For a building on Limerick’s Sarsfield Street, a lingering, uneasy reputation has persisted for decades.

Today, the site forms part of the University of Limerick’s city campus, but its history is a patchwork of past lives. Many still remember it as the bustling Dunnes Stores that occupied the premises from the 1970s onward. Before that, it housed Stokes & McKiernan, a wholesale distributor of electrical and motor products. Looking back even further, the site was home to Spillane’s tobacco factory and a structure known as Garryowen House.

Beneath these historical layers, whispers have long circulated that something about the premises is not quite right.

Over the years, staff reported a series of unexplained occurrences: objects moving of their own accord, unaccounted-for movements in the shadows, and a growing sense that certain areas were best avoided. One room on an upper floor became particularly notorious. Those who approached it described a sudden, heavy unease, while children were said to react with inexplicable distress, refusing to go any further. Eventually, the decision was made to keep the room permanently locked.

The atmosphere was reportedly even more palpable after hours. Security staff described the sound of footsteps in empty corridors, movement in the periphery of their vision, and the distinct, prickling sensation of being watched.

These accounts are bolstered by earlier reports from the building’s time as Stokes & McKiernan. During that era, a grey-haired man in tweed was frequently sighted, appearing briefly before fading into thin air. Lifts were known to operate on their own, doors opened and closed without cause, and a solitary figure was occasionally spotted on the roof—only to vanish the moment someone approached.

In time, these hauntings became associated with a figure known as the “Blue Lady.” Yet, she remains an enigma. Unlike many local legends, no clear description of her exists, and there is no confirmed tragedy to explain her presence—only the enduring, restless energy she leaves in her wake.