Dunluce Castle

Dunluce Castle clings precariously to basalt cliffs overlooking the wild Atlantic Ocean on Northern Ireland’s dramatic Antrim coast. Built in the 13th century and expanded by the MacDonnell clan in the 16th century, the castle’s position on a rocky outcrop connected to the mainland by a narrow bridge made it nearly impregnable to attack. However, the same dramatic cliffs that provided defense also proved treacherous. The castle reached its peak of grandeur in the early 17th century before tragedy struck in 1639, when the kitchen—built extending over the cliff edge—collapsed during a storm, plunging servants and an evening’s feast into the churning sea below.

The ghosts of the servants who died in the kitchen collapse are the castle’s most persistent spirits. Witnesses report hearing screams and cries for help coming from the area where the kitchen once stood, particularly during stormy weather when the wind and waves crash against the cliffs. Some visitors have reported seeing phantom figures falling from the cliff edge, vanishing before they hit the water below. The tragedy so devastated the castle’s residents that Lady Catherine MacDonnell, who had been entertaining guests when the disaster occurred, refused to continue living at Dunluce, and the castle fell into gradual decline and abandonment.

Additional paranormal activity includes the sound of medieval banquets in the now-roofless Great Hall, phantom music from lutes and harps, and the appearance of a woman in Elizabethan dress believed to be Lady Catherine herself, forever mourning the loss of her servants. The castle’s dungeons and lower chambers report cold spots, shadow figures, and an oppressive atmosphere. Visitors walking across the bridge to the castle entrance frequently report feeling watched and experiencing sudden anxiety. The ghost of a Scottish soldier has been seen on the battlements, and some believe the spirit of a murdered heir haunts the vaults. The combination of the castle’s dramatic setting, violent history, and the tragedy of 1639 creates one of Ireland’s most atmospheric and actively haunted locations.