Description:
Former ancient castle, now 37-room luxury hotel Era: ” The first Castle at Kinnitty was destroyed in 1209 and was later rebuilt by the Normans in 1213.
http://www.kinnittycastle.com/
History:
After rebuilding the castle, the Normans were driven out by the powerful Gaelic clan, the O’Carrolls of Ely.
1630, William O’Carroll built a new Castle in close proximity to the old Abbey. This was confiscated in 1641 by the English forces as part of the plantation of Offaly, or “Kings County” as it was renamed.
In 1922, as with many stately homes in Ireland, the Castle was burned down by the Republican forces.
The Castle was rebuilt in 1928 and the Bernard family lived there until 1946 when it was sold to Lord Decies who in turn sold the Castle to The State in 1951.
The State retained ownership until it was purchased by the Ryan family in 1994 and has since been transformed.
Ghost ratings:
In the Banquet Hall there is a huge presence of a spirit of a monk, very tall and is always dressed in black. He is apparently a kind spirit, who delights in some of the more joyous events that are held at the castle, and is especially fond of Con Ryan, the castle’s current owner.
The Geraldine Bedroom is where many people have told of feeling the presence of a spirit of a child, who is often heard whimpering.
Spooky experiences:
The Monk who resides in the Great Hall is apparently able to predict and foresee the future and he passes his messages through members of staff. Everything that he predicts allegedly comes true.
He is also rumoured to haunt the dungeon bar of the hotel.
Outside Con Ryan’s cottage lies an array of Celtic stones.
When paranormal groups investigated these stones, a number of orbs were detected on camera around them.
First Broadcast: 14th September 2004
A self confessed super fan of Most Haunted and editor of GhostMag.com. Matt’s passion for ghost hunting began when he moved into a haunted house in his second year of university in Leicester! His favourite location is the Niddry Street Vaults in Edinburgh.