A quiet drink in a Castlewellan pub leads to terrifying night and tragic tale

28 October 2011

ONE cold Halloween night a few of the local lads were living it up in a well known public house. As the night wore on the craic soon turned to telling ghost stories.

An old man seated nearby listened to the stories with interest and then slowly approached the group saying he could not help but overhear the stories and found them very interesting.

The clock on the mantelpiece above the cosy fire chimed ten o'clock and by now the group were in full swing. The old man told a few ghost stories himself which the boys found amusing.

One of the group said he did not believe in ghosts and whilst he enjoyed the stories said he was not afraid of ghosts, as they did not exist and it was all in people's imagination. The old man said he was not too sure about that but "seeing as you appear to be a brave sort of a fellow that wouldn't scare easily how about a little wager." "I'm your man," said the fellow who did not believe in ghosts.

The old man then asked the group if they knew the old house just outside the town which was now used as a cow shed, everyone knew the cow shed well, so the old man said if anyone was prepared to spend the night in the shed they would win the bet. The old man advised them all to meet in the pub the following evening at the same time and he would buy all the drink for whoever spends the full night in the barn. Full of both alcohol and bravery, they decided all to go and the old man reiterated that anyone who leaves early will lose the bet. He advised them that there should be plenty of hay in the shed to keep them warm and wished them luck telling them he would see them tomorrow night.

With that the group got up and left the pub making their way merrily to the edge of town. Spirits were high and they laughed believing they were in for a treat the following night with free drink.

Very soon they were clear of the town and the road grew dark with trees looming large on either side. A marked silence descended on the group as they grew near to the old house. The gate at the laneway creaked as it was opened and the boys could sense the silence all around them.

One of the group thought that perhaps they could cheat and pretend they had spent the night but the braver of the group said that no, they were all in this together, it was only one night, and then tomorrow they could accept their free drinks feeling chuffed with themselves.

It was pitch black around the house and one of the lads had to use his lighter to find the entrance. Once inside they found some hay and settled down for the night and very soon they were all asleep.

Sometime around midnight one of the boys awakened trembling with fright. He lay listening for a while trying to assure himself that the sound he had hear was just some animal, maybe a fox or a badger shuffling outside. The sound he had heard was not being made by an animal outside but seemed to be getting close to where the group was sleeping. He screamed at this companion advising that someone was in the house making strange moaning noises and rattling a chain.

By now they were all awake and aware of the noises and clambered over each other in an effort to get out of the house. Once outside they took to their heels and headed home.

Next night saw the lads back at the pub where they had found the old man already seated by the fire and he knew by the look on their faces as they entered that something had happened last night. He offered to buy a round of drink but they declined his offer saying that they had not won the bet as none of them had stayed in the house all night.

After listening to the story the lads told him the old man was not surprised as he himself had experienced something similar nearly 50 years earlier.

The only difference in the stories was that the old man had seen something in the corner of the room that resembled a human being holding a small bundle in its arms. The figure was chained to a wall and the old man said that he could still hear the clanking of the chains in his dreams.

After lighting his pipe the old man started to relate this story:

'Many years ago, long before I was born a family lived in the house with their only child, a beautiful girl. When the girl grew up she started to go out with a local boy that her parents did not approve of. Despite their pleadings the girl continued to see the boy and after a while she became pregnant. She tried to conceal it for as long as she could but eventually they found out.

The father in particular was overcome with rage and when he heard the news he beat the girl severely before locking her in a room. A room that she would spend the rest of her days in.

The mother was worried that if word got out that their daughter was going to have a child out of wedlock how were they going to face the people. The father was adamant that word would not get out and outlined his plan to his wife. They would pretend that the girl had gone to look after a sick aunt in a different county, that would cover her absence and in the meantime she must remain locked up in the room.

The mother tended to the girls needs and despite her daughter pleading to be allowed out the mother never relented and the girl became a prisoner in her own home.

Time passed and soon she gave birth to a baby girl. Any notion that her parents would relent once they had seen the child was soon squashed and if anything it only strengthened their resolve to keep their secret from the eyes of the local people.

The house was isolated with very few callers who were dealt with very quickly by one or other of the parents. The strain was beginning to tell and suddenly the father collapsed and died of a heart attack. His remains were taken to the church immediately, thus avoiding any problems that a wake might present. Not long after the old woman herself died leaving the daughter and child still locked up in the room with no one to feed them.

The child was the first to die and the young mother continued to nurse it until nothing more than a skeleton she herself passed away.

As there was no other next of kin the house lay empty for years with its gruesome secret still in the room. Then a local farmer obtained the house as a wintering shed for his cattle. He found the door to one of the rooms securely padlocked and proceed to break it down. On entering he discovered the skeletons of an adult and a baby.

After the appropriate authorities were notified and an investigation had taken place the bones were removed and buried in the local graveyard in an unmarked grave.

Down through the years many people have claimed to have heard strange screaming sounds coming from the house and ghostly shapes appearing at the window.

The ruins of the house outside Castlewellan are still visible to this present day.'

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