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Does the ghost of Richard Ely still roam the grounds of Ballaghmore Castle? JOHN AMBROSE MARTIN takes a look at the haunted County Laois
In the heart of County Laois and its lush countryside stands Ballaghmore Castle, a centuries-old fortress between the towns of Roscrea and Boris-in-Ossory.
It was built in 1480 by the Gaelic Chieftain MacGiollaphadraig (now called Fitzpatrick), meaning son of Patrick’s servant. This five-storey tower house had seen its share of intrigue, betrayal and heartache over the years, from Cromwell’s invasion forces to the Civil War, but none was as chilling as Richard Ely’s story.
The castle lay in ruins thanks to the heavy guns of Oliver Cromwell’s army, until a man named Richard Ely took a liking to the former fortress. Ely was an agent for local landlord, Charles Coote.
Coote and Ely were despised by the locals, who worked hard and struggled to make ends meet every day, and struggled to put a meal on the table for their families.
Life was hard, and the British landlords and collectors had a way of making life much harder for the locals with their greed for money and lack of compassion and empathy for their fellow man.
Richard Ely and Ballaghmore Castle
In 1836 Richard Ely took over the castle and began its restoration. Rumors at the time suggested that Ely financed the castle’s restoration using hidden gold he found in the grounds of Ballaghmore Castle itself.
Unfortunately for Ely, he would never spend a day in his restored castle.
One account suggests that Ely was shot dead by a tenant named James Delaney, who quickly became a local legend as rumors of his deed spread through the county.
Ely’s boss Coote had told him to raise the rent and show no mercy to tenants who couldn’t pay. For the residents this only meant one thing:
Eviction, poverty and famine for the people of Laois.
It was also rumored that Ely had added a generous ‘tip’ on top of the rent for himself, which only fueled the resentment and hatred towards him.
One stormy evening, after a night of drinking and dining, Richard Ely was heading home. With the restoration work on the castle almost complete, he decided that he would baptize the castle and take shelter from the storm there, as it was closer than his own residence. What Ely didn’t know is that Delaney was stalking him step by step.
When Ely arrived at the castle, Delaney took his shot. The sound of the shotgun’s defining explosion traveled for miles and could be heard even in the nearby village above the torrential rain and thunderous thunder.
Ely cried out in pain as he lay bleeding on the ground, his cruel soul clinging to life as each breath deepened and slowed as life left his wretched body.
James Delaney went into hiding immediately after Ely’s death and was taken in by local people in the border area. It is clear that he emerged only at night and managed to live a secret life for several years.
When he died, his body was secretly buried at night in Kyle Cemetery. The newspapers of the time, almost all of which represented the interests of the landlords, were scathing in their condemnation of those who harbored Delaney.
The ghost of Richard Ely
After Ely’s death the castle was used as a granary before being abandoned again. It was purchased in 1990 by the current owner and has now been completely restored.
It is still said that one of the castle’s flagstones is discolored by Ely’s blood and Ely’s ghost is said to wander the castle that he never had the chance to live in.
There is a Sheela-na-Gig carved into the stone of the castle wall to keep evil out. In the case of Richard Ely, however, it seems to be keeping him in!
Have you been to Ballaghmore Castle? Tell us your experiences in the comments below!
