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30th Oct 2019

Travel + Leisure has included Kilkenny in its top five most haunted places in Europe list

James Fenton

For over a century, the people of Ireland have been haunted by the county of Kilkenny and those who hail from it. Most of the country has at one point suffered at the hands of the Marble City’s ruthless streak, been battered and bruised as the murderous eyes of the county’s most powerful beasts bulge and their mouths salivate while they eat up and spit out their prey.

However, they haven’t won an All-Ireland since 2015, giving the rest of us some overdue respite from the terrifying performances which had become synonymous with every summer and autumn. While giving Ireland’s hurling community a break, Kilkenny is still putting chills in the spines of the rest of the world, if Travel + Leisure magazine is to be believed.

The U.S. publication has included Kilkenny in its list of the five most haunted places in Europe just in time for Halloween. In the piece, Kilkenny is described as having a ‘storied past, filled with tragic events that allegedly left behind spirits that visitors still witness today.’ It goes on to refer to the city as the home of Ireland’s first witch trial (more about that here).

According to T & L, people still ‘report seeing creepy figures in the River Nore that rise above the mist in the early morning’ to this day. Well, Kilkenny is a haven for stag and hen parties so that might explain it.

Also included on the spooky list are Poveglia Island in Italy, Château de Brissac in France, the Tower Of London in England and Akershus Festning in Norway. You can read more about all of their haunting credentials here.

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