Last week we looked at where to find Witches ( which often has a feminine slant)—today Vampires and where to find them—a crimson destination me thinks  (and many of the famous ones were men) .

The picture above is of Leap Castle of County Offaly , Ireland http://leapcastle.net/

Depending on what you read this castle was built by the O’Bannons anywhere from the late 13th to sometime in the 16th century.   Legend has it that it got its name from a contest between two O’Bannon brothers (the builders) in a contest for the inheritance of lands, money and of course this keep—which involved leaping from a site of considerable height–the survivor taking all.

It stands today a burnt ruin with a history of violence, death and destruction and according to Dr Bob Curran in A FIELD GUIDE TO THE CREATURES THAT STALK THE NIGHT:  VAMPIRES    a Tadhg O’Carroll (who were the family that the original clan owed allegiance to and who eventually ended with possession of said site)  was walled up in a chapel here for (surprise) killing his brother and subsisted there by preying on the blood of those who venture inside.

But while I found many murders—one a Feargahunn O’Carrol was rumored to have murdered a guest at the dinner table while his steward killed the man’s servant at the same time—I found no one by the name of Tadhg nor anyone walled in the Chapel—which was called the Bloody Chapel as there was a murder there where one occupant killed his brother who was a Father (as in priest) due to the fact that he insulted him by starting mass before he arrived) and that priest is said to haunt the place to this day….oh and there were bodies there  39 mercenaries  (all O’Neals), once they had completed their tasks were invited back to the castle and, again at dinner, were killed and their bodies thrown into the oubliette (a small room on the north east corner of the chapel) and in case you have your doubts  at a much later date while work was being done on the site, the skeletons were found and removed.

So while you might not go there to see Vampires if you’re into ghosts and violent places with many dark deeds this one is a great destination.  But then it’s hard to find a castle that has stood this long that doesn’t have more than its share of deaths, evil deeds, feuding relatives and the like.

according to a Vampire Friendly web site:

http://www.vampirewebsite.net/countries/cities/dublin/
Saturdays, 9:30pm to 2:30am
Is a good time for vampires and/or people who want to mingle with them to go to:

33-34 O’Connell Street.

basement bar

‘Frazers’,

Dublin, Ireland 

But alas the club that had one review (no mention of vampires) on Yelp which was 5 stars—is no longer operating.

But Dublin was seriously involved in the genre:  ” BRAM STOKER and Sheridan Le Fanu would be first and second on your list. Stoker, creator of the world’s most important male vampire (Dracula) was born in Clontarf.   Le Fanu, creator of the pre-eminent female vampire (Carmilla), was born on Dominick Street.”   Check out this Dublin site for more:  https://dublin.ie/living/articles/supernatural-dublin-vampire-capital-of-the-world/   

The Castle Dracula Experience  (click on Welcome for their main site)

Welcome

Castle Dracula is Dublin’s  Unique Irish Attraction….for everyone to enjoy a Heart-thumping Experience with the… Characters from Dracula while learning about Irish writer Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula & was born beside Castle Dracula in Dublin. Brave Visitors journey through the Castle Tunnels, over Spinning Bridges to the Vampire Courtyard, up to Dracula’s Lair and down to the ‘World’s Only Graveyard Theatre’ for a Show where they promise not to bite, unless…. (Strictly 14+)   Tickets: €15 Student (ID Required) / €25 Standard / VIP Tickets €50 – VIP Tickets includes VIP Seating, Refreshments, ‘Bram Stoker & ‘Dracula Book’ signed by Castle Dracula Cast, ‘Romping through Dracula’ Book, Castle Dracula Note Pad & Blood Syringe Pen’    Located in Clontarf across the road from where Bram Stoker was born in Dublin, just behind Westwood Fitness Club on the Clontarf Road, beside Clontarf Dart Train Station.  We meet the Audience in Westwood Club Reception at 7.30pm and take the Audience through to Castle Dracula at 7.45pm, the Castle Dracula Experience is the building behind Westwood.

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 in the 1960’s one of London’s most famous cemeteries was pronounce a haven for a vampire by the head of the British Occult Society http://britishoccultsociety.blogspot.com/ Sean Manchester who proclaimed that there was a vampire in Highgate Cemetery.  Seemed there’d been some strange “sightings” and Mr. Manchester proclaimed that there was a vampire controlling minds  and causing all this.  Of course the media was on it and reports of a tall stranger with glowing eyes became common.

By 1970 Manchester had decided to do an exorcisms and trooped off to the cemetery followed by hundreds of young people and the media (of course) on Friday 13th–you can’t say he didn’t cover his bases.  While Manchester is said, by some, to never have done the exorcisms, I do know that he claimed to have destroyed the vampire https://www.mysteriumtours.com/the-highgate-vampire-part-1/.  It depend on which side you look at it but in the more main stream it went down in history as a case of media sensation and in National Geographic’s coverage https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/vampires-europe-new-england-halloween-history/   “legend tripping” where people (especially young ones) go to haunted scary places to show how brave they are.

But even without a vampire the by ways of this huge and historic cemetery is well worth a visit  https://highgatecemetery.org/

London even has a Vampries of London Meet Up Group:  https://www.meetup.com/vampires-of-london/messages/boards/thread/9324582

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and of course the True Blood vampires of Natchez,  Mississippi https://www.visitnatchez.org/ that Rozzoli called Trailer Trash vampires

and even Rhode Island had a vampire–Nellie Vaugh (a teenager of 19) who now rests  in West Greenwich.  But this one is thought to be just a case of mistaken identity—but she should get points for her tombstone that says “I am waiting and watching for you.”   https://www.eastgreenwichri.com/195/About-East-Greenwich

Endless Night Vampire Ball