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In 1977 we hired our first narrowboat from Anglo Welsh at Market Harborough.From that moment our destiny was set. In 2006 we finally purchased our own brand new 57' narrowboat which we named 'Free Spirit'. Our aim is to travel the length and breadth of all the navigable rivers and canals of the UK. This will be our story as it unfolds.

Wednesday 8 August 2018

Is this the most haunted place in Ireland?


Saturday 4th August.

.Apart from a strange incident when two men pulled up in a van, one dressed all in white in what looked like one of those quarantine suits, pulled out a metal detector type contraption although considerably larger, went running backward and forward across the river waving this detector look alight to and fro, went back at the van to put on a helmet with a plastic panel covering his eyes, disappeared again for a considerable length of time then returned to the van and left, all very intriguing.....it was a very quiet night! 

Today we went back to our childhood and visited Greenan Maze. Two mazes, one set on half an acre with high connifer hedges and the second set around a stone circle.


What fun finding dead end after dead end and taking forever to find our way to the middle and what fun going in circles and not finding the way out! So tempted to go through the gates escape route at one stage but no...we persevered and after what seemed like an age, found the exit.


There were other things to do, visit the farm animals, go on the nature walk and go round the farm museum. 2 hours of relaxation and enjoyment.



Wicklow Goal was our next stop.  l must say it was the most fascinating tour. A guide for the first 10 minutes explained some of the Goals history and the rest was then self-guided. This excerpt is taken from My real Ireland

The original Gaol was constructed in 1702. It was originally built to house those who broke the extremely harsh Penal Laws that were brought into being under British Rule in Ireland.
These laws were aimed to control the Catholic Irish and other Denominations other then Anglican.
As you start your tour you will be guided into the dark corridors of the Gaol and down a set of winding steps into one of the Prison Yards. I was struck by the height and thickness of the walls and the frightening thread wheel in the corner of the yard.
You will learn that men, women and children were housed in this Gaol together, with little or no sanitation and very little food.
Many of those incarcerated for petty crimes were housed with the worst criminals of the time, with men, women and children, living with convicted rapists, murderers and the criminally insane. It must have been like hell on earth.



Tiny cells which occasionally housed as many as 15 prisoners

A barbaric punishment which served no purpose other than to tire the prisoners out. If one got out of step there was a real danger of being sucked under.


A vast majority of prisoners were sent to Australia and the penal colonies.

The condemned prisoner even had to pay for their own hangman's rope. If they couldn't pay it was down to their families.






Wicklow Goal is also said to be the most haunted place in Ireland. Strange things have been seen by the public and staff. Thankfully no spirits put in an appearance today.

Our stop for the night was in Arklow. With water and loos needing emptying we decided to go into a paid site. Our time in Ireland is nearly over. A couple more days left before we take the ferry back to the UK.

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