Wicklow’s Haunted Gaol

The rattling of chains, the slapping of feet on granite, and whispers in the dark have always been common sounds in Wicklow Town’s gaol – even when there’s no one around.

 Established as a prison to detain and question Irish rebels, the Wicklow Gaol was a key tool in Britain’s oppression of Ireland and in its blood-soaked quelling of the 1798 rebellion. The gaol soon grew to hold criminals as well as rebels, and it wasn’t long after that that the halls began to fill with the cries of prisoners.

 Torture and mistreatment were commonplace in the Wicklow Gaol, with many torture methods being employed in the loosening of tongues and the collecting of valuable information.

 And the bloody history of the Gaol persisted until it was closed in at the turn of the century, the year 1900, as Ireland began to experience changes in its culture and attitudes.

Still, over 100 years of grief and torment reverberate in the cold, stone walls of Wicklow’s Gaol, which has led it to being considered one of the most haunted places in Ireland.

 The Gaol was even the subject of a 2009 Ghost Hunters International TV show, and has been a popular site for paranormal investigators since.