It’s that time of year again where there’s a chill in the air, and not just in terms of the weather.
For the superstitious among us, October is a time in which the veil between the living and the dead feels thinner. Yet it isn't only on Halloween night that ghosts make an appearance before living eyes - especially at Northern Ireland's haunted hotspots.
Read more: From public executions to Primark: the history behind Belfast's iconic Bank Buildings
When it comes to paranormal activity, Co Antrim is not short of ghost stories. The county is even home to what is considered one of the most haunted castles in the UK.
Given the rich history behind many of Antrim's buildings, reports of hauntings and phantom appearances come as no surprise. Many of the county's castles and hotels are surrounded by rumours of ill-fated lovers, murders, weather fatalities and more throughout their centuries-old existence.
The following castles and hotels have been subject to reports of paranormal activity over the years. Some of the spotted spirits are anonymous, while others come with eerie alleged back stories. Take a read below.
Carrickfergus Castle
Carrickfergus Castle has been around for over 800 years, so it's not surprising that strange happenings have been reported here.
The ghost of an army drummer is said to haunt the castle's grounds near an old well. Legend has it that the young man was hanged after being wrongfully convicted of killing the brother of a commanding officer, who had been having an affair with the wife of the real killer, sometime in the 18th Century.
This spirit has fondly been dubbed "Button Cap" due to his army cap seemingly featuring a large button. There have been reports of lone drumming heard near the well over the years.
In 2016, a woman told Belfast Live of a paranormal encounter she had while visiting the castle with her mum and sister. Whilst looking at a photo her mum had taken of her looking out one of the castle's windows, the woman spotted what appears to be the figure of a small boy to her right.
"We never spotted a ghost until we looked at the pictures later that evening. I didn't feel anything at the time, just a bit cold," she said at the time.
"I also had another experience in the castle as well - I took a picture inside a cell and my flash on camera was down but it went off and I got an electric shock. It scared the absolute life out of me."
Dobbin's Inn Hotel
A stone's throw from Carrickfergus Castle stands another haunted location: Dobbin's Inn Hotel.
The wife of the former owner, Hugh Dobbin, is believed to haunt the hotel and has been sighted around the reception area. Elizabeth, also known as "Maud", allegedly had an affair with a soldier stationed at the nearby castle in the early 17th Century.
When Dobbin found out, he is said to have murdered the pair. A ghostly female figure has been spotted around reception and by the grand fireplace, while the spirit of a young soldier has also been reported to walk the halls.
Staff and guests have reported paranormal activity at the inn over the years. Some guests have claimed they were gently caressed by an unseen hand, while others have reported a negative atmosphere in room 21. Staff have also expressed uneasiness at this particular room.
At one point a waiter claimed he was struck by something small (possibly a coin) while setting tables in the hotel's empty restaurant. A chef also said their apron strings were tugged at and that they saw pots and pans moving by themselves in the kitchen.
Dunluce Castle
It's more than just Game of Thrones characters who've roamed these cliffside 13th Century ruins.
The castle is said to be haunted by the daughter of its 16th Century owner, whom he locked in a turret after she refused an arranged marriage in favour of another man. Legend says the girl, named Maeve, was rescued from the tower by her forbidden love one stormy night, and the couple made their way out into the rough waters in a small rowboat.
The story goes that the storm swept them into the sea, where they tragically drowned in each other's arms. Maeve's sorrowful cries can reportedly be heard from her former tower of residence on stormy nights.
Another ghostly figure dressed in a purple cloak is said to walk around the broken towers of the ruins. This is believed to be Richard de Burgh, an Earl of Antrim.
During another fierce storm in the 17th Century, the castle's kitchens allegedly fell into the sea. Rumour has it the screams of the staff can be heard forever more as if they fall to their doom over and over again.
Shane's Castle
The white lady who haunts Shane's Castle in Randalstown is said to be quite tall and slender, with blue eyes and blonde hair. The last reported sighting of this figure was in 1966 when she was allegedly seen crying on her knees surrounded by a bluish-white light.
Ballygally Castle Hotel
Lady Isobel Shaw is the resident ghostly figure who roams Ballygally Castle Hotel, which is considered one of the most haunted castles in the UK. As the story goes, James Shaw was furious that his wife Isobel didn't produce him a male heir and locked her in one of the castle's towers.
It is said that Lady Isobel jumped from an upper window causing her death. Since her passing, it is believed that her presence has been felt in the tiny room that she was held captive in by the scent of vanilla and some guests have even reported seeing her ghostly figure appear in the middle of their room during the night.
Glenarm Castle & Gardens
Originally built in 1636, Glenarm Castle has been subject to ruin and restoration due numerous fires throughout the centuries. The estate's multiple makeovers seemingly hasn't disrupted its ghostly residents, though.
A guest staying at the castle in 1853 claimed to see the spirit of a tall woman in a short blue and brown petticoat, holding onto the strings of the frilly cap she wore. Another guest reported encountering the same figure two years later, again describing her as dazedly holding onto her cap's strings. Sightings of this ghost were reported as recently as the 1990s.
Scaredy cats might want to stop reading here, because this next ghost story is chilling. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Hector McDonnell, whose family has owned Glenarm Castle for 400 years, once spoke of growing up on what he believed to be a haunted estate. He claimed that when he was a child in the 1950s/60s, paranormal activity was so rife at the castle that his mother had every room but the attic exorcised.
In true horror-movie fashion, loud banging noises began to come from the leftover room after the rest of the castle's exorcism. McDonnell said that when he was 12, his sister's maid sent him up to the attic to investigate.
The boy turned on the lights at the bottom of the stairs, then headed up into the room. When he got to the top, the lights suddenly went out, leaving him in the pitch dark.
McDonnell claimed he then sensed some sort of presence behind him. Terrified, he fled the attic, discovering there was nobody nearby who could've switched the lights off below. The noises were said to continue for several years after his attic encounter.
Have you witnessed any potentially paranormal activity at one of Northern Ireland's many castles? Let us know in the comments below.
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