Loftus Hall - Country Wexford

Written by Ben Kesp

Sitting on Hook Head, a headland in County Wexford, Ireland, sits the large mansion of Loftus Hall. The house stands on the ground of two original Redmond Family castles, with the first dating from 1170. In 1650 it became the property of the Loftus family following Oliver Cromwell’s onslaught of the Irish countryside. 

Loftus Hall has a rich and vibrant history and today it is more known for its paranormal tours, attracting paranormal groups and television crews from all over the world including the hit US paranormal show, Ghost Adventures. 

What is it about Loftus that grabs the attention of the paranormal? The house is believed to have been visited by the devil himself! 

In 1666 while the Loftus family were away, the Tottenham family were caring for the house. Following a storm, a ship arrived at Hook Head and a young man came ashore to Loftus Hall. Charles Tottenham with his second wife and daughter Anne from his first marriage welcomed the man and soon Anne and the stranger became very close. One night while playing cards, Anne bent down to pick up a card she dropped and beneath the table she saw that the stranger had a cloven hoof. Anne informed the stranger of his appearance and he jumped upwards and disappeared through the roof. Shortly after, Anne became mentally unwell and her parents, ashamed of her condition locked her into the Tapestry Room. She refused to eat and died in 1675, sitting and staring out towards the sea. It is also claimed that the hole in the roof could never properly be repaired following the incident. Anne’s ghost is claimed to be seen walking the stairways in addition to horses being heard outside the house. 

From 1870 to 1879 John Henry Wellington Graham Loftus the 4th Marquis of Ely demolished the old Redmond Hall and built the current Loftus Hall we see today. The house sits on the original foundations of the previous buildings. It is a three-story mansion with no basement. It has nine bays and a balustraded parapet. 

In 1917 the house was purchased by the Sisters of Providence and became a convent and school. In 1983 it changed ownership to Michael Deveraux who opened the house as a hotel, but closed again in the 1990s. Today it belongs to the Quigley family and the house remains open for tours including the House Tour, Paranormal, Historical, Halloween Tours and more. 

Are you brave enough to enter and experience the house for yourself?