Ballyfin is an exclusive, five star country house hotel. The present house was constructed in the 1820s for Sir Charles Coote, and was designed by renowned Irish architects Sir Richard and William Morrison. For exactly one hundred years, the Cootes lived in grandeur, supported by a large household staff.

As Ireland’s political landscape shifted with the approach of independence, the Coote family sold the estate to the Patrician Brothers, who established a well-regarded school at Ballyfin that operated through much of the 20th century. But over the years, the property lost much of its grandeur and fell into a very sorry state. Thankfully, the estate was eventually saved and in 2011, Ballyfin reopened following an extensive, painstaking renovation which needs to be seen to be believed.

Now, I have seen suggestions that this fine property is haunted, but these are only rumours. There is however an interesting old story connected to the property and I am including this for novelty more than anything.

According to the tale, Colonel Parker Hutchinson once resided here, although I myself can find no proof of that. The story goes that a Sergeant Ireton lived nearby. As the Sergeant neared the end of his life, he pleaded with Colonel Hutchinson to allow him to be buried in a quiet grove beside the great house, but his request was refused. Years later, after Colonel Hutchinson’s own death, a young woman was waiting for a carriage to return from town. She had taken a lantern with her, but when she failed to return, her family went to search for her. They found her lifeless body on the grass, her lantern extinguished and discarded a short distance away. Two men set off to fetch the local priest, but as they returned with him, the three men were confronted by the headless ghost of Sergeant Ireton. The priest banished the spectre to the lake, but it is said that the figure is occasionally seen emerging from the water on quiet nights.