The Killakee Dower Home in Dublin on the foot of the hill that may be identified for its darkish plenty and hauntings, was for a very long time affected by it. After the infamous Hellfire Membership began to carry their conferences there, darkish and mysterious issues began to occur.
The origins of Killakee Home date again to the late 18th century when it was constructed as a searching lodge by the distinguished Connolly household. The Connolly’s, identified for his or her connection to Castletown Home in County Kildare, created this charming lodge on the property that may later bear the identify Killakee. The grand home was demolished in 1941, however the Dower Home remains to be standing.
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The home itself is a two-story constructing, perched alongside the Navy Highway, providing a view of the encircling countryside. Through the years, it has performed a number of roles, from serving as a dower home to offering a residence for the property’s supervisor.
The Sinister Beginnings: The Hellfire Membership
The grounds round Killakee Home are shrouded in darkish historical past, notably because of the presence of the notorious Hellfire Membership. Within the mid-1700s, Richard Parsons established this sinister department of the Hellfire Membership, an English-based secret society identified for its debauched and infrequently disturbing gatherings.
First, the membership rented one other searching lodge on high of the hill, however they might quickly discover their method into the Dower Home as properly.
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Right here, among the many ruins of the Hellfire Membership on Montpelier Hill, members partook in actions that included satan worship, ritualistic animal sacrifice, and even witch burnings. One grotesque account tells of the ritualistic killing of a black cat, which was doused in whisky and set ablaze. This eerie connection to the supernatural would later come again to hang-out Killakee Dower Home.
After the searching lodge they initially held their assembly in was broken in a fireplace they began to carry the conferences at Killakee Dower Home. After they left this place, the Dower Home was left with a tainted fame and believed to be haunted.
The Arrival of Margaret and Nicholas O’Brien
In 1968, Margaret and Nicholas O’Brien breathed new life into the dilapidated Dower Home, with desires of remodeling it into an arts middle. Little did they know that their restoration efforts would awaken one thing otherworldly.


The workmen started reporting unusual occurrences as they have been working at Killakee Dower Home. Eerie sounds crammed the air, and odd happenings grew to become commonplace. However probably the most unsettling phenomenon was the looks of a giant black cat with piercing crimson eyes.
The Haunting of the Black Cat
Probably the most infamous apparition related to Killakee Dower Home is undoubtedly the spectral black cat. Witnessed by a number of people, together with artist Tom McAssey, this mysterious feline was no unusual home pet. Described as being as massive as a Dalmatian, it emitted an ominous presence.
One evening, Tom McAssey confronted the phantom presence outdoors the entrance door, believing it to be a prank by one of many employees. Nonetheless, he quickly realized that the determine was not human, and a menacing snarl was adopted by the sight of a growling black cat with eerie crimson eyes. A shadowy determine growled “You can’t see me. You don’t even know who I’m”. This terrifying encounter despatched McAssey and the opposite employees fleeing in sheer terror.
The Seance on the Dower Home
Past the spectral cat, Killakee Dower Home harbored deeper mysteries. In October 1969, a gaggle of actors determined to carry a séance inside the home, unwittingly reawakening it’s supernatural energies. The disturbances resumed with renewed depth.
Within the following yr, an astonishing discovery was made beneath the kitchen ground: the skeleton of a deformed dwarf, or maybe a baby, accompanied by a brass figurine of a demon. Who this particular person was, nobody is aware of, however rumor was that it was one of many human sacrifices from the time the home was utilized by the Hellfire Membership. The presence of this eerie artifact, together with the skeletal stays, additional fueled the idea that malevolent forces had left their mark on Killakee Home.
The Energy of Exorcism at Killakee Dower Home
In an effort to quell the unsettling occurrences, Margaret O’Brien enlisted the assistance of a priest to carry out an exorcism on Killakee Dower Home. Though this preliminary ritual offered some respite, the disturbances returned when a séance was carried out.
Finally, it wasn’t till the dwarf’s skeleton and the demonic figurine have been correctly buried that the hauntings ceased. This marked the tip of a chapter of terror within the historical past of Killakee Home.
The Killakee Dower Home was used as a restaurant within the Nineties, however closed down in 2001. In the present day it’s merely a non-public residence, and maybe additionally, it’s rid of its darkish previous and lingering ghosts.
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References:
Banshees, Bones and Haunted Stones: JennyPop’s Haunted Eire
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