Now the former barracks have been turned into the National Museum of Ireland. If rumors are to be believed, the ghosts of war from Collins' former barracks still linger.
In the peaceful hours, when the museum lights go out and the weighty doors of Collins Barracks, or Dún Uí Choileáin, close, something aged moves in the stone walls. Long before it became the home of the National Museum of Irish Decorative Arts and History, the convoluted was the heart of military life in Dublin. Built in 1702 as the Royal Barracks and later renamed in honor of Michael Collins, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Irish Free State in 1922, and said to be haunted by its military past.
From the days of the British garrisons until the handover of the city in 1922, countless soldiers lived, fought and died on the immense parade grounds and echoing corridors. With such a long and checkered past, it's no wonder the place is whispered to be haunted.
Ghostly soldiers from the royal barracks
Guests and night guards have long reported strange happenings at Collins Barracks. The weighty tramp of imperceptible shoes marching through the courtyards. The sounds of horses snorting and hooves hitting stone where there is no longer a stable. Ghostly gunshots echo in the distance and then fade away. Some truck drivers even claimed to have seen ghostly soldiers in Napoleonic uniforms, their faces pale in the moonlight, as they patrolled the area as if still carrying out orders and burying the dead in Croppie's Park.
The most eminent of these ghostly figures is said to be the Quartermaster, a British World War I officer who resides in the east wing, now used mainly as a warehouse. At first glance it appears solid, standing guard with military precision, and then it disappears into the cool air.
Ghost March 1925
The haunted reputation of the Collins Barracks is not a contemporary tale. The 1925 Christmas edition of the Irish Army newspaper An t-Óglach featured an engaging story told with a mixture of humor and anxiety that made one wonder about the veracity of the experience.
According to the story, an Irish army officer on night duty claimed to have seen lines of ghostly British soldiers gathering in the courtyard, preparing to march out. As he watched in stunned silence, the ghostly legion kept pace and disappeared towards the gates, “returning to Blighty” to join their comrades in the afterlife.
It was written as a lighthearted story, but quickly spread through the ranks. Some considered it fiction, others quietly admitted that they also felt something strange in the barracks after obscure.
A singing woman haunting the Collins Barracks
Another phantom tale comes from author Gillian O'Brien in the book: Darkness Echoing During a Museum Visit. In the book you can hear the clanging of metal and the voice of a woman singing. The book then details that the barracks is also haunted by the ghost of a youthful woman from the 18th century. It was back when they were in British military barracks and she attended a party hosted by some youthful officers.
She fell from the window and died from her injuries, but before she died she told a doctor that the officers had pushed her. No one was ever charged with her murder, and her ghost haunts the halls seeking justice.
Haunted history beneath the museum
When the barracks were finally handed over to the Irish Free State, the soldiers of the past were allowed to remain. The name was changed from Royal to Collins Barracks, but the echoes of the centuries remained.
Today, as visitors stroll through museum halls filled with history and art, few realize that they are walking through one of the most haunted places in Dublin. The creak of a door, the lackluster sound of metal, or the murmur of unseen voices may simply be the ghosts of men who once served here, still standing guard long after their service ends.
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Haunted National Museum of Ireland: Ghosts of Collins Barracks
Now the former barracks have been turned into the National Museum of Ireland. If rumors are to be believed, the ghosts of war from Collins' former barracks still linger.
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