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Leap Castle In 1532 upon the death of The Chief of the Clan, fierce rivalry erupted within the family. Above the main hall of the original tower is the Bloody Chapel where "One-eyed Tadhg O'Carroll slew his brother, a priest, as he was holding mass at the altar, hence the name the Bloody Chapel. Off this chamber a hidden room with a drop door was found. Unsuspscting prisoners were hurled into this spiked oubliette and conveniently forgotten. Several cartloads of human and animal bones were removed from here around 1900. The last use of the murder hole was dated as the seventeenth century. In 1599 Charles O Carroll the last ruling chieftain hired a force of MacMahons of Monaghan as mercenaries against the Earl of Tyrone. When their work was done he got them drunk on a lavish feast and had them all massacred in their sleep. The Darby family from Leicestershire in England acquired the estate in 1659 when Jonathan Darby married the Charles O'Carrolls daughter. He was said to have hidden vast treasures in the grounds of the castle with the help of two servants, whom he then murdered. He spent many years in prison for treason and on his release could not remember where the hoard was hidden. To this day the mystery remains. Leap Castle was reputed to be haunted even during the time the Darby family lived their. Overnight guests were frequently faced with the terrifying spectre of a tall female figure in a red gown clutching a radiant dagger. Another strange apparition encountered by Mildred Darby is a foul smelling, elemental half human half beast that haunts the stairway overlooking the Hangman's Field. The Darbys remained in Leap Castle until 1922 when it was burned,looted and plundered during the War of Independence. Leap Castle recently featured on the television programme 'Most Haunted' on Living TV. The present owner of Leap Castle, Sean Ryan, will be happy to recount his family experiences of the spirits of Leap.The castle is open all year round by appointment - see www for more details.. |
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The Original Tower House of Leap Castle (Leam Ui Bhanain) was once the principal seat of The O'Carrolls of Ely. It stood on a vast ancient rock guarding a strategic pass through the Slieve Bloom mountains. The O'Carrolls were the last remaining chieftains of the area to surrender to the English in the seventeenth century.However their fierce reputation remained with them.
