The Ghosts of Ballylough House

A bed and breakfast tucked away near the Giant’s Causeway in rural Northern Ireland houses centuries of ghosts. And podcast host Becky took her family there to spend the night. On this episode, she shares her experiences about the ghosts she encountered.

Homespun Haints

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The Ghosts at Ballylough

byBecky Kilimnik and Diana Doty

Near the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland sits a delightful collection of buildings known as Ballylough. You can book a room in the bed and breakfast, you can wander the grounds and gaze upon the ruins of an ancient castle, and you can bump into many, many ghosts upon the grounds. Listen as our co-host Becky tells of the ghosts she and her family encountered in this countryside manor one dark and spooky night.

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Episode Summary

For some of us, the word charming evokes images of lush gardens, cottage rooms and hearty food. For co-host Becky, charming also means taking her family to a haunted bed and breakfast thousands of miles from home, where centuries-old ghosts wander the grounds and warn of impending doom. Becky stayed at a delightful mansion in the northern Irish countryside, where she encountered beautiful scenery, warm hospitality, and sooo many Northern Ireland ghosts.

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About Ballylough House and the Northern Ireland ghosts

Ballylough House is a delightful structure about 5 miles from the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. The house itself is about 300 years old; however, it rests on top of the ruins of a castle decimated centuries ago.

The MacQuillans and the MacDonnells

Legend states that the MacQuillans and MacDonnells arranged a marriage between a young woman of the MacQuillan clan and a young man of the MacDonnells. The two families had been warring for generations, and the marriage would finally bring peace between the clans. The wedding took place at Ballylough, then occupied by the MacQuillans.

However, during the wedding feast, the MacDonnells swooped in and slaughtered everyone at the banquet, including the young bride and her mother. The MacDonnells then burned the castle to the ground; only the crumbling tower remains. The MacDonnells held the land until 1625, when they gave the land to their land agent, Archibald Stewart.

Would you spend the night in a haunted B&B built on a castle?

We loved our time at the Ballylough B&B! We would absolutely spend more time communing with the spirits there. It is certainly a reliable place to have a spooky day!