Charleville Castle

Charleville Castle is also at the top of the list of Most Haunted Castle of Ireland right along with Leap Castle. I am hoping to work it into our list of places to see while we are in Ireland. I mean coming from a paranormal investigator stand point it would be an really great to get a chance to check it out! So let me get on to giving you some of the history of Charleville Castle as well as some of the reported paranormal activity.

History of Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Ireland

The Castle is situated in Ireland's most ancient primordial oak woodlands, once the haunting grounds of Ireland's druids thousands of years ago. The Castle grounds were once the site of an ancient burial ground inhabited by Druid Celtic priests in the 6th century.  The Oak was the Sacred tree of the Druids and in the grounds of the Castle is a Druids initiation Circle a constant reminder that this was a Sacred Ritual site. When the plague hit Ireland it was widespread during the middle ages, many of the local sick people were buried alive to prevent the sickness from spreading. Many believe that their spirits continue to haunt the Castle grounds.

 in 1577 1,700 acres of this land became a gift to the Moore family from Queen Elizabeth I. A member of the Moore family was raised to the Earldom of Charleville, but the title lapsed in 1764 due to the lack of heirs in the direct male line. The land, however was eventually inherited back by 6 month old infant Charles William Bury, born into the  Co. Limerick land-owning family, who was importantly, also a grand-nephew of the last Earl.

Charles William Bury was created Baron Tullamoore in 1797, and as a man of considerable wealth joined into building a Castle  by engaging the services of the renowned architect Francis Johnston in the planning of the Castle to be built near Tullamoore. The construction of Charleville Castle commenced in 1798 and it took the next 14 years to complete what many considered the finest Neo-Gothic Castle in all of Ireland. The wonderful craftsmanship involved being mainly due to the skill  the Irish people. Charles William Bury was raised to the restored Earldom of Charleville in 1806.

There are many rumors that Charles William Bury practiced devil worship and chose the site for the Castle because it reportedly lies on ancient electro magnetic ley lines, which would allow him to take advantage of the natural magnetic energies that are prevelant there. Two of the Earls of Charleville were Grandmasters in the Freemasons of Ireland. This is why the towers were designed with the 8 point star construction. Free masonry was a family tradition with the Burys. Could this have anything to do with the plethora of ghostly phenomenon reported at their family home? Who can say?

Ghosts of Charleville Castle

The most famous ghost of Charleville Castle is perhaps the most tragic, due to her tender age. In April of 1961, Harriet the youngest daughter of the 3rd Earl of Charleville, tragically died while playfully sliding down the banister of the grand staircase when she lost her balance and fell to her death on the cold stone floor below, She was just 8 years old. Her presence in the Castle has been reported many times by many different people. Many people have sensed movement of cold air when traversing the stairway. Others have seen a girl in a blue and white dress with golden curls and blue ribbons in her hair standing on the staircase.

There are two main areas in the Castle where the paranormal activity seems to be focused, the old dungeon and the library. The dungeon, a dark damp place, is said to be the haunting grounds of the entity of a sadist. over the centuries many prisoners are said to have died down there through torture, some of these torture devices are still present. Paranormal investigations that have taken place down there have often had to be cut short due t members having their faces scratched and in one case a cameraman was dragged halfway down a corridor.

Anyone that enters the Castle is asked by the owner not to go near the balcony that over looks the Library. As he has been told by a medium that there is an powerful "Elemental" (Elemental = is a spirit that by nature is chaotic and destructive, but is also clever and capable of reasoning. Not totally evil, but certainly not good). He advised the owner to never let anyone up there as this Element would not hesitate to do harm to someone. And that he should never to try and banish it, just to leave it be. Taking caution to heart, the owner has kept the balcony locked ever since.

Finally, the legend of Charleville Castle "King Oak". The "King Oak" is a huge ancient tree that had a special relationship to the Bury family. It was said that if one of the branches fell from the tree, a member of the family would pass away shortly. In 1963 the oak was hit by a devastating lightning strike. The tree managed to survive, but within a matter of days Colonel Charles Howard-Bury, the head of the Bury family and last of the family to own the castle, died unexpectedly.


Well there ya go my friends, that is the history of Charleville Castle. Sounds interesting doesn't it???  Again I tell ya I wish I could pack Dom, Carrie and Julie in my suitcases as I know how much they would love to go and investigate these places with me!! What fun we would have!

As of today we are down to 100 days!!!! almost double digits! So excited. Just cant get her fast enough I tell ya. Well until the next time my friends.

Blessed Be