Howth Castle

Waccoe

Hey,

I play alot of pitch and putt in deerpark in howth, and usually walk down past this Castle at night when its pitch dark,

It can be really freaky sometimes, so im just wondering if any of you guys ever heard of the stories that are attached to this place, I heard there was a ghost called puck that vacates the place, and also heard some rumours about Grace O'Malley being connected with this place,

Would anybody care to elaborate?

6th

The only castle i know of in Ireland with a ghost called puck is Malahide Castle?

Malahide Castle, in 250 acres of parkland, is in the seaside town of the
same name, just north of the city. It belonged to the Talbot family from
1185-1973, and is full of period furniture, fittings and portraits from the
National Gallery. A highlight is Puck, the castle’s ghost.

With regards to Howth and a Puck connection:

Howth Head: This area is a viewing point where sites of Dublin Bay and the Wicklow Mountains can be seen. This is an all year round seaside resort and the harbour is full of fishing boats. This is a very popular tourist attraction for both Dubliners and other tourists. Location: Bus 31 to Howth Harbour then walk along the waterfront to Balscadden Road. Distance: 7km/4.5 miles. Starting point: Balscadden Bay which is around the corner from the East Pier. Route: The road rises steeply up the hill and continues along the cliff path. Beside the carpark, at the end of the road lies a modern round tower. The cliff path leads eastwards passing Puck's rocks. The path from Casana rock boasts the best bird-cliffs. After the next bay there is a long walk and the outward route ends at the wall of the lighthouse on the little Baily. There are many routes back to the carpark.

Thats all i can dig up quickly.

monkeyfudge

The Pirate Queen Grace O'Malley has a connection to that castle.

The story goes that she turned up at the castle one day and asked for a seat at the dinner table, the castle turned her away... so she had the daughter of the castle kidnapped and didn't return her until given a place at the table.. she also decreed that the castle must always keep a spare place at the table for any stranger who might come knocking... the tradition is supposed to be carried on to this day...

I don't know how much truth there is to the story... a lot of tall tales have been attributed to O'Malley over the years.

DublinWriter

Waccoe wrote:

I heard there was a ghost called puck that vacates the place

Puck lives in Malahide Castle, not Howth Castle, as was a jester/dwarf if the memories of my 1980 school visit serve me well.