County Wexford is home to several notable ghost stories and local legends, including tales from St. Colman’s Church, Loftus Hall, and Enniscorthy Castle.
Indestructible teals
St. Colman’s Church, named after the 6th-century saint Colman of Templeshambo, stands in Templeshanbo near Ballindaggan in County Wexford. Around 1188, Gerald of Wales recorded that the church once had a pond containing teals believed to be indestructible. Wild animals that attempted to kill these birds would be found dead. One man who tried to cook a teal discovered that his pot remained cold until the bird was released. On another occasion, a kite captured a teal and carried it to a nearby tree, where it seized up and fell to the ground as several witnesses watched.
Edenvale
A story from the 1400s later emerged concerning Edenvale, an area near Castlebridge in County Wexford. According to local belief, a blood stone in Edenvale, near Castlebridge, bears the stain of a Catholic priest who fell from his horse during the 1400s. The priest was fleeing through the forest when he hit his head on the stone and died instantly. His blood stained the rock for hundreds of years. The Fairyhill Ghost, an apparition seen in the window of a nearby house, has also been reported in the area.
Loftus Hall
One of the county’s most famous ghost stories comes from Loftus Hall, an 18th-century mansion on the Hook Peninsula. The story of the devil visiting Loftus Hall is one of the best-known ghost stories in Wexford. During a storm in 1766, a boat arrived at the Hook Peninsula, a few kilometres from the mansion. A young man soon knocked at the door seeking refuge from the weather. During his stay, he and the Tottenham family, who owned the house, played cards to pass the time. While the group played, Anne Tottenham noticed a card on the floor. As she bent down to pick it up, she was horrified to discover that the mysterious young man had cloven hooves instead of feet. Before she could confront him, he rose through the roof, leaving behind a large hole that could never be repaired.
Tottenham later became mentally ill, and her family locked her away in the Tapestry Room. According to local legend, she stared into the distance, waiting for her stranger to return. When she died, her muscles seized up so severely that she had to be buried in the same sitting position in which she was found.
Lady Carew
Another story, dating to 1856, involves a premonition of death at Castleboro House. In 1856, Lady Carew reported seeing a ghostly funeral procession outside Castleboro House. Two days later, she learned that her husband had died at the exact moment she had seen the vision.
Poltergeist
By the early 20th century, a poltergeist case emerged on Court Street in Enniscorthy. In 1910, a poltergeist haunted a lodger at a house on Court Street in Enniscorthy. Over three weeks, a carpenter named John Randall reported that his bed covers were torn off and heavy furniture moved around. One night, his bed started moving across the room, and throughout his stay he could hear footsteps all around him. Randall lost three-quarters of a stone from the ordeal and wrote a signed statement about the experience.
The Banshee
The Banshee, a well-known figure in Irish folklore, also features in local accounts from the county. She is an Irish female spirit that appears before someone is about to die. In many local stories, the Banshee wails while gently combing her long hair. In Nicky Rossiter’s The Little Book of Wexford, he writes that the Banshee was often called “The Bow” in Wexford Town. Older people would discourage others from picking up combs found on the street, warning that they belonged to “The Bow.”
One account from 1976 tells of a drunken Wexford man who snatched the comb from the Banshee’s hand. A supernatural force then placed him on a nearby windowsill, where he stayed for 48 hours with the comb glued firmly to his hand. Although the fire brigade tried to help, an invisible wall surrounded him, and they were unable to reach him.
Tintern Abbey
Ghostly monks have been reported at Bannow Bay, where onlookers saw a line of them walking towards Tintern Abbey, carrying burning torches and chanting hymns.
Enniscorthy Castle
In more recent years, paranormal investigators used audio technology to communicate with a spirit at Enniscorthy Castle. When Wexford Paranormal visited Enniscorthy Castle several years ago, they used a special audio tool to scan for speech patterns. The group asked “what is your name?” and the scanner picked up the name “Jim.” Later, the spirit revealed his surname and the names of his wife and children, allowing the group to locate the family on the 1901 census. They had apparently lived nearby.