Leixlip Castle

Kildare · Ireland · Castle

When the bean sí is heard keening inside the corridors, a Conolly is to die before the week is out — and she is never seen, only heard.

The castle above the salmon leap on the Liffey was raised in the 1170s and long belonged to the Conollys, the family that built Castletown a little upriver. With the family came a bean sí, the keening woman of Irish belief who attaches herself to certain houses and gives warning of death. Tradition at Leixlip holds that her crying is heard inside the corridors of the castle, not outside the walls, and that whoever hears it should expect news of a death in the family before long. She is never seen; the sound itself is the omen. Only families of old blood earn a banshee, it is said — which at Leixlip was taken as a doubtful honour. The name Leixlip comes from the Old Norse lax hlaup, the salmon's leap, after the falls below the walls. It is still a private home.

FAQ

Where is Leixlip Castle located?

Leixlip Castle is in Kildare, Ireland.

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