The Haunted Castle Leslie, Co. Monaghan, Ireland

The Ghosts of Castle Leslie

One of the many paranormal reports include a monk who has been seen in the banquet hall, were there has also been reports of a child crying. Another report is that of a man deemed to be the spirit of Norman Leslie, who died during the war in 1914.

One of the more recent hauntings took place in the basement of the castle. A member of staff was in the basement when she looked up to find a grey man with a frightening expression approach her quickly and disappeared within a few feet.

Lady Constance is said to haunt the Mauve bedroom. This report stems from Lady Leonie a past Lady of the castle. Lady Leonie was on her death bed when she was approached and had a conversation with an old woman who then walked off and disappeared. The sleepy nurse who was caring for Lady Leonie at the time also saw her but assumed it was a member of the family coming to pay her respects so she said nothing.

After the funeral service, the nurse and the family were sat in the Dining Room when the nurse looked up at a painting and noticed that the old woman on the painting looked exactly like the woman who she had seen in the room that night. The family said this would have been impossible because the picture was of a Lady Constance, and she died back in 1925…

About

Castle Leslie boasts 20 stunning and unique bedrooms. All the bedrooms are en-suite and are a feature in their own right with fabulously large baths, wacky showers and outrageous toilets, all done in a very tongue in cheek style, reflecting the family’s mildly eccentric history and the wonders of Victorian plumbing. Eating at Castle Leslie is extra special too.

Dining in the evening is a relaxed affair with pre-dinner drinks served in the Drawing Room or Fountain Garden depending on the time of year. Dinner is served in the original Castle dining room which hasn’t changed in over 100 years. The estate boasts three lakes, rolling parkland and a fine covering of mature native hardwoods. Oak, Ash, Sycamore and Yew form part of the ancient woods of Truagh that goes back to Celtic times.

The estate looks stunning in every season. On a lazy Summers day experience the tranquil timeless feeling of a piece of Irish heaven. In the Autumn, when the woodlands many golden hues reflect on the waters at sunset there’s no more beautiful place to be than Glaslough. As nature slumbers for the winter the Castle comes in to its own with mulled wine served by roaring log fires cocooning you from the elements.

Brief History

The castle was bought back in the mid 1600’s by John Leslie who was then the Bishop of Clogher. The castle was subsequently rebuilt and added to in the mid to late 1800’s. The Leslie family can be traced all the way back to Atilla the Hun. The very first Leslie Bartholomew, was the chamberlain and the protector of Margaret Queen of Scotland.

The castle was then passed down through many generations of the Leslie family, eventually landing in the hands of the present owner Samantha Leslie, who is the daughter of the previous owner Desmond Leslie. He was the one of the last surviving war time spitfire fighter pilots.