Athcarne Castle

Meath · Ireland · Castle ruin

In the ruin where James II is said to have slept before the Battle of the Boyne, a hanged soldier sways in the oak and a woman appears with blood on her hands.

Athcarne Castle outside Duleek was built in 1590 by the judge William Bathe and today stands as a gaping shell among the fields of Meath. Tradition holds that James II spent the night here before the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, and the shadow of that defeat seems never to have released the place. His figure is said to stand silent among the ruins at dusk, gazing out over the landscape he lost. Visitors also tell of the cries of dying soldiers, a woman with bloodied hands and, most chilling of all, a hanged soldier slowly swaying in the old oak tree. The ruin ranks among Ireland's most haunted.

FAQ

Where is Athcarne Castle located?

Athcarne Castle is in Meath, Ireland.

Image: Kieran Campbell / CC BY-SA 2.0 — Wikimedia Commons