Scare Week - Loftus Hall

Loftus Hall has been called the most haunted building in Ireland by many and I can tell you first hand that it is scary. I’d heard many of the stories about it before I visited. I’d been told by people who’d been there, who’d been inside it at some stage and I’d heard the stories. The most famous one involves the devil himself.

One stormy night, a stranger called to the door having been shipwrecked on the rocks at nearby Hook Head and asked for shelter. He was invited in and dined with the family of the house and their guests. A game of cards began and having dropped a card, the master of the house bent down to get it only to see that the stranger had hooves. He then flew up through the roof and created a hole that has never been repaired. The story is similar to the one told of the Hellfire Club in the Dublin mountains.

The house has recently been bought and is now re-open as a tourist attraction. We were invited to visit to work on the Scare Week series and were delighted to finally see it.

The building itself is imposing. It comes into sight as you drive towards Hook Head and immediately grabs your attention. It’s eerie and definitely makes you feel on edge. The inside has decayed significantly having been left abandoned in the past but it is being restored in stages. We saw the infamous card room and the bedroom in which the mistress of the house is said to have been detained after she went mad due to the devil’s visit.

Overall, Loftus Hall was a fantastic start to Scare Week and well worth a visit.