Ballygally Castle - Northern Ireland's Most Haunted
Ballygally Castle stands on the Antrim coast overlooking Ballygally Bay, built in 1625 by Scottish settler James Shaw during the Plantation of Ulster. Shaw rented land from the Earl of Antrim for £24 per annum and constructed a defensive stronghold with 5-6 foot thick walls, corner turrets, and battlemented parapets. It is the only 17th-century building still used as a residence in Northern Ireland and is considered one of Ulster's most haunted places.
Historical Background
The castle survived attacks during the 1641 Irish Rebellion. The Shaw family lived here for generations until business difficulties forced them to sell in 1799 for £15,400. It served as a reverend's residence, coastguard station to thwart smugglers in the 1830s, and various other uses before textile millionaire Cyril Lord transformed it into a hotel in the 1950s. Today it operates as a four-star hotel with 54 rooms under the Hastings Hotel chain and features Game of Thrones Door No. 9. The Resident Ghosts
- Lady Isabella Shaw - The Searching Mother: The castle's most famous ghost. After giving birth to a daughter instead of a male heir, Lord James Shaw took the baby and locked 16-year-old Isabella in a small turret room. Starving and tormented by her baby's cries, she tried to escape through the tiny window but fell to her death on the rocks below. Another version claims Shaw suspected infidelity and had her thrown from the tower. Her spirit still wanders the corridors searching for her lost daughter, appearing in period dress.
- Madame Nixon - The Silk Lady: A 19th-century resident who returned to Ballygally after her husband's death and lived there until 1789. Guests hear the rustling of her silk dress and smell her lingering perfume as she walks through the castle at night.
- Child Spirits: Playful ghost children haunt the castle. Guests hear laughter and small feet running through empty rooms. One guest felt a small hand touch his back while sleeping alone and fled to reception in his underwear in terror.
The Ghost Room
The tiny turret room at the top of a narrow spiral staircase is preserved as Lady Isabella's former prison. It contains only a metal cot-like bed, cabinet, table, and a portrait of a grim-faced woman. The remarkably small window makes her desperate escape attempt even more tragic. Once available for overnight stays, it's now only accessible for visits, with a plaque outside explaining the haunting's history. Paranormal Activity
- Most Common Phenomena: The signature haunting is knocking on guest doors in the middle of the night - doors open to reveal no one there, sometimes with small footsteps running away. Isabella appears in guest rooms before fading into nothingness. Multiple guests have seen her in period dress, including a 2013 journalist who saw her in a mirror.
- Physical Contact: Guests wake feeling small hands pushing or tugging at them with no visible presence. Invisible forces touch and pull at sleeping guests.
Object Movement: In 2003, manager Olga Henry locked a carefully arranged function room, only to return and find it in disarray with napkins unfolded and glasses with unusual scum arranged in a circle.
- Other Activity: Madame Nixon's silk dress rustles through corridors. Children's laughter and running footsteps echo through empty rooms. Temperature fluctuations occur despite thermostat settings. In 2016, a team using a ghost box heard voices including a child and men speaking Gaelic, with one member feeling someone sit beside them on the bed.
- Manager's Testimony: Skeptical manager Olga Henry stated in 2003: "I'm sort of very skeptical about the whole supernatural thing and ghosts. But the more I stay here and work here, the more I think there's definitely something in this hotel." Mediums regularly report detecting more ghosts than actual guests staying at the hotel.
Modern Day
The castle operates as a luxury hotel with 54 rooms, the Garden Restaurant, bistro, and landscaped gardens along the Causeway Coastal Route. A popular wedding venue, it offers ghost tours with staff. Recently named the fourth spookiest spot in the UK, it holds the title as Northern Ireland's most haunted location.