed to have once worked there as servants. A specter known as ‘Captain Savage’ also haunts the castle, searching for long-lost treasure believed to have been misplaced somewhere within the ancient fortress centuries ago.
