Maggie Murphy’s Lane stretches from Kilfennan to Nelson Drive and is said to be haunted by the spirits of young Maggie Murphy, her lover, and her furious father. According to legend, Maggie and her ill-fated lover, a farmhand from a lower class background, met a tragic end in the 1880s. Her father also died in the incident, and all three are believed to haunt the lane.
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Editor’s Note
For many years, there has been a tale about an woman named Maggie Murphy who hangs individuals from the trees lining the road, while other versions talk of a malevolent spirit that chases people who pass through. The full story.

In the early 1880s, Maggie Murphy was a young woman, the daughter of a prosperous landowner and farmer who ran a dairy farm. The Doherty family, who raised pigs for meat, owned the land next to the Murphys. Maggie became close to Conor, the son of the Doherty family. However, their love was forbidden due to their different social backgrounds. The couple would meet in secret in the lane and all was well until Maggie discovered that she was pregnant. Her father was enraged when he learned of her situation, and that she had gone against his wishes. Conor attempted to do the honourable thing and approached Mr Murphy, asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Needless to say, that didn’t go well and the young couple fled with the angry father in persuit. As the two made their escape, a gun shot rang out and Maggie fell to the ground, mortally wounded. Realising that he had accidentally shot his own daughter, Mr Murphy turned the gun on himself. The young man was later apprehended and charged in connection with the deaths of Mr Murphy and his daughter. He was hanged from a tree along the lane.

Some believe that the Murphy’s continue to watch over the lane to this day and that Conor’s spirit also remains here.