The Final Draft > Spooky folklore from Kilkenny

Spooky folklore from Kilkenny

Kilkenny is Ireland’s medieval capital, and with that comes all kinds of frightening folklore and spooky stories. From haunted castles to ghostly hurlers on moonlit lakes, Kilkenny’s history is packed with stories of witches, spirits, curses, and spectral landscapes.

Since it’s the season for it, we took a look at some of the spookiest Kilkenny history and folklore to give you a little insight into the scarier side of our city.

Dame Alice Kyteler and the witch’s curse

In 1324, Kyteler’s Inn on St. Kieran’s Street became the stage for the first recorded witchcraft trial in not just Ireland, but Europe. Dame Alice Kyteler, a wealthy noblewoman, was accused of poisoning four successive husbands and causing their deaths, as well as practising dark magic. Many would say – fairly – that some suspicion was indeed warranted; after all, four wealthy husbands meeting their untimely deaths is certainly… noteworthy.

Still, it’s widely accepted that the accusations against her were grounded more in spite and envy than real fear. Locals claimed she led a coven, performed rituals with her maidservant Petronella, and used sorcery (and poison) to amass considerable wealth.

Alice fled to England to save her own skin, although poor Petronella was captured, interrogated, and tortured into making a false confession. Believed to be a witch, she was burned at the stake. And while Kyteler’s Inn today is one of the best attractions in Kilkenny, rumour has it that it’s haunted to this day by Petronella, her spirit unable to rest after meeting such an unjust end.

The white lady of Kilkenny Castle

Did you know that one of the best places to visit in Kilkenny is also one of the haunted? Lady Margaret Butler was born in the middle of the 15th Century and was part of the powerful Butler family. She is believed to be the castle’s infamous spectral White Lady, who has been seen by visitors and staff alike, floating the halls, staircases, and gardens of the castle.

Although she did not die in Kilkenny, she’s believed to have returned in her ghostly form – although nobody knows why. Perhaps she has some unfinished business… or maybe she just loved the castle and chose to make it her eternal home…

But she may not be the only ghostly guest in the castle. One of the cameras that counts visitor numbers to the castle has been observed counting new visitors to the castle’s old dungeon, long after the doors have closed for the night. Who knows how many tortured souls suffered there, and how many remain…

The ghost hurlers of Lough Cullen

Kilkenny’s only lake, Lough Cullen (also called by its English name, Holly Lake), is steeped in eerie lore. One chilling tale describes ghostly apparitions that appear on the Lake’s glassy, shimmering surface under the light of the full moon. Here, they play a long and violent game of hurling, unleashing a chorus of wails and shouts that reverberate across the dark night and send the usually calm surface of the lake into a state of agitation.

The legend of the lake and its spooky hurlers holds that a witch tricked a thirsty young hurler into pulling up a rush to find water. When he did so, a flood was unleashed that drowned the young man and his teammates, forming the lake. Nobody knows why the full moon draws them to the surface for their game; perhaps it was a full moon when they met their fate..

The collapse of John’s Bridge

John’s Bridge was first built around 1200 but had to be rebuilt after a catastrophic collapse during the great flood of 1763.

During the flood, in early October of that year, people crowded to John’s Bridge to watch events unfolding. These events included the collapse of Green’s Bridge, which was a little further upriver. As they stood watching the catastrophe unfold before them, more catastrophes hit. John’s bridge, itself under immense pressure from the flood, also gave way. Sixteen souls died in the bridge collapse and were washed away in the violent waters.

Locals and visitors to this day claim that they can see ghostly shapes leaning on the bridge’s walls, all gazing toward the rebuilt Green’s Bridge, their lost souls tied to the place where they spent their last moments on this earth.

Seeking more scares?

As well as visiting the Smithwick’s Experience this spooky season, why not delve a little deeper into the dark side of the city? The Kilkenny Dark Walking Tours are a fun group activitythat will take you through Kilkenny’s creepy and sinister past. Or to truly immerse yourself in something dark and dastardly, Kilkenny’s fantastic Murder Mystery Tours are one of the best attractions in Kilkenny at this time of year.