CHRISTINE MILLER seeks out the most haunted and ghostly places to visit in around Armagh in Northern Ireland
Vicars Hill, Armagh BT61 7ED
In 2017, a woman was terrified to learn that her car dashcam had recorded something decidedly spooky in the city of Armagh.
In the footage a figure fitted in Georgian attire can clearly be seen walking across the road only to disappear into the wall of the Church of Ireland Cathedral.
You can watch the ghost footage here.
Could this be the ghost of ‘the green lady’ having taken another form?
The story of the green lady is famous in this area of Armagh, and legend has it that her spirit was caught in a bottle and bricked up in a nearby building. Or could this be a different ghost altogether?
Whoever the ghost is, the woman who caught it on camera was positively terrified as her granddaughter attested to, stating “My granny is still hyperventilating from the shock of seeing the ghost”. No wonder…
Armagh Gaol, Gaol Square, BT60 1DH
Is there an Irish gaol that isn’t supposedly haunted?
Armagh Gaol, with its imposing panopticon design boasts a cacophony of poltergeist activity and has been tipped as Ireland’s most haunted place of incarceration.
Supposed activity includes cell doors banging, heavy footsteps and the (not uncommon) sighting of a tall man who watches as staff and visitors move around B wing.
You can read a more detailed testimony of the ghostly goings on in The Hauntings of Armagh Goal on Spooky Isles here.
The Hole in the Wall, 9 Market Street, BT61 7BW
This cosy traditional pub is home to a friendly ghost (no, not Casper – that’s the name of the pub’s resident parrot!). The ghost is known affectionately as Wilfy who is most active in the bar area of the old building.
Richhill Castle, Drumilly Road, Leggacory, BT61 8RG
Built around 1665 by Major Edward Richardson, Richhill Castle boasts of being one the very first unfortified castles ever to be built on the island of Ireland.
Dolly Munroe is one of the frequently seen spirits that calls the castle home; Dolly was a well-known beauty in her day who married Richardson and she is believed to still walk the corridors of this charming building.
The current owner, Gordon Lyttle has stated that although he has not witnessed any physical apparitions himself, his wider family have, with one of his relatives even stopping on the staircase to have a conversation with a ghost they were sure was none other than Dolly Munroe.
The Callan Bridge Haunting (exact location unknown), BT60 4BT
An article printed in a local Armagh newspaper in 1988 entitled “Crying Child Haunts House Says Family” states that two different families moved out of the same house in the short space of five days after claiming that a ghostly infant was making their lives unbearable.
Not content with performing disembodied shrieks at all hours of the morning, the spooky tot was also known to enthusiastically bang on the walls of the building, leaving both families absolutely petrified.
The last family to move in, a pair of rather unlucky newlyweds, spent less than 24 hours in the home, having to vacate at 12.45am so much was the terror they felt, but not before calling a priest who refused to enter the area of the building where the crying was heard because he “didn’t want to disturb anything”.
