Dublin Castle
Dublin, Ireland

Dublin Castle in Dublin, Ireland is a very impressive, beautiful & yet imposing sight. With most all old castles it has its share of skeletons, metaphorically & perhaps at times literally. The original structures there were built around 1204 during the reign of King John. It served initially as the city's main defense & up until 1922 the hub of the British government's administration in Ireland. Naturally anyone even remotely versed in history would probably not be surprised that many tortures & executions took place there. When such traumatic events are concentrated in one spot.. you guessed it: ghosts. The one that seems to get the most attention is the purported spirit of Margaret Ball (1515–1584), who was imprisoned there by her own son - "The Commissioner for Ecclesiastical Causes", as a result of her Catholic faith. Despite calls to secure her release, she anguished in prison until her death 4 years later. Margaret was eventually made a Saint by the Church in 1992. However her spirit still appears to remain eternally traumatized within the castle. Like many of the battlefields & such that I have visited, there is a strange mixture of beauty & darkness. Regardless of your inspiration to explore it, Dublin Castle is no question a fascinating place. Slainte.