Spooked Ireland Review - Episode Four - Leap Castle, County Offaly
Ghost/Paranormal
Tuesday 7th, November 2023
The fourth episode in a ten episode series that has people of Ireland and further afield on the edge of their seat every week. Spooked Ireland visit's Leap Castle in County Offaly, with Spooked Ireland having taken over our Friday nights in the run up to one of the spookiest nights of the calendar year, what has Spooked Ireland been telling us about the other side of Ireland that most of us are used to hearing whispers of in stories.
We're going to approach the Spooked Ireland series from a purely fact based and reasonable assumption based on common knowledge and societal intelligence. Due to this approach it is hard to either prove or disprove any of the personal experiences that are presented in the Spooked Ireland series.
The fourth episode, aired on Friday 20th of October 2023 and is based at Leap Castle in County Offaly.
The Spooked Ireland team consists of presenter Vogue Williams, spiritual medium Chris Fleming, technology guru Ryan O'Niell and consultant parapsychologist Dr. Evelyn Hollow.
Leap castle, built in the 13th century, is said to be one of the most haunted or paranormally active locations in Ireland and some say it could be the most haunted castle in Europe. There have been many stories that have come out from Leap castle, not just because of it’s dark and bloody history under the O’Carroll clan but because of the almost regularity with events caught on audio, camera or people being touched by unseen forces.
The Spooked Ireland team led by Vogue Williams states their aim as,
This episode sees guest paranormal investigator, Jenny Sullivan from Emerald Isle Paranormal Researchers. Jenny has spent the past six years trying to document events at Leap castle and to unwrap the oddities that are experienced by almost everyone that attends the location.
Jenny goes on to talk about the elemental spirit that is said to reside in Leap castle, stating that it is ’completely negative’ and that she would feel uncomfortable in the castle on her own. Jenny’s passion is in audio work which she calls out as she goes into the two events she starts to describe.
Jenny goes on to briefly describe two events that she experienced in Leap castle, the first being when she was in Leap castle, in the banqueting hall using a spiritbox while asking questions that seemed to be directly answered to. In a nutshell, Jenny asked some questions directed at the elemental spirit which ended up with the elemental basically stating that it only wanted woman in the room, when pressed as to what it wanted the woman for, the word ‘rape’ was reportedly heard.
The second event in which Jenny describes is where they used a phone beside an audio recorder and went to another part of the castle with another phone and asked questions. Jenny then proceeds to play an audio clip where she asked the spirit to say the missing number, Jenny counts, 1, 2, *blank*, 4, and then on the number 5 it can be clearly heard on the audio recording it was a male voice and not Jenny, it’s claimed that this was the elemental finishing off the sequence instead of saying the missing number.
With any recorder, audio or video, it’s impossible to verify without supporting additional evidence, like backup recorders from the same location or being there on the night to see who was where in the castle and rule out other possible radio signals in the castle at the time.
With that said the audio is clear to the naked ear that the number 5 was a different person, and it does sound like a male voice. Additionally, it would be hard enough to transmit other radio signals or pick up other radio signals in a castle like Leap due to the thick stone walls.
On its own merit the audio is very interesting and does warrant future exploration with further controlled and documented experiments at Leap castle.
The episode moves onto Chris talking about a friend that went to Leap castle a few years ago and experienced being shoved while in the castle. Chris goes on to state that he has wanted to come to Leap castle for many years to confront the spirit that shoved his friend.
We next see Chris and Ryan enter the banquet hall, below the chapel. Chris points out the wooden floor, while Ryan describes a lot of really strange ghosts and apparitions, with the castle having a lot of history. Chris goes on to say as Ryan said the name O’Carrolls he started to feel dizzy, just to be 100% correct, Ryan said ‘Carrolls’ not ‘O’Carrolls’.
Just then a small noise is heard above them, which Ryan points out and Chris confirms he heard it also, the noise is also picked up by the cameras. A crew member chimes in that ‘Everyone’s outside’ (except her, Ryan and Chris of course).
Ryan goes on to state that ‘somebody just walked above our head’.
We’ve listened to the audio a few times and can hear two distinct noises but have been unable to hear anything that sounds like walking, maybe it wasn’t picked up on the camera audio well enough to hear?!
Chris goes on to ask ‘whats above us’ with Ryan responding with ‘the bloody chapel’, with Chris following up, seemingly surprised as he states ‘thats where my friend got pushed’.
Chris and Ryan jump into the first EVP session using a Panasonic DR60 which Ryan has on him. Chris starts off by stating ‘theres a belief that theres an elemental here, is there an elemental here, and if so what would you call it’, they play back the recording and just after the first part, ‘theres a belief that theres an elemental here’ they get what Chris and Ryan determine is the word ‘RIGHT’.
The next piece where something is heard is after the question from Chris, ‘what would you call it’ and Ryan is convinced the response is ‘IT’ with Chris seemingly confirming ‘IT’. Now there is something recorded but it’s very hard to determine if it’s a word or just a bit of static. Further evidence would be required to verify or discredit.
On a side note, the writing on the DR60 is back to front which would suggest that the video footage has been edited, flipped horizontally at minimum. Unless the writing is genuinely backwards on the recorder, we would need further evidence to verify.
As Chris and Ryan are talking, saying they need to find out what ‘IT’ is, they hear a noise and go investigating, stating that it sounded like a door squeaking.
Chirs finds a handle that he states is the same noise and then follows up with that either the elemental did it or a human spirit didi it to say you need to focus on this, this is the problem in the castle. A lot of what Chris just said does make for good television but there is no camera catching the handling move and no further evidence presented to back up the claims that a spirit is suggesting what Chris just stated.
A voice over of Chris goes on to explain about elemental spirits, stating that they take many forms, and the team need to understand further what they are dealing with.
Sharon Moen from paranormal investigation group Paravent talks to Evelyn. It’s stated on the episode on a voice over from Vogue that Sharon is a local investigator, when in reality Sharon is from County Armagh, which is a bit of a trek away, just under a three hour drive on a good day.
Evelyn goes on to state that Leap is supposed to be one of the most haunted locations in the world, with Sharon following up to say that no one that visits Leap castle is left disappointed.
Sharon goes on to show Evelyn a photo she took one night at Leap castle that appears to have captured a black human figure that looks to have depth to it, it doesn’t appear ‘flat’.
As Evelyn examines the picture on Sharon’s mobile phone, she states that it appears to be a solid object as it fully covers the edge of the wall, there doesn’t seem to be any transparency to th black figure. Evelyn wants to go back to the team and show them the photo that Sharon captured, not before stating to Sharon about the photo that it is ‘the strongest, probably, visual phenomena I’ve ever seen’.
The episode movie to Chris and Ryan entering the blooding chapel, Chris’s friend Dustin was ‘pushed' facing the front window to his right.
As Chris and Ryan are discussing where Chris’s friend Dustin was ‘pushed’ they both look to the same spot, not before both jump out of the way after hearing what Chris describes as a snake, a hissing noise is heard over the show audio as well.
We’re not stating that this was the cause of the noise but Ireland does have one native reptile species, the Viviparous lizard, they don’t grow too big in length, up to maybe seven inches but lizards are known to produce a hissing sound, just food for thought. On the flip side some might argue that salamanders are one of the different categories of elementals and that’s why a hiss was heard…
We next hear Vogue on a voice over stating that ‘I believe we have just made contact with a shadow figure known as IT’.
Chris and Rayn jump into another EVP session in the bloody chapel with Chris stating to the audio recorder that he demands to know how (the elemental) was brought to Leap castle. And on playback of the recording we hear what is stated to be a response of ‘HER’.
Another voice over has Vogue stating that they need to find who summoned the potential elemental.
Next we see Vogue and Evelyn sit down with owner Sean Ryan to find out more about Leap castle.
Sean states that the castle came up for sale in 1991 after being destroyed in the civil war in 1922, with a reference made to the O’Carroll family who are reported to have fought with everyone and among themselves.
Sean goes on to talk about a pit that was built when the castle was erected but closed off in the 1600s and then rediscovered in 1932 where three horse carts of human bones were taken out of the pit.
Vogue goes on to state ‘with all that death, there's obviously a lot of paranormal activity’, Sean goes on to state that there are many spirits in the house and that the spirits let the living occupants know that they’re ‘here’.
Sean goes on to state that more so at night they would hear a lot of footsteps walking around but that he would also see figures as clear as Vogue and Evelyn sitting across from him. Sean goes on to state that there is also a female spirit that touches people and a lot of visitors experience this event. Sean then changes tone to describe that he would often hear a screen, which is ‘sharp’, he believes that it’s the spirit of Mildred Darby, a Victorian novelist, the wife of Johnaton Darby.
As Vogue does some research she finds in Mildred’s diary where Mildred describes paranormal activity in Leap castle. Vogue reads out a quote from Mildred’s diary which states ‘on three separate occasions I saw the elemental’.
Vogue further goes on to state that Mildred documented that two serious accidents nearly took her life. Vogue goes on to state that Mildred used black magick and that Mildred genuinely believed that there was an elemental in Leap castle.
Vogue further states that Mildred performed many séances in Leap castle, with Vogue suggesting that maybe Mildred conjured up or released the elemental into Leap castle or that maybe it was blood shed by the O’Carroll family that released this supernatural being into the castle.
Vogue gives one last story about the O’Carroll’s having hired a group of mercenaries and after the job was done the O’Carroll’s held a feast and then proceeded to murder all the mercenaries as they slept.
The episode moves to Ryan setting up for the investigation part of the episode, Ryan is seen setting up some equipment. Ryan states that he’s on Edge a little bit as the birds are going ‘crazy’ outside (very common sight in Ireland).
Ryan goes on to say that something is scraping or ‘doing something’ on the roof, with the previous reference to the birds going ‘crazy’ outside it’s not a hard assumption and logical one to say that the noise on the roof is most likely the claws from the birds outside as the roof looks on the show to be corrugated steel and the sounds heard on the episode match up with the sounds of birds claws on a corrugated steel roof.
Ryan goes on to state that there is no floor above them as he described the noises as footsteps.
Chirs takes a detour and visits Kinnitty castle as there are many stories of paranormal going ones here as well.
Chris and Ryan enter into a room in Kinnitty, as Ryan is telling Chris that this the most haunted room in the castle, the door on a closest just off camera appears to open. Chris goes on to state that the door was behind the cameraman.
Chris examines the door to state that there is no way it could have opened like it just did on it’s own as you need to turn the lock to open the door. Chris even goes on to state that even leaning against the door wouldn't open it.
As Chris goes on to talk a bang is heard from a door behind them, they open the door and walk out into the hall to find nothing there and Chris confirms with a crew member off camera that they caught the ‘knock’ on audio, with the crew member confirming they do.
They team go back into the room they were just in and Ryan’s continues to tell Chris about the room being the most haunted and that people request to stay in the room with one of the most commonly reported events being an individual experiences being pinned to the beed, Ryan goes on to state ‘like sleep paralysis’.
Chris goes on to start describing how bad and aggressive the O’Carroll family were, stating the word evil, as Chris is saying they need to find out is it’s the O’Carroll family or the elemental the door of the same closet appears to open again off camera.
Chris makes reference to state that ‘this thing’ could have been conjured up by black magick, just before they move to the next room.
Just as Chris, Ryan and at least one camera operator are in the room Chris notices that the chandelier is swaying from the ceiling. They turn around to see a door on a closet that was closed as they walked in now half open, which again occurred off camera.
Chris goes on to state ‘this place is obviously haunted’, prior to any in depth follow up checks or investigation of Kinnitty.
Chris and Ryna start an EVP session asking out if any O’Carrolls are there with the and the reported get a response ‘YES’, Chris follows up asking the spirit if it moves between Kinnitty and Leap with a response which Chris deciphers as ‘HERE HAUNT HERE’. Finally Chris asks the spirit if it’s the one moving the chandelier and open the doors, with a response on the audio recorder that they both confirm as being ‘YES’ and in response to if the spirit was conjured by Mildred they agree that the response the got was ‘YES’ followed by ‘I WAS CONJURED’.
Chris goes on to conclude that the elemental projects from Leap and Kinnitty, just slightly in contrast to the responses they reportedly received. When asked on the audio recorder if the spirit haunted Leap and Kinnitty the response was stated as being ‘HERE HAUNT HERE’ which if a valid response from spirit would suggest that the spirit they are communicating with was only present in Kinnitty and not Leap.
Additionally Chris confirms that it was Mildred that summoned the elemental.
The episode jumps back to the team gathering to discuss everything they have seen, heard and discussed up to his point. The team spend a bit of time looking at Sharon’s photo that Evelyn shows the team, Chris places the hissing audio from the bloody chapel finishing off with Ryan playing an audio recording from Kinnitty castle.
We next see Ryan and Vogue head off to the pit part of the investigation where they both venture down into the pit and place a DR60 audio recorder into the pit and conduct an EVP session by asking a few questions.
Ryan and Vogue go on to ask a few questions when Vogue freaks out after stating it felt like something touched her, they both proceed to leave the pit.
Chris and Evelyn are now back into the banquet room when a REM-pod goes off on in front of them. Chris goes on to explain to any spirits in the area on how to activate the REM-pod.
Chris and Evelyn start asking questions while getting responses through the REM-pod, based on the questions and answers Chirs concludes that they are dealing with a demon.
The episode jumps back to Vogue and Ryan in the bloody chapel where Ryan states they are going to use an SLS by using the GhostTube app (we will be doing a piece on this app in the near future). They appear to get a humanoid stick figure over the REM-pod and then a ‘foot’ touching the REM-pod and setting it off.
We would need to know what phone (make and model) Ryan is using to confirm if the technology behind an SLS camera will work on the phone, we would need to understand the capabilities of the phone, the SLS Kinect camera uses technology like stated below, so it would be useful to compare the phone and Kinect devices to determine how th eGhost Tube app might be working.
Back to the banquet hall where Chris states he is feeling a change in energy after making contact with the demon, this is in contrast to a few moments earlier where Chris states he wasn’t sure they had made direct contact with the demon, maybe it’s an artefact of the editing process (only so much you can fit in per episode) but further evidence would be need to clarify these two conflicting points.
Evelyn goes on to make the point that the REM-pod is only lighting up when they ask a direct question and expect an answer, in the current shot on screen as they talk amongst themselves the REM-pod isn’t activating.
Chris goes on to state that he knows that demons claim ownership or people and dominance over them.
Chris goes on to ask if the demonic spirit was conjured by Mildred, just then Chris appears to become very angry as he states he’s ‘feeling very f**king angry’ as the REM-pod appears to activate. Chris goes on to state in a voice over that something dangerous is taking him over.
As quick as it all started, it’s over, Chris comes back to his normal self. In a scene similar to one seen in episode one in Charleville, this time in an appearance a bit more anger though. Evelyn goes on to ask if the demon is there because of Mildred and the REM-pod activates again.
Chris goes on to ask some more questions, did the demon also haunt Kinnitty castle with a response indicated as yes by the REM-pod and then Chris asks if the demon came from another place with another yes response indicated by the REM-pod.
Chris goes on to state that his legs are feeling tingly like static electricity and then states that the tingly sensation ‘strongly suggests that it was a demon’, followed by ‘and it was summoned by Mildred’.
The rest of the team join Evelyn and Chris in the banquet hall and briefly discuss all the events experienced and captured so far.
Ryan and Chirs then head off to the pit in search of answers of who released the demonic spirit and why. They start an EVP session in the pit using the Ghost Tube app, they get a few words and decide to leave after appearing to get a woman’s voice saying ‘LEAVE’.
The episode moves snack to Vogue and Evelyn with Evelyn taking photos to see if she can capture anything. As Evelyn looks at one of her photos developing they hear a bang behind them and turn to see a candle that appeared to have fallen off its holder which had a spike on the base to hold the candle in place. Evelyn goes to the candle and tries to recreate the candle falling and the bang they heard.
As a bell is heard by Evelyn and Vogue at what appears the same time a bell is heard by Chris and Ryan, and at the same time a cameraman's camera equipment appears to have been tugged, moving part of the camera's frame out of place.
Chris concludes that something is trying to stop the team talking to Mildred.
Chris and Ryan using the GhostTube app ask if Mildred is there with a response coming back through the app. With ‘YES’, they follow up with the next question, asking if Mildred’s soul is trapped, with a response of ‘TRAPPED’ from the app, followed by the word ‘TRUE’.
Chris on a voiceover goes on to state that they know Mildred is trapped by the demon and that they need to set Mildred and the other spirits free.
Moving back to Evelyn and Vogue, they try to contact Mildred via a séance, with Evelyn going on to state that her general belief is that if you can see it, they can see you.
The team meet up in the chapel to conduct a séance using a device called a portal, Ryan goes on to explain how it all works. The portal amplifies an ITC application through it, the app contains a sound bank that contains no full works, and sounds are reported to be part of the sound bank being used with the portal, the name of the app is not stated in the episode.
It’s claims that the portal does the below,
As Chris drives the séance with Ryan at the table with Evelyn and Vogue standing nearby, Chirs appears to have a conversation via the portal with a spirit or spirits. When Chris asks to see the demon, a REM-pod goes off behind Evelyn as Vogue states that her feet are ‘roasting’ and that she ‘kinda really feel freaked out’, Vogue states that something is touching her leg.
As Chris talks to the spirits through the portal a bang is heard off camera which shows a cameraman standing up on the window ledge beside the ladder, there is a lot of rubble around the cameraman’s feet so it’s very possible a bit of rubble was just knocked down hitting the ladder.
Ryan states that everything is happening, with the REM-pod going off, the bang on the ladder, it’s getting colder and Chris is getting words through on the portal device.
Chris goes on to ask angels to take the entity away to a safe place and for other spirits to pass over, and just like that the portal device goes silent.
Chris goes on to state that Mildred is gone and that the elemental was mis-identified and that it was actually a demonic entity that is locked in a safe place by angels but that only time will tell if the demonic entity is gone.
Some thoughts on the episode, Leap castle did not disappoint. There is a lot going on, the most activity captured or reported out of all the episodes so far.
One issue across all the episodes is the ambiance music is very distracting and makes it hard to hear events captured on camera, we know that these ambiance effects are added for the entertainment perspective but it does take away from the events reported in the show.
Again with all the episodes there are a lot of ‘scary’ single frame images injected into the episodes to play in your subconscious, just because you didn't see them, doesn’t mean your subconscious didn’t see them, happy dreaming after watching an episode.
Leap is one of the few places we haven had the chance to visit over the years, so it’s high up the list for 2024 and we would love to try and replicate some of what was seemingly captured in the episode with more controlled and documented situations.
Additionally it would be very interesting to see if Mildred is actually gone as per Chris’s statement, and potentially the demonic entity as well. Does this mean Leap is no longer the most haunted castle in Ireland and potentially Europe?!
Again this episode doesn’t disappoint and brings to light some of Ireland’s history to some in the audience who might never have known about Leap or the bloody background to Leap castle.
We look forward to the next episode which is located in Wicklow Gaol, a location we know and have been there previously.
We're going to approach the Spooked Ireland series from a purely fact based and reasonable assumption based on common knowledge and societal intelligence. Due to this approach it is hard to either prove or disprove any of the personal experiences that are presented in the Spooked Ireland series.
The fourth episode, aired on Friday 20th of October 2023 and is based at Leap Castle in County Offaly.
The Spooked Ireland team consists of presenter Vogue Williams, spiritual medium Chris Fleming, technology guru Ryan O'Niell and consultant parapsychologist Dr. Evelyn Hollow.
Leap castle, built in the 13th century, is said to be one of the most haunted or paranormally active locations in Ireland and some say it could be the most haunted castle in Europe. There have been many stories that have come out from Leap castle, not just because of it’s dark and bloody history under the O’Carroll clan but because of the almost regularity with events caught on audio, camera or people being touched by unseen forces.
The Spooked Ireland team led by Vogue Williams states their aim as,
Vogue Williams invites American medium Chris Fleming and his team to investigate a spike in paranormal activity across Ireland. With exclusive access, they uncover the mysteries, myths and murders behind some of Ireland's most haunted locations.
This episode sees guest paranormal investigator, Jenny Sullivan from Emerald Isle Paranormal Researchers. Jenny has spent the past six years trying to document events at Leap castle and to unwrap the oddities that are experienced by almost everyone that attends the location.
Jenny goes on to talk about the elemental spirit that is said to reside in Leap castle, stating that it is ’completely negative’ and that she would feel uncomfortable in the castle on her own. Jenny’s passion is in audio work which she calls out as she goes into the two events she starts to describe.
Jenny goes on to briefly describe two events that she experienced in Leap castle, the first being when she was in Leap castle, in the banqueting hall using a spiritbox while asking questions that seemed to be directly answered to. In a nutshell, Jenny asked some questions directed at the elemental spirit which ended up with the elemental basically stating that it only wanted woman in the room, when pressed as to what it wanted the woman for, the word ‘rape’ was reportedly heard.
The second event in which Jenny describes is where they used a phone beside an audio recorder and went to another part of the castle with another phone and asked questions. Jenny then proceeds to play an audio clip where she asked the spirit to say the missing number, Jenny counts, 1, 2, *blank*, 4, and then on the number 5 it can be clearly heard on the audio recording it was a male voice and not Jenny, it’s claimed that this was the elemental finishing off the sequence instead of saying the missing number.
With any recorder, audio or video, it’s impossible to verify without supporting additional evidence, like backup recorders from the same location or being there on the night to see who was where in the castle and rule out other possible radio signals in the castle at the time.
With that said the audio is clear to the naked ear that the number 5 was a different person, and it does sound like a male voice. Additionally, it would be hard enough to transmit other radio signals or pick up other radio signals in a castle like Leap due to the thick stone walls.
On its own merit the audio is very interesting and does warrant future exploration with further controlled and documented experiments at Leap castle.
The episode moves onto Chris talking about a friend that went to Leap castle a few years ago and experienced being shoved while in the castle. Chris goes on to state that he has wanted to come to Leap castle for many years to confront the spirit that shoved his friend.
We next see Chris and Ryan enter the banquet hall, below the chapel. Chris points out the wooden floor, while Ryan describes a lot of really strange ghosts and apparitions, with the castle having a lot of history. Chris goes on to say as Ryan said the name O’Carrolls he started to feel dizzy, just to be 100% correct, Ryan said ‘Carrolls’ not ‘O’Carrolls’.
Just then a small noise is heard above them, which Ryan points out and Chris confirms he heard it also, the noise is also picked up by the cameras. A crew member chimes in that ‘Everyone’s outside’ (except her, Ryan and Chris of course).
Ryan goes on to state that ‘somebody just walked above our head’.
We’ve listened to the audio a few times and can hear two distinct noises but have been unable to hear anything that sounds like walking, maybe it wasn’t picked up on the camera audio well enough to hear?!
Chris goes on to ask ‘whats above us’ with Ryan responding with ‘the bloody chapel’, with Chris following up, seemingly surprised as he states ‘thats where my friend got pushed’.
Chris and Ryan jump into the first EVP session using a Panasonic DR60 which Ryan has on him. Chris starts off by stating ‘theres a belief that theres an elemental here, is there an elemental here, and if so what would you call it’, they play back the recording and just after the first part, ‘theres a belief that theres an elemental here’ they get what Chris and Ryan determine is the word ‘RIGHT’.
The next piece where something is heard is after the question from Chris, ‘what would you call it’ and Ryan is convinced the response is ‘IT’ with Chris seemingly confirming ‘IT’. Now there is something recorded but it’s very hard to determine if it’s a word or just a bit of static. Further evidence would be required to verify or discredit.
On a side note, the writing on the DR60 is back to front which would suggest that the video footage has been edited, flipped horizontally at minimum. Unless the writing is genuinely backwards on the recorder, we would need further evidence to verify.
As Chris and Ryan are talking, saying they need to find out what ‘IT’ is, they hear a noise and go investigating, stating that it sounded like a door squeaking.
Chirs finds a handle that he states is the same noise and then follows up with that either the elemental did it or a human spirit didi it to say you need to focus on this, this is the problem in the castle. A lot of what Chris just said does make for good television but there is no camera catching the handling move and no further evidence presented to back up the claims that a spirit is suggesting what Chris just stated.
A voice over of Chris goes on to explain about elemental spirits, stating that they take many forms, and the team need to understand further what they are dealing with.
Sharon Moen from paranormal investigation group Paravent talks to Evelyn. It’s stated on the episode on a voice over from Vogue that Sharon is a local investigator, when in reality Sharon is from County Armagh, which is a bit of a trek away, just under a three hour drive on a good day.
Evelyn goes on to state that Leap is supposed to be one of the most haunted locations in the world, with Sharon following up to say that no one that visits Leap castle is left disappointed.
Sharon goes on to show Evelyn a photo she took one night at Leap castle that appears to have captured a black human figure that looks to have depth to it, it doesn’t appear ‘flat’.
As Evelyn examines the picture on Sharon’s mobile phone, she states that it appears to be a solid object as it fully covers the edge of the wall, there doesn’t seem to be any transparency to th black figure. Evelyn wants to go back to the team and show them the photo that Sharon captured, not before stating to Sharon about the photo that it is ‘the strongest, probably, visual phenomena I’ve ever seen’.
The episode movie to Chris and Ryan entering the blooding chapel, Chris’s friend Dustin was ‘pushed' facing the front window to his right.
As Chris and Ryan are discussing where Chris’s friend Dustin was ‘pushed’ they both look to the same spot, not before both jump out of the way after hearing what Chris describes as a snake, a hissing noise is heard over the show audio as well.
We’re not stating that this was the cause of the noise but Ireland does have one native reptile species, the Viviparous lizard, they don’t grow too big in length, up to maybe seven inches but lizards are known to produce a hissing sound, just food for thought. On the flip side some might argue that salamanders are one of the different categories of elementals and that’s why a hiss was heard…
We next hear Vogue on a voice over stating that ‘I believe we have just made contact with a shadow figure known as IT’.
Chris and Rayn jump into another EVP session in the bloody chapel with Chris stating to the audio recorder that he demands to know how (the elemental) was brought to Leap castle. And on playback of the recording we hear what is stated to be a response of ‘HER’.
Another voice over has Vogue stating that they need to find who summoned the potential elemental.
Next we see Vogue and Evelyn sit down with owner Sean Ryan to find out more about Leap castle.
Sean states that the castle came up for sale in 1991 after being destroyed in the civil war in 1922, with a reference made to the O’Carroll family who are reported to have fought with everyone and among themselves.
Sean goes on to talk about a pit that was built when the castle was erected but closed off in the 1600s and then rediscovered in 1932 where three horse carts of human bones were taken out of the pit.
Vogue goes on to state ‘with all that death, there's obviously a lot of paranormal activity’, Sean goes on to state that there are many spirits in the house and that the spirits let the living occupants know that they’re ‘here’.
Sean goes on to state that more so at night they would hear a lot of footsteps walking around but that he would also see figures as clear as Vogue and Evelyn sitting across from him. Sean goes on to state that there is also a female spirit that touches people and a lot of visitors experience this event. Sean then changes tone to describe that he would often hear a screen, which is ‘sharp’, he believes that it’s the spirit of Mildred Darby, a Victorian novelist, the wife of Johnaton Darby.
As Vogue does some research she finds in Mildred’s diary where Mildred describes paranormal activity in Leap castle. Vogue reads out a quote from Mildred’s diary which states ‘on three separate occasions I saw the elemental’.
Vogue further goes on to state that Mildred documented that two serious accidents nearly took her life. Vogue goes on to state that Mildred used black magick and that Mildred genuinely believed that there was an elemental in Leap castle.
Vogue further states that Mildred performed many séances in Leap castle, with Vogue suggesting that maybe Mildred conjured up or released the elemental into Leap castle or that maybe it was blood shed by the O’Carroll family that released this supernatural being into the castle.
Vogue gives one last story about the O’Carroll’s having hired a group of mercenaries and after the job was done the O’Carroll’s held a feast and then proceeded to murder all the mercenaries as they slept.
The episode moves to Ryan setting up for the investigation part of the episode, Ryan is seen setting up some equipment. Ryan states that he’s on Edge a little bit as the birds are going ‘crazy’ outside (very common sight in Ireland).
Ryan goes on to say that something is scraping or ‘doing something’ on the roof, with the previous reference to the birds going ‘crazy’ outside it’s not a hard assumption and logical one to say that the noise on the roof is most likely the claws from the birds outside as the roof looks on the show to be corrugated steel and the sounds heard on the episode match up with the sounds of birds claws on a corrugated steel roof.
Ryan goes on to state that there is no floor above them as he described the noises as footsteps.
Chirs takes a detour and visits Kinnitty castle as there are many stories of paranormal going ones here as well.
Chris and Ryan enter into a room in Kinnitty, as Ryan is telling Chris that this the most haunted room in the castle, the door on a closest just off camera appears to open. Chris goes on to state that the door was behind the cameraman.
Chris examines the door to state that there is no way it could have opened like it just did on it’s own as you need to turn the lock to open the door. Chris even goes on to state that even leaning against the door wouldn't open it.
As Chris goes on to talk a bang is heard from a door behind them, they open the door and walk out into the hall to find nothing there and Chris confirms with a crew member off camera that they caught the ‘knock’ on audio, with the crew member confirming they do.
They team go back into the room they were just in and Ryan’s continues to tell Chris about the room being the most haunted and that people request to stay in the room with one of the most commonly reported events being an individual experiences being pinned to the beed, Ryan goes on to state ‘like sleep paralysis’.
Chris goes on to start describing how bad and aggressive the O’Carroll family were, stating the word evil, as Chris is saying they need to find out is it’s the O’Carroll family or the elemental the door of the same closet appears to open again off camera.
Chris makes reference to state that ‘this thing’ could have been conjured up by black magick, just before they move to the next room.
Just as Chris, Ryan and at least one camera operator are in the room Chris notices that the chandelier is swaying from the ceiling. They turn around to see a door on a closet that was closed as they walked in now half open, which again occurred off camera.
Chris goes on to state ‘this place is obviously haunted’, prior to any in depth follow up checks or investigation of Kinnitty.
Chris and Ryna start an EVP session asking out if any O’Carrolls are there with the and the reported get a response ‘YES’, Chris follows up asking the spirit if it moves between Kinnitty and Leap with a response which Chris deciphers as ‘HERE HAUNT HERE’. Finally Chris asks the spirit if it’s the one moving the chandelier and open the doors, with a response on the audio recorder that they both confirm as being ‘YES’ and in response to if the spirit was conjured by Mildred they agree that the response the got was ‘YES’ followed by ‘I WAS CONJURED’.
Chris goes on to conclude that the elemental projects from Leap and Kinnitty, just slightly in contrast to the responses they reportedly received. When asked on the audio recorder if the spirit haunted Leap and Kinnitty the response was stated as being ‘HERE HAUNT HERE’ which if a valid response from spirit would suggest that the spirit they are communicating with was only present in Kinnitty and not Leap.
Additionally Chris confirms that it was Mildred that summoned the elemental.
The episode jumps back to the team gathering to discuss everything they have seen, heard and discussed up to his point. The team spend a bit of time looking at Sharon’s photo that Evelyn shows the team, Chris places the hissing audio from the bloody chapel finishing off with Ryan playing an audio recording from Kinnitty castle.
We next see Ryan and Vogue head off to the pit part of the investigation where they both venture down into the pit and place a DR60 audio recorder into the pit and conduct an EVP session by asking a few questions.
Ryan and Vogue go on to ask a few questions when Vogue freaks out after stating it felt like something touched her, they both proceed to leave the pit.
Chris and Evelyn are now back into the banquet room when a REM-pod goes off on in front of them. Chris goes on to explain to any spirits in the area on how to activate the REM-pod.
Chris and Evelyn start asking questions while getting responses through the REM-pod, based on the questions and answers Chirs concludes that they are dealing with a demon.
The episode jumps back to Vogue and Ryan in the bloody chapel where Ryan states they are going to use an SLS by using the GhostTube app (we will be doing a piece on this app in the near future). They appear to get a humanoid stick figure over the REM-pod and then a ‘foot’ touching the REM-pod and setting it off.
We would need to know what phone (make and model) Ryan is using to confirm if the technology behind an SLS camera will work on the phone, we would need to understand the capabilities of the phone, the SLS Kinect camera uses technology like stated below, so it would be useful to compare the phone and Kinect devices to determine how th eGhost Tube app might be working.
The devices generally contain RGB cameras, and infrared projectors and detectors that map depth through either structured light or time of flight calculations, which can in turn be used to perform real-time gesture recognition and body skeletal detection, among other capabilities.
Back to the banquet hall where Chris states he is feeling a change in energy after making contact with the demon, this is in contrast to a few moments earlier where Chris states he wasn’t sure they had made direct contact with the demon, maybe it’s an artefact of the editing process (only so much you can fit in per episode) but further evidence would be need to clarify these two conflicting points.
Evelyn goes on to make the point that the REM-pod is only lighting up when they ask a direct question and expect an answer, in the current shot on screen as they talk amongst themselves the REM-pod isn’t activating.
Chris goes on to state that he knows that demons claim ownership or people and dominance over them.
Chris goes on to ask if the demonic spirit was conjured by Mildred, just then Chris appears to become very angry as he states he’s ‘feeling very f**king angry’ as the REM-pod appears to activate. Chris goes on to state in a voice over that something dangerous is taking him over.
As quick as it all started, it’s over, Chris comes back to his normal self. In a scene similar to one seen in episode one in Charleville, this time in an appearance a bit more anger though. Evelyn goes on to ask if the demon is there because of Mildred and the REM-pod activates again.
Chris goes on to ask some more questions, did the demon also haunt Kinnitty castle with a response indicated as yes by the REM-pod and then Chris asks if the demon came from another place with another yes response indicated by the REM-pod.
Chris goes on to state that his legs are feeling tingly like static electricity and then states that the tingly sensation ‘strongly suggests that it was a demon’, followed by ‘and it was summoned by Mildred’.
The rest of the team join Evelyn and Chris in the banquet hall and briefly discuss all the events experienced and captured so far.
Ryan and Chirs then head off to the pit in search of answers of who released the demonic spirit and why. They start an EVP session in the pit using the Ghost Tube app, they get a few words and decide to leave after appearing to get a woman’s voice saying ‘LEAVE’.
The episode moves snack to Vogue and Evelyn with Evelyn taking photos to see if she can capture anything. As Evelyn looks at one of her photos developing they hear a bang behind them and turn to see a candle that appeared to have fallen off its holder which had a spike on the base to hold the candle in place. Evelyn goes to the candle and tries to recreate the candle falling and the bang they heard.
As a bell is heard by Evelyn and Vogue at what appears the same time a bell is heard by Chris and Ryan, and at the same time a cameraman's camera equipment appears to have been tugged, moving part of the camera's frame out of place.
Chris concludes that something is trying to stop the team talking to Mildred.
Chris and Ryan using the GhostTube app ask if Mildred is there with a response coming back through the app. With ‘YES’, they follow up with the next question, asking if Mildred’s soul is trapped, with a response of ‘TRAPPED’ from the app, followed by the word ‘TRUE’.
Chris on a voiceover goes on to state that they know Mildred is trapped by the demon and that they need to set Mildred and the other spirits free.
Moving back to Evelyn and Vogue, they try to contact Mildred via a séance, with Evelyn going on to state that her general belief is that if you can see it, they can see you.
The team meet up in the chapel to conduct a séance using a device called a portal, Ryan goes on to explain how it all works. The portal amplifies an ITC application through it, the app contains a sound bank that contains no full works, and sounds are reported to be part of the sound bank being used with the portal, the name of the app is not stated in the episode.
It’s claims that the portal does the below,
The Portal is a revolutionary device developed by Steve Huff with guidance from the spirit world. In its basic form, this device amplifies and enhances input signals from a variety of sources like your sweeping radio and phone apps the are developed for EVP.
As Chris drives the séance with Ryan at the table with Evelyn and Vogue standing nearby, Chirs appears to have a conversation via the portal with a spirit or spirits. When Chris asks to see the demon, a REM-pod goes off behind Evelyn as Vogue states that her feet are ‘roasting’ and that she ‘kinda really feel freaked out’, Vogue states that something is touching her leg.
As Chris talks to the spirits through the portal a bang is heard off camera which shows a cameraman standing up on the window ledge beside the ladder, there is a lot of rubble around the cameraman’s feet so it’s very possible a bit of rubble was just knocked down hitting the ladder.
Ryan states that everything is happening, with the REM-pod going off, the bang on the ladder, it’s getting colder and Chris is getting words through on the portal device.
Chris goes on to ask angels to take the entity away to a safe place and for other spirits to pass over, and just like that the portal device goes silent.
Chris goes on to state that Mildred is gone and that the elemental was mis-identified and that it was actually a demonic entity that is locked in a safe place by angels but that only time will tell if the demonic entity is gone.
Some thoughts on the episode, Leap castle did not disappoint. There is a lot going on, the most activity captured or reported out of all the episodes so far.
One issue across all the episodes is the ambiance music is very distracting and makes it hard to hear events captured on camera, we know that these ambiance effects are added for the entertainment perspective but it does take away from the events reported in the show.
Again with all the episodes there are a lot of ‘scary’ single frame images injected into the episodes to play in your subconscious, just because you didn't see them, doesn’t mean your subconscious didn’t see them, happy dreaming after watching an episode.
Leap is one of the few places we haven had the chance to visit over the years, so it’s high up the list for 2024 and we would love to try and replicate some of what was seemingly captured in the episode with more controlled and documented situations.
Additionally it would be very interesting to see if Mildred is actually gone as per Chris’s statement, and potentially the demonic entity as well. Does this mean Leap is no longer the most haunted castle in Ireland and potentially Europe?!
Again this episode doesn’t disappoint and brings to light some of Ireland’s history to some in the audience who might never have known about Leap or the bloody background to Leap castle.
We look forward to the next episode which is located in Wicklow Gaol, a location we know and have been there previously.
