Looks nice, doesn’t it? We thought so after reading about “The Most Haunted Castle in the World”. Although this location wasn’t available for accommodations, we felt we owed it to you, dear reader, to put on our paranormal investigator pants and go bust some ghosts.

What we found was quite a ways away from our expectations.

The Fightin’ O’Bannons

Leap Castle was built around 1250 AD (estimated) by members of the O’Bannon clan. The O’Bannons had once been part of a larger kingdom just outside the the area that is today the southern border of Northern Ireland but they were so aggressive — even by the standards of the time — that they were banished from the region. They traveled south and were taken in by the O’Carroll clan who quickly regretted their decision as the O’Bannon’s didn’t change their views on thoughtful diplomacy just because they were the new kids in town. This spirit might have worked in their favor as the O’Bannon clan was the last clan in the region to be conquered by the British.

Leap of Faith

We arrived at the castle and were a bit perplexed because for a location that apparently has world-wide infamy, the entrance was narrow and hard to navigate, and the road leading up to the castle terminated in a loop just outside the front door. What we found was an estate in disarray. We questioned whether or not we had the correct “World’s Most Haunted Leap Castle” but decided to try our luck anyway.

I exited the car as Isabelle idled in the driveway, and rang the bell affixed to the front door. I was greeted by Sean Ryan, current owner of the castle.

Ryan was the qunitessential Irishman. He is a performer of traditional Irish music by day, and in his spare time he and his wife Anne have been attempting to restore the castle by themselves. The husband and wife bought the establishment in 1991, during a recession, and because the price was right. I asked him what drove him to purchase the castle, and he replied, “I don’t know that I was driven…”. I don’t know if that was the answer or if he was exhibiting that dry Irish wit.

Despite the fact that we expected way more of a tourist-forward presentation, Sean welcomed us in and explained the history of the house. The first floor that we got to see was comprised of a “staging area” that was part furnished, part work-in-progress filled with tables, chairs and benches, paintings, photographs, and modern equipment like battery power-banks and solar-powered landscape lighting fixtures. At the back of the foyer was a solarium which looked out over the former O’Bannon’s holdings, some 4,000 acres of farmland that was given over to raising cattle. I assume that this expanse is no longer part of the castle grounds.

The Tower

We were given a flashlight and access to a narrow stone stairwell that wound its way up. In two of the Irish castles we’ve been in, these tower staircases are one continuous structure; there are no landings where the floors exist. Instead, the doors simply appear in the wall at some point, making entrances — and exits — extremely tricky even for the most sure-footed.

The first room we encountered turned out to the be only one furnished (aside from the entranceway). This room held a long dining table with benches and chairs, a hutch and buffet, several pictures and tapestries, and a harp that was in serious need of a tuning.

There were a few small stairs in the corners of the room, one of which terminated in a locked door, alluding to the fact that there was more going on with this floor of the castle than we were able to view.

Continuing upwards, we encountered three more doors, two of which we were unable to open either because they were locked or because the mechanisms were jammed; we never found out what was in those rooms.

The top of the stairwell opened to an unfinished room with a dirt floor, corrougated metal roof, and empty windows. We were impressed with the lack of nesting birds, considering how open to the elements this room was, but it had a hell of a view.

What about the ghosts?

I asked Sean why Leap — pronounced “Lep”, as I was pointedly told after mispronouncing it according to the laws of English — Castle had a reputation as the most haunted castle, and he said he knew nothing about it…he claimed to have never visited any other castles so he couldn’t compare.

At this point I still wasn’t sure we were in the right place, or that this guy wasn’t just messing with us.

He did go on to talk about how there were spirits in residence, however, including a woman whom many visitors have claimed was fond of brushing up against them. Sean said that neither he, his family, nor any of their guests have ever felt threatened by any activity, which mainly consisted of footsteps in parts of the castles which no longer have floors, and whispering that one could never seem to approach. Most visitors claim that they had heard the sounds of a dinner party, complete with muted conversations and the clinking of utensils and glassware, from indeterminate locations throughout.

Legends say, however, that there are more sinister reports of otherworldly goings-on at Leap Castle, but I’ll let you read about those on your own time…preferably right before bed.

Why this is weird

Aside from its reputation, every bit of information we saw on Leap Castle presented it as a well maintained tourist location. When we arrived, it looked more like the front yard of a trailer park. The hero image for this post was taken in 2010, according to the Internet, which I suppose was when the Ryans were younger, and was well before COVID. According to the Wikipedia page, Leap Castle has been featured in several “ghost hunter” -themed shows, and has long been associated with events of the paranormal persuasion. To be fair, the castle looks far more like it’s haunted now than it did in 2010, but I can’t imagine that the facade and environs are helping bring in the renovation donations.

Sean was very accommodating, if droll, and answered our questions with one part historical bent and one part borderline sarcasm so I was never sure if he was in showman mode or was annoyed that two random people from the U.S. had barged into his castle. Again, we expected a complete and tourist-focused experience, but we left feeling like we had just wandered through a neighborhood and demanded a tour of a random house from a random inhabitant.

Hopefully, the Ryans will be able to complete their renovations. Leap Castle still has a good structure from what we could see of it, and it obviously has a killer marketing department. We assume that Sean didn’t write the copy for the official website tied to the castle, which begs the question: was it one of the spirits in residence?