Annagh Castle, Country Tipperary
Appearing like a 'ghost ship' in the night, this ancient castle of the reowned O'Kennedy clan is said to conceal a fabulous hoard by Edmond Roe O'Kennedy, who rebelled against the English Queen Elizabeth I in the sixteenth century, and was killed at the stronghold along with his secret. Over the following centuries his ghost has appeared to several unsuspecting visitors to the castle. The apparition has been described as deathly pale, with its throat cut, the blood dark and congealed.
A German archaeology student,who visited the site in 1975, told of how, when he was examining the castle vaults early one summer's evening, he heard a gasping sound behind him. Frozen by fear, he waited a few seconds before turning slowly to see a ghastly apparition standing at the top of the steps, blocking his exit. He managed to grab a large rock and hurled it at the spectre, which disappeared into thin air. Some weeks later, on hearing the ghost story from a local man, he could not help wondering whether the spirit was trying to harm him, or perhaps lead him to the treasure.
