No Spirits at Drimnagh Castle For Halloween 2023, Except For Eleanor Barnwell
Ghost/Paranormal
Tuesday 24th, October 2023
Drimnagh Castle which is a popular tourist attraction will not be hosting any Halloween events in 2023 due to ongoing renovation works.
The castle has a long standing reputation for being haunted, and only recently Ubuy reviewed TripAdvisor descriptions that mentioned the word 'haunted' associated to castles across Europe. The outcome was that they named five countries that received a review with 'ghoulish claims' with Drimnagh castle being one of the five.
The castle is said to be haunted by a young woman named Eleanor Barnwell who was to be married to her cousin Edmund Barnwell but her true love was for Sean O'Byrne from a different clan, a clan that was a sworn enemy of the Barnwells.
Eleanor was forced to marry her cousin Edmund, but when her true love set off towards St Patrick’s Cathedral, where the wedding was to take place, he was ambushed and killed en route by O’Byrne and his men. In retribution, Eleanor’s uncle Hugh and his knights attacked the O'Byrnes and Eleanor's beloved Sean was killed. Eleanor's uncle brought her back to Drimnagh and forbade her to leave the castle.
According to one version of the story surrounding Eleanor, a devastated Eleanor escaped the castle and went looking for her true love’s grave but ended up dying of exposure deep in the Dublin Mountains, while a second version of the story says she leapt from the walls of the castle and fell to her death.
Eleanor's ghost is now reported to wander through the rooms of the castle forever searching for her true love.
A spokesperson for Drimnagh Castle said in relation to Halloween 2023 events and the renovation works,
Maybe in 2024 we will possibly seen some Halloween based events at the castle, we'll have to wait and see.
The castle has a long standing reputation for being haunted, and only recently Ubuy reviewed TripAdvisor descriptions that mentioned the word 'haunted' associated to castles across Europe. The outcome was that they named five countries that received a review with 'ghoulish claims' with Drimnagh castle being one of the five.
The castle is said to be haunted by a young woman named Eleanor Barnwell who was to be married to her cousin Edmund Barnwell but her true love was for Sean O'Byrne from a different clan, a clan that was a sworn enemy of the Barnwells.
Eleanor was forced to marry her cousin Edmund, but when her true love set off towards St Patrick’s Cathedral, where the wedding was to take place, he was ambushed and killed en route by O’Byrne and his men. In retribution, Eleanor’s uncle Hugh and his knights attacked the O'Byrnes and Eleanor's beloved Sean was killed. Eleanor's uncle brought her back to Drimnagh and forbade her to leave the castle.
According to one version of the story surrounding Eleanor, a devastated Eleanor escaped the castle and went looking for her true love’s grave but ended up dying of exposure deep in the Dublin Mountains, while a second version of the story says she leapt from the walls of the castle and fell to her death.
Eleanor's ghost is now reported to wander through the rooms of the castle forever searching for her true love.
A spokesperson for Drimnagh Castle said in relation to Halloween 2023 events and the renovation works,
"So we can't really have anybody in or around the building until we get the repairs done because it's dangerous - there's people up on top of the roof, they’re working on the roof."
"Drimnagh Castle is not just a tourist attraction; it is an important part of Irish history. We believe that it is important to preserve the castle's integrity and to avoid hosting events that could trivialise its history."
"Finally, we need to consider the day-to-day maintenance and operation of the castle. Hosting Halloween events would require a significant amount of planning and preparation. We would also need to hire additional staff to help with security and crowd control."
"This would be a drain on our resources, and it would take away from our ability to focus on our core mission of preserving and promoting the castle."
"a welcoming and enjoyable place for everyone to visit", they believe that it is important to do so "in a way that is respectful of the castle's history and integrity"
Maybe in 2024 we will possibly seen some Halloween based events at the castle, we'll have to wait and see.
