A heinous murder sent shockwaves in the small village known as Barna in Ireland. Ever since then Spiorad na mBarna or Moll O’Shaughnessy as the murderer was named, has said to be haunting the place.Â
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Every corner of Ireland holds its own ghostly secrets, and within the rural landscape outside Newcastle West in Co. Limerick lies one of the nation’s most chilling tales—the legend of Spiorad na mBarna, which means the Spirit of Barna in Irish or Old Barna.Â
Read More: Check out all of the ghost stories from Ireland
This haunting story traces its origins back to the late 1800s, with a woman named Moll O’Shaughnessy being the real woman behind the legend of the ghost that is said to still linger in Barna.Â
Moll O’Shaughnessy the Murderer
Barna, even in modern times, remains a small community where everyone knows everyone, but in the late 1800s, it was even more so. Thus, the shocking and brutal murders committed by Moll O’Shaughnessy sent shockwaves through the area.Â
Moll was seen as a good natured, calm and nice mother and wife and well liked in the community. This was until she mercilessly murdered her husband and their young child in a fit of uncontrollable rage. Showing that we might never truly know a person and what they are capable of. There was no answer as to why she did it, and the villagers certainly didn’t give her much time to explain her actions.
The villagers were shocked and the community’s response to her heinous acts was equally gruesome—they sentenced her to a gruesome death, rolling her in a barrel lined with sharp and rusted nails down a hill according to some legends.
Another version says she was caught in the act and hanged. The third version of the legend claims that she died of natural causes and she was doomed to walk the grounds for eternity as penance for her crimes.Â
The Restless Spirits of Spiorad na mBarna
Over the years following her execution, residents of Barna claimed to have encountered Spiorad na mBarna spirit in various forms. Sometimes, she appeared as a weeping woman, while other times, she manifested as a rabid greyhound, spreading terror throughout the surrounding areas.Â
It is said that when the Spiorad na mBarna haunted the village as a hound, she would torment the farmers during harvest. When she showed up in her human form, it was said she would try to get on the horses of men passing the area after dark.
Her reign of fear culminated in yet another murder when an unfortunate rider passed under the Old Barna Bridge and emerged lifeless on the other side—victimized by the bloodthirsty Spiorad na mBarna.
Seeking Redemption:
With their community terrorized, the distressed locals called upon a holy man from the nearby Parish of Athea to exorcize the malevolent spirit that wouldn’t let the locals alive.Â
According to legend, he imposed a penance on Moll’s restless soul and it is said she had to “emptying the Red Sea with a thimble full of holesâ€, whatever that means.Â
While this act seemed to quell her murderous rage, the memory of Spiorad na mBarna still lingers in the West Limerick region. Many claim to have encountered her spirit, and the eerie details of her haunting continue to captivate and perplex.
A Face in the Stone of the Old Barna Bridge
Perhaps the most chilling detail of this ghostly legend is etched in stone—literally. The Old Barna Bridge, still standing today, bears the image of a face—a face forever captured in a scream of terror.
What’s more, numerous witnesses attest that this eerie visage moves within the bridge’s stones. It may appear in the top right-hand stone, lower down, or even on the opposite side of the bridge. Passersby often stop to count the stones and point out the spectral face they say is the Spiorad na mBarna etched into it.
As you pass beneath the shadow of the Old Barna Bridge, the feeling of being watched may send shivers down your spine, making this chilling tale of a restless spirit one that will stay with you long after the daylight fades.
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References:
Haunted Ireland: The terrifying tale of Spiorad Na mBarna | The Irish PostÂ
Old Barna | Haunted Limerick, Ireland | Spirited Isle