The footbridge over the rail line near Mullingar Station is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a rail employee killed in an accident many years ago.

One recent witness recalled a figure in an old-style conductor’s uniform standing mid-bridge, gazing at the tracks. As the witness passed and turned back, the figure had vanished – leaving no trace.

While sightings are occasionally spoken of, most passers-by don’t “clock” what they’ve seen until the moment has passed. However, further along the “Old Galway” line at Clonmore, a different spectre is seen – one with a dark, documented history.

On the night of the 2nd of March 1869, Thomas Anketell, the station master, was shot dead at his residence on the Down Galway platform. A strict disciplinarian who had recently fired several men for theft, Anketell’s murder remains officially unsolved. Though suspicion fell on the secret Ribbonmen society, many believe it was an “inside job” planned in a local pub on Dominick Street.

Despite arrests, no one was ever convicted. Today, Anketell’s spirit is said to still patrol the line he once governed.