Ballyseede Castle is a luxury four-star hotel, and a popular choice for weddings or those seeking time out from modern day stresses. While the magnificent halls and plush rooms may now echo with the sound of chat, music, and laughter, the castle has a turbulent history, and it is acknowledged that a few of its earlier guests have yet to check out.

The original castle was home to the rebellious Fitzgerald family. The family refused to renounce their Catholic faith or to swear allegiance to the British Crown, and their resilience resulted in a conflict that lasted for three hundred years. On the 11th of November 1583, the rebellion was brought to a bloody end, when Gerald FitzGerald, the 16th Earl of Desmond, was beheaded in a nearby wood under the charge of treason. The “Rebel Earl’s” severed head was later brought to London where it was displayed on London Bridge as a grim warning to anyone who thought they could disobey Queen Elizabeth the 1st. As a further punishment, the castle and the 3,000 acres of land that surrounded it, were taken from the Fitzgerald clan. The property was later granted to Thomas Blennerhassett, and in 1721, the castle was completely rebuilt. Although renovated and extended by subsequent owners, it is this 18th century incarnation of the castle that stands today.

The nominal rent that was agreed for the lease of the land, famously included the requirement that a single red rose from the castle garden be presented each Midsummers Day. This tradition continued for nearly four hundred years until the death of Hilda Blennerhassett in 1965, at which point Ballyseede Castle was sold and converted for use as a hotel. Hilda was a well-regarded lady, who served as a nurse in the first world war and received the Mons Star for her services overseas. Her friendly spirit keeps watch over her former home and her presence is often signified by the delicate but distinct scent of roses. It should be noted that the rose garden no-longer exists, and the flower itself has not been present when the scent has been detected.

Locals recalled seeing a woman in a black Victorian dress standing at one of the upper floor windows before the hotel was even opened. As it happened, when Hilda passed away at the age of 84, she was found wearing an old black dress. Her ghost has been seen on the staircase and wandering along the upper floor towards her former bedroom. This room is now known as “The Crosby Room”. Guests and staff have witnessed her standing by the window, looking out across the estate, just as she did in life. Again, witnesses have reported the gentle scent of roses when her spirit is near.

In May 2020, the hotel owner was walking in the grounds when she spotted a figure looking out of the window. At the time, the hotel was closed due to the global pandemic and there was nobody in that part of the building.

While it is said that Hilda regularly returns to visit the home she so obviously loved, the 24th of March is recorded as a particular date that she likes to keep each year. The hotel openly acknowledges this.

Whispering has been heard in the drawing-room, and ghostly children dressed in period clothing have been seen and heard on the staircase and on the upper floors, sometimes entering guest bedrooms. It is likely that these were servant children who were employed to carry out household duties and run errands around the castle. Sadly, it is also likely that these poor unfortunates perished during the 19th century famine.

While the spirits of Ballyseede Castle are friendly, one or two encounters have been a little more alarming than others and perhaps reflect the turbulence of times past.
In 1923, nine IRA prisoners were executed in a sadistic fashion near the castle gate in retaliation for an attack in which six more men were brutally killed. The ghosts of the prisoners are believed to walk the castle grounds.

The owners had an unnerving experience of their own while the hotel was closed for annual maintenance, and they were staying there alone. One night they were disturbed by the sound of a slamming door and heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. On investigation, a figure that was “large in stature and heavyset” was spotted running down the stairs, but the doors were all secure and there was no evidence of any intrusion. Guests have also encountered doors slamming from time to time with no obvious explanation, and lights and televisions have been noted coming on in unoccupied rooms.