Ireland After Dark

Three haunted theatres where the show may not be over, even after the final curtain.From mysterious figures lurking in the wings to unexplained footsteps, ghostly faces and spirits said to linger among the seats, Ireland’s theatres have more than their fair share of backstage stories.In this episode, I visit three supposedly haunted venues: Mullingar Arts Centre, Dublin’s Olympia Theatre, and Belfast’s Grand Opera House, exploring their fascinating histories and the eerie encounters reported by performers, staff and paranormal investigators.And as the lights go down and the audience goes home, I ask whether these old theatres are keeping more than memories of the performances that once took place within their walls.

The banshee - Ireland’s legendary death messenger, whose mournful cry has been feared for generations.From old tales of fairy women combing their hair by moonlight to stories of families who claim to have heard her warning, the banshee has remained one of Ireland’s most enduring supernatural traditions.In this episode, I explore the folklore surrounding the banshee, from a 17th-century eyewitness account to modern-day encounters - including stories from my own family.And finally, I look beyond Ireland to Scotland and America, where similar traditions followed Irish and Scottish families across the Atlantic.

Three historic estates where family tragedy, old folklore, and stories of curses as well as ghosts have become part of the story.Seafield House in Sligo - now a ruin, where an old woman is said to have cursed the Phibbs family. Years later, it’s claimed that the family and their staff fled in terror.Duckett’s Grove in Carlow - a once-grand Gothic estate destroyed by fire. For generations, there has been talk of a family curse, a resident banshee, and a phantom carriage.And finally, Curraghmore House in Waterford, home to the Beresford family for centuries, where a curse was said to follow the family for seven generations. But an older story is also told - one that speaks of a ghostly visitation and a deadly prophecy.

Five historic churches and graveyards where centuries of history, old folklore and reports of the restless dead have become part of the story.St Audoen’s Church in Dublin, one of the city’s oldest surviving churches, where a ghostly Green Lady is said to haunt the steps and one notorious Dublin character reportedly came face to face with the Devil.St George’s Church in Dublin, now offices, this former place of worship became a nightclub, where the sound of an old church organ was reportedly heard long after the music stopped.And Templemichael in Waterford, a ruined church with stories of a sinister monk, unexplained organ music and a mysterious rope that appeared across the road.In Cork, the ruined Blackamoor Lane Friary Church is home to a story of a ghostly friar who returned to celebrate Mass - and a priest who decided to join him.And finally, Errigal Truagh in Monaghan, where the Churchyard Bride was said to prey on mourners, luring them into a deadly meeting among the graves.Five unique, historic locations - each with a story waiting to be told. Let's go to church.---If you have a true ghost story to share from anywhere in Ireland, please visit spiritedisle.ie and share your experience.

Three historic hotels where tragedy, institutional history and the restless dead have become part of the guest experience.The White Horse Hotel in Derry, built on the site of a nineteenth-century coaching inn with a brutal past, where an attack in 1819 is said to have set in motion a spectral visitation that returns every seven years.The Clayton Hotel in Sligo, a former asylum reborn as luxury accommodation, where guests and staff have reported encounters with Chloe, a child spirit, and an unsettling Crawling Man.And the Maldron Hotel Shandon in Cork, a former hospital where some claim a room was sealed due to paranormal activity.

A centuries-old university where murder, body-snatching and the restless dead have become part of campus folklore.A stern fellow shot dead in the Rubrics, whose ghost is said to still wander the corridors. Human remains uncovered during construction, and the grim history of resurrection men supplying Trinity’s medical school.The spirit of a mathematician said to have returned to the college after death, a professor whose ghost supposedly haunts a building he never lived to see, and a phantom librarian still keeping watch over the Long Room.A cloaked figure that vanishes when approached, a ghostly canon seen by several worshippers, and a mysterious light appearing outside the Examination Hall on the eve of exams.And finally, two students whose prank was mistaken for a genuine haunting.---If you have a true ghost story to share from anywhere in Ireland, please visit spiritedisle.ie and share your experience.