Ireland Trip #54: Blarney Castle's Murder Hole and Ghost

In this blog, Ireland Trip #54 we'll look at the darker side of Blarney Castle and show you the "Murder Hole" and a story about a Ghost who haunts the castle
 (although we didn't sense one)

Blarney Castle's "Murder Hole"

WHAT IS A "MURDER HOLE" ? - It sounds nasty, and it is, but every castle has one. A murder hole or meurtrière is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders could fire, throw or pour harmful substances or objects, such as rocks, arrows, scalding water, hot sand, quicklime, tar, or boiling oil, down on attackers.

the window looking out, and the hole below

Well, now that we've covered murder, we'll move onto the ghost! 

Blarney Castle

BLARNEY'S GHOST - According to the book "Haunted Ireland," the castle has a ghost, but it's unknown if it is a male or female. What is known, though, is that from time to time a ghostly face is seen peering through one of the building's windows (there's no glass btw, they're all open windows to the outside). 

Rob outside the castle

SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT THIS GHOST - Another weird thing said about the castle grounds is that people have reported seeing "ghostly salmon" swimming upstream in the nearby stream (and then disappearing). 

Tom outside the castle

NEXT: The Witches' Garden on Blarney's Grounds