Ballyallia sits just north of Ennis, on the banks of the River Fergus near the lake that takes its name from the same townland. It is a quiet, pleasant corner of Clare, and Ballyallia House – a property with the character of a building that has stood long enough to accumulate its own stories.

The figure associated with the house is an elderly woman, seen standing on the staircase. She appears, by most accounts, when visitors arrive – as though drawn by company rather than disturbed by it. She has never been reported as threatening or distressing. She is simply there, and then she is not. Her identity is unknown. No history for the house has been established that might account for her, and no name has ever been attached to the figure. She may be a former occupant who lived and died within these walls, returning out of habit or attachment. It is one of those cases where the story is clearer than the explanation.