Sunday, April 16, 2006

Ireland: Portlick Castle

Ireland was an amazing trip for me. It was my first visit to Europe and I enjoyed every minute of it. Imagine, 3 DCMAG members, 4 non-ghosthunting loved ones; Bev, a ghosthunter from GA, and Barry, our host and guide. We all got along very well as a group and had no idea of the adventures we were about to get into.

Ireland is more green than any photo or TV show can realistically portray. The color is almost electric with its vibrance. Driving on the wrong side of the narrow roads was very unnerving--esp. the way Barry was hurtling us through time and space. As we turned into the long driveway, nothing quite prepared us for the grandeur that was Portlick Castle in Co. Westmeath. Privately owned and operated as a B&B, its original tower (above) was built in the 13th c. and the great house section later. Barry gave us a tour of its many rooms, great room and even the roof--with its amazing view of Lough (Lake) Ree and the rolling hillsides. Some of us took a walk down to the lake through the woods and it was eerily silent. No birds. No bugs. No critters moving. Just silence and the sound of the wind and water. I had noticed a "fairy ring" and Barry told me later that he had steered us away from it.

While at dinner that night I saw a shadow, a mist, and this faint ribbon of blue light. Castles are just as drafty as you can imagine, but the inside had beautiful furnishings. Remember, it's really someone's mansion. The next morning at breakfast, everyone was swapping stories. The GA couple heard furniture dragging and the "swoosh" of fabric like a dress. Barry thought someone was in his room and Alvin & D. heard furniture dragging and the feeling of a cat walking across their pillows and jumping off. Personally, me and my husband were out cold so we experienced nothing. Alvin's a gifted medium who's very humble about his gift. He'd never tell you if you didn't know. He saw a woman with pulled-back hair int he office next to our room and the moving arms and legs of a spirit on the stairs.

Another time we all had been hanging out in the great room talking and laughing in front of the fire. I love the smell of peat moss. There was a balcony overhead that leads to the stairs and the roof. As I was sitting there I looked up the the balcony and kept seeing glimpses of something up there and thought I saw a shadow go back and forth from the doorway to the middle. There was nothing that could have caused that. I look over at Alvin and nod towards the balcony. I see him watching it and he tells the room that there is a man in the middle leaning on the railing watching us. Remember, I said nothing to him about what I saw.

Bev had gone to lie down and rushed in, nervous. She and Alvin checked out her room and Bev told us that she heard a man's voice say "Whatever you want." No one was with her as we were all together. Later, Barry comes into the room and asks, "Did anyone call me?" We all said "No" as we were all together again. He explained that he heard a man's voice ask "Hello?"

Portlick was quite an experience, but next week, I'll share with you our experiences at the very famous Leap Castle.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

You obviously missed the genuine ghost. A ghost known as ' The Blue Lady' walks down the staircase in the main house.

Anonymous said...

Portlick was my home for 18 years and I still sleep totally buried under the covers. Most of the time it was very friendly and quiet. Qbviously there is a lot of confusion now

Anonymous said...

I work at Portlick Castle and have heard many stories. I've been workin there for a while now, but i havent experienced anything myself. (YET)

Bev Greenfield said...

L,

It's Bev-from our trip to Ireland in Nov. 2005. I'm delighted you included the Irish male voice I heard saying, "Whatever you want." I am still in the business. Would love to see you again.

Bev Greenfield, Chairperson
www.foundationforparanormalresearch.org

Anonymous said...

My sister was married on the castle grounds 8-13-07. Beautiful place! My father rented the castle for a day for the entire wedding party. We were told of two stories by the castle staff. One was the factual finding of a number of bodies under the table in the grand dining room. we were told it was between 12 and 20, discovered during an '84 renovation.
The second tale was of a ghostly necklace that was to remain in a drawer in a particular chest in room eight (I believe it was rm 8, it was an open bar). The caretaker's son Aarron, 13 yrs old, personally showed us the cryptic necklace, and explained the ghostly story behind it. When I video taped the chest and necklace, the footage was blank when I returned to the states. Maybe it was user error, maybe not.
-----Sean F. Ind, USA

Anonymous said...

Sean You were told a load of rubbish.
I have first hand knowledge of the Castle and can assure you there were no bodies in the dining room .And, any furniture there now is all new to the castle. I have some pieces from the Castle and no ghosts in them. But things definetley went bump in the night at times.

Anonymous said...

y fiance and I restored Portlick Castle and lived in the coachouse during the restoration. The builders working with Luke on the project had many experiences with "takers" , and Luke saw The Blue Lady shortly after purchasing Portlick. I personally had numberous experiences "takers" - it became a norm in daily life . They are like mischivous children. The Tower is bulit on where laylines cross and the source of much of the activity. S

Anonymous said...

thats my familys castle its pretty bi but sometimes gets boring,the tower was bulit in the 13th century!

Anonymous said...

Thats my familys castle we have owned it for seven years and i can tell u there is no blue lady no bodies under the table and no neckless nd if thre was it woud b in room 7 not in room 8 !!!! XX

Elle said...

Thank you all so much for sharing your stories about the castle! Portlick was a gorgeous place to stay and I feel lucky to have had the chance to do so.

Anonymous said...

me and mi family were in portlick castle last weekend and i was looking through a few pictures and noticed orbs in a lot of pictures but not 100% and i also saw this blue thing in the top of the picture but i noticed u taking about a blue lady but its in the sitting room,the room straight ahead as u walk in the entrance !please reply !

luke whitington said...

hello all, i am the owner and restorer of portlick since 1989.

i have been out of ireland since 2000 when i leased out the place.
it was a wedding venue for many years. i will not make a comment on how it was run to protect the guilty.

since regaining residence i have heard many made up stories about the place and of several people trying to impersonate me.
the ghosts are however all real. i have seen two, the celtic prisoner king in the base of the tower and of course the blue lady.
previous owners were the hanovics who saw the blue lady.
before then the smythes also saw her.

i live in the castle again and relish my vaporous friends, as someone said their playground is hewre and they are like mischevious children.

luke whitington said...

hello all, i am the owner and restorer of portlick since 1989.

i have been out of ireland since 2000 when i leased out the place.
it was a wedding venue for many years. i will not make a comment on how it was run to protect the guilty.

since regaining residence i have heard many made up stories about the place and of several people trying to impersonate me.
the ghosts are however all real. i have seen two, the celtic prisoner king in the base of the tower and of course the blue lady.
previous owners were the hanovics who saw the blue lady.
before then the smythes also saw her.

i live in the castle again and relish my vaporous friends, as someone said their playground is hewre and they are like mischevious children.

Elle said...

Thank you for posting. I think it is possible the Blue Lady was who my friend saw in the office. It may also have been her dress that was heard rustling. My stay at Portlick was unforgettable either way. I thought it was a beautiful place and can understand its popularity as a wedding venue.