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BALLYSEEDE Castle Hotel has been named one of the Top 10 Haunted Hotels in the world according to Tripadvisor, just in time for Halloween.

The hotel is even to be featured on Sky television in the coming months in relation to its spooky history. But don’t worry, they’re friendly ghosts.

The current building, which dates from 1721, has been the scene of many strange occurrences according to Rory O’Sullivan of Ballyseede Castle Hotel, who spoke to Deirdre Walsh on her Talkabout programme on Radio Kerry on Friday.

“The history goes back to the Earl of Desmond’s time when his head was chopped off in the grounds of Ballyseede Castle and taken to London Bridge as a warning to those who misbehaved in the time of Henry VIII,” said Rory.

“People still come to Ballyseede to experience the paranormal and the unusual, but I can assure everyone that they are all friendly ghosts,” he said.

The hotel even does nightly tours of the castle for guests, with barman, Tim, explaining the spooky side to the history.

Six months ago, a film crew stayed at the hotel for two nights and did a paranormal programme featuring local people and guests which, said Rory, will probably be broadcast in December.

Rory has never seen a ghost, but one occasion, when the Castle was empty but for he and his wife Marnie staying in one of the hotel rooms,  something unusual happened.

They heard voices at the top of stairs, followed by the sound of people running down those stairs. When Rory ventured out, there was no-one there, the doors were locked and there was no sign of a break-in.

One of the last of Blennerhassetts (who were long-time residents of the building), Hilda, who died in the 1960s, is said to be the hotel’s most regular sighting.

Rory told the Talkabout programme that some guests have seen a woman bearing her description, with one person picking her out of a photograph and insisting she saw her in the hotel.

Chilling stuff, but like Rory said, they’re harmless ghosts.