Originally a 19th-century manor belonging to the Blake family, the Oranmore Lodge has long been rumoured to host a quiet resident from another age. On still nights, soft tapping is said to sound upon the old sash windows, as though someone were politely knocking for entry.

Staff have nicknamed the unseen visitor “the Lady at the Window” — believed to be the spirit of a woman who once lived here, waiting in vain for her husband’s ship to return to Galway Bay. She is not thought to mean any harm; the gentle raps simply fade if addressed aloud, as though acknowledged.

Today, some hotel guests even request “the haunted room” in the old Georgian wing, hoping to hear the faint knock for themselves — a gentle reminder of Oranmore’s seafaring past and the love that refused to fade.