Ireland After Dark

A farmhouse where an unseen force tormented a family.An intelligent entity that responded to priests, but refused to be driven out.A family ultimately ostracised by their community, forced to abandon their home and seek a new life in America.More than a century later, their ruined farmhouse in County Fermanagh remains standing, continuing to attract claims of paranormal disturbance.This is the Cooneen Haunting - one of Northern Ireland's most notorious hauntings.

A room in a seminary where two students met tragic ends, and a window that was bricked up from the inside.A phantom descending a staircase that had yet to be built.A demonic figure with glowing red eyes haunting an old Kilkenny inn.A malevolent presence said to be sealed inside a castle.With Halloween fast approaching, I explore four Irish locations touched by evil, from the infamous Rhetoric House in Maynooth to the ruins of Carrigaholt Castle in County Clare.Trigger warning: This episode contains references to suicide and self-harm.

A friendly monk appearing as a reflection in a bedroom mirror, and mingling with unsuspecting wedding guests.Guests waking to find spectral strangers in their rooms. A floating figure spotted in a corridor. A ghostly child and a dark secret.With Halloween fast approaching, I recount my visit to Kinnitty Castle, one of Ireland’s most intriguing haunted hotels.

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.