Castletown House

Kildare · Ireland · Manor

The card slipped to the floor, and bending for it Tom Conolly saw the cloven hoof in the stranger's boot. The priest drove him up the chimney.

In 1767 Tom Conolly was riding home to Castletown after a day's hunting when a stranger fell in beside him. Being the hospitable man he was, he invited the rider back to dinner. Afterwards they played cards, and the stranger won every hand. Then a card slipped to the floor, and as Conolly bent to retrieve it he saw that the stranger's boot hid a cloven hoof. A priest was called, and when he flung his prayer book at the guest the figure went up the chimney with a roar — and the hearthstone before the fire cracked in two. The room has been called the Devil's Room ever since, and the tale of the split hearth is among the best-known in Kildare. The house was built in the 1720s for Speaker William Conolly, and the Devil's Room is shown to visitors.

FAQ

Where is Castletown House located?

Castletown House is in Kildare, Ireland.