Loftus Hall

Shall we play cards Satan? Not a question anyone should ask but this is what happened at Loftus Hall.

Originally called Houseland Castle and built in 1170, it was rebuilt in 1350 and then again in 1870-ish by John Henry Loftus. This is when it was renamed Loftus Hall. He wanted to make it this grand house –so grand Queen Victoria herself would want to visit when she came to Ireland (spoiler – she didn’t visit). He integrated the original Hall into the mansion that stands today.

Everything that has happened started with one event, so our story begins in the mid-1600s with the untimely death of Anne Tottenham. Anne lived at Loftus Hall with her father, step-mother and siblings. On a stormy night, a stranger made his way up to the Hall and asked to take shelter within its walls. This was normal apparently, as it was the closest shelter to the docks.

This particular stranger stayed for several weeks and during this time Anne fell in love. Like head over heels, puppy dogs and rainbows in love. They spent a lot of their time in the Tapestry Room, getting up to all kinds of mischief. One night while her parents had guests over, they decided to have a game of cards (they didn't have monopoly or scrabble in those days). Now Anne either dropped a card or someone next to her did that bit is up for debate; either way, Anne bent down to pick up said card and found her ‘lover’ to have cloven hooves for feet. HOOVES people, actual HOOVES!! So, what does she do? Screams bloody murder and goes into shock/hysteria and I don’t blame her.

The stranger then exposes himself to be the Devil, transformed into a ball of fire and shot through the roof leaving a large black hole. The hole that he created could never be repaired fully and apparently there is a section of the roof that is different. After the whole ordeal, Anne’s mental state deteriorated rapidly and her family confined her to the Tapestry Room. While she was imprisoned (because there is no better word for it) she refused to eat and drink – she just withered away, waiting for her lover to return. She remained like this until her untimely death in 1675. When she passed, it was said that they couldn’t straighten her body out because her muscles had seized, so she was buried in the same sitting position that she died in.

After the Devil’s visit, it seemed that the house became haunted by a demonic entity (Surprise). The whole family was Protestant and sent for clergymen to cleanse the house of the spirit. It worked for a short time but eventually, it would come back. So as a desperate measure, they sent for a Catholic priest for help. The story is that he was successful but as you can probably guess again it didn’t last for long.

After the family passed, in 1917 the Sisters of Providence bought the property and turned into convent and school for girls who wanted to become nuns. During their brief stay at Loftus Hall they experienced poltergeist activity and had 2 deaths of their own – one Nun fell (or was pushed) down the stairs of the chapel and another drowned nearby.

During renovations, the skeletal remains of an infant were found in the wall of the Tapestry Room. No one is sure whether the infant was Anne’s from her fling with the Devil or someone else's. It could explain why Anne is one of the spirits at Loftus Hall. If she gave birth out of wedlock, and her family got rid of the child to save face then it’s no wonder why she hasn’t moved and why she was in such a state before her death.

People that have done ghost tours of Loftus Hall have said that they feel a dark presence in the chapel and that they feel like someone is trying to push them down the stairs (like the Nun). They have also felt a sadness in the Tapestry Room and have gotten EVPs here as well. During a ghost tour, the group was in absolute darkness waiting to see if they could hear or feel anything. All of a sudden one of the men on the tour became so enraged he bolted across the room to strangle a girl he didn’t know. Luckily there is CCTV in the room and staff were able to come and help the Tour Guide get him off her. The man didn’t know what had happened, neither did the rest of the group – all they heard was the girl screaming.

So, a lot of weird shiz has gone on Loftus Hall and I have a feeling it won’t be stopping anytime soon. Which is good news for all us ghosty people.