This page has information about the places in the I Talk You Talk Press graded reader Old Jack’s Ghost Stories from Ireland.

1. Malahide Castle, County Dublin

Malahide Castle is around 20 minutes by car from Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. It is very close to the village of Malahide. The village is next to the sea, and has a beautiful harbour.

(Photo: By Miguel Mendez from Malahide, Ireland (Malahide Estuary – Sunset  Uploaded by russavia) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

 

Malahide Castle was built in the 12th Century. The castle offers guided tours for visitors. It also has walled botanical gardens and is surrounded by a large park.

(Photo: By Miguel Mendez from Malahide, Ireland (Malahide Castle  Uploaded by russavia) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

For more information see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malahide_Castle Map: 

 

2. Castle Leslie, Glaslough, County Monaghan

Glaslough is a small village in County Monaghan 3km from the border with Northern Ireland.

 

(By Lukiebaggs at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

Its most famous building is Castle Leslie. The castle was built in the 19th Century. The castle is a large country house, and is surrounded by 4km of parks, with lakes and forests. It is now a luxury hotel, and visitors can stay in the castle rooms, or in cottages in the grounds. It is a popular wedding venue.

For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Leslie Map:

 

3. Ballygally Castle, Ballygally, County Antrim

Ballygally Castle is in the village of Ballygally, on the Northern Irish coast. The village has a beach and a beautiful coastline. It is very popular with tourists.

 (Photo: Anne Burgess [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

Ballygally Castle was built in the 17th Century. It is now a hotel. It is on the coast road and has nice views of the sea. On clear days, it even has views of Scotland across the sea. It is very famous for its ghosts.

(Photo: Kenneth Allen [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

More Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballycastle,_County_Antrim

Map: 

 

4. Springhill House, Moneymore, County Londonderry

Moneymore is a small village near Lough Neagh. Lough Neagh is the largest lake in Ireland and the biggest in the British Isles. It is a very popular tourist spot, and visitors enjoy walking,  cycling, water sports, and birdwatching.

(Photo: Kenneth Allen [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

Springhill House is around a 10 minute drive from the lake. Springhill House was built in the 17th Century. It was owned by a family for 300 years, but is now owned by the National Trust. Visitors can go on guided tours of the house, and walk around the large parks and woodland. The house also has beautiful gardens.

(Photo: Kenneth Allen [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

For more information: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/springhill/

Map: 

 

5. Leap Castle, County Offaly

Leap Castle is in County Offaly. It is not far from the town of Roscrea. Roscrea is on the border between County Offaly and County Tipperary. It is one of the oldest towns in Ireland.

(Photo: By D. Brands (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0), GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

Leap Castle was built in the 13th Century. It is very famous for its ghost stories. Some people say it is the most haunted castle in the world. It is now privately owned.

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_Castle

Map: 

 

6. Loftus Hall, Hook Penisnula, County Wexford

Loftus Hall is on the Hook Peninsula. The area has beautiful beaches and fishing villages. The area is famous for Hook Lighthouse, which is the oldest working lighthouse in the world. It is around 800 years old!

(Photo: By Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium (Hook Lighthouse  Uploaded by russavia) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

Loftus Hall was built in the 14th Century. It was later re-built in 1870/1871. It is a large mansion house with views of the sea. For a long time, it was empty, but now it has new owners. Visitors can take guded tours of the house during the day, or at night. (Reservation required.)

(Photo: By irpix.de (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loftus_Hall

Map: 

 

For more information on visiting Ireland and Northern Ireland,see http://www.discoverireland.ie/ and http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/