Dublin’s most haunted spots

Dublin is home to a great deal of “haunted”, spooky places, but which ones should you visit this Halloween? We spoke to Dublin City Council South Central area’s Historian in Residence, Cathy Scuffil, about all things scary in Dublin City.

“Dublin 8 is the part of Dublin where there has been the most amount of unusual sightings,” Scuffil remarked. “The most haunted place in the area would be the gates at the church of St Audoen’s.”

St Audoen’s Church has a great deal of history and is allegedly home to a whole host of ghosts and ghouls. “One is the Green Lady: she floats down the steps and disappears into the wall of the church,” said Scuffil.

The Green Lady is said to be the ghost of an apparent witch. It was said that she was burned at the stake for the crime of witchcraft; however, research later showed she was actually executed due to being a serial killer! 

There is also a pub on Fishamble Street, Darkey Kelly’s, named after her that’s worth a visit if you’re if a fan of witchy stories.

The Brazen Head, Dublin’s oldest pub is said to be home to the ghost of failed revolutionary Robert Emmet. He planned the 1803 revolution in the pub and was hung and beheaded only metres away, with his blood running down the street towards the pub. It is rumoured that his ghost still sits in the pub, but Emmet isn’t the only spirit that haunts this street. 

“Around where the Brazen Head now is there used to be a pub called the Black Dog Tavern, and the Black Dog prison, and many people reported seeing a black dog, sometimes called the ‘dolocher’, around this area,” said Scuffil. 

The dolocher is said to be the spirit of a former prisoner who died by suicide before his execution, and some report the dolocher as a black pig while others claim to have seen a black dog.

There has also been sightings of a woman for many years on South Circular Road, at Dolphin’s Barn.

“It’s a salvage yard today but it used to be a big country house in the 1800s,” explained Scuffil. “The story is that a lady would be seen going up the driveway to the house and knocking on the door trying to gain access.” 

It’s alleged by some that she was banished from the house by her father because she married beneath her station.

Why not explore Dublin this Halloween and immerse yourself in the haunted history of the city!