Putting the Real in Realtor—Kathryn S.

Let’s step behind the lockboxes and “For Sale” signs for a moment. This is week three in our agent spotlight series, where we reveal the fun and totally unexpected sides of your favorite Realtors.

Here is Kathryn S!

My husband Rick and I love to travel. We’re lucky enough to share that passion with our dear friends of over 30 years, Tim and Julie. Throughout our adventures, it’s been the spontaneous side trips that always leave the biggest impression.

A few years back, Julie and I planned a road trip through Ireland. Rick and Tim were happy to go along for the ride, especially when it meant going off the beaten path. As we headed west from Dublin, Julie scrolled through places of interest and suddenly perked up. “There’s a haunted house nearby—Leap Castle. It’s been around since the 1500s and is supposedly the most haunted place in Ireland. A couple bought it recently and started restoring it.”

Horror movies and ghost stories are not my cup of tea. In fact, haunted houses and snakes are at the top my of "nope" list. But everyone else was on board, so I just smiled and said, “Let’s go!”

When we arrived, we saw that Leap Castle was less “castle” and more a large, fortified house. Even better, the gates were locked and there wasn’t anyone in sight. I was about to suggest we find a cozy pub when a car pulled up. A warm, friendly woman introduced herself as the owner. She told us there were no tours that day (hooray!), but then graciously offered to show us a few of the restored rooms. Renovations? How scary could that be?

The ground floor was surprisingly homey. Nothing creepy there. But as we wandered around a room near the main hall, I started to feel…cold, but only in certain spots. Odd. I was not scared, but when it happened again in a hallway, my spidey sense was quietly going off.

When she offered to show us the top floor, known as the Bloody Chapel, I cringed. I reluctantly followed the others up a dark, narrow, stone staircase. There were actual divots in the steps from where weapons were hurled down to deter attackers.

Upstairs, she shared the bloody history of the chapel. Julie and I instinctively found each other and stood shoulder to shoulder. We didn’t speak, but one glance said it all: we were ready to leave. The guys were loving every gory detail, but we’d hit our limit. An hour was plenty.

We thanked our host, said our polite goodbyes, and then practically sprinted to the car. As we drove off, Julie and I admitted we both felt something in that place, some sort of presence we couldn’t quite explain. So naturally, we headed straight to the nearest pub to recover.

Cheers to Leap Castle for giving us laughs, chills, and a story we’ll never forget!