Hellfire Club

Ireland has to be one of the most beautiful countries created on this planet. And the history of the island goes back millennia. When I was looking for paranormal topics, this location came up and I wasn’t going to overlook it. Renew your passport, we are heading to Dublin and the Hellfire Club.

The Hell Fire Club is a name for an isolated, ruined, creepy hunting lodge located in the Dublin Mountains on Montpelier Hill, and it’s surrounded by a deep forest known as the Hell Fire Hill Wood. The building itself has a rumored history of black magic, demons, and evil.

The luxurious hunting lodge was constructed by William Connolly in 1725 and the hill it stands on has deep rooted associations with the burials of the ancient Irish. The Hellfire Club was doomed when the first bricks were laid as it was built on the sacred land of the Irish.

The site was considered a Cairn. Meaning it was an ancient Irish passage grave, and by building the lodge, William Connolly, destroyed an ancient sacred site. Since this has never been a good idea at any time the sites of the ancients are revered and should never be disturbed.

William Connolly ripped the sacred site apart and used the sacred stones to build his house of debauchery. Shortly after construction the roof was blown off in a violent storm. Was this a sign that the Irish ancestors were not happy?

In 1737, the Irish Chapter of The Hell Fire Club was founded by James Worsdale and Richard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse. The other members were all from wealthy aristocratic backgrounds. The Hell Fire Club was essentially a men’s club, set up in the early 1700s exclusively for those with a taste for the debauched and the disturbing.

When the Lodge was leased to the Hell Fire Club it was then that things went into a horrific blackness of the occult.

Richard Parsons had a reputation. Infamously he was reputed to deeply dabble in the black arts and practices. The Hell Fire Club was associated with amoral behavior and for the man who chose to use this location for dark rituals.

The rituals involved alcohol and sexual acts. The secrecy of the group led locals to rumor about satanic acts and devil worship. Members even left an empty place at the table for the Devil to attend. Black cats were sacrificed, and these acts have left a lasting imprint on the property.

The now legendary gatherings of the Hell Fire Club began with each member sitting around a circular table and drinking a repugnant liquid known as scaltheen (a horrendous mixture of melted butter and whiskey, laced with brimstone).

The tales from the Hell Fire Club include:

• A stranger joined the members in a card game one stormy evening. At the table playing cards, a member dropped one and when he bent to pick it up, he saw their guest had cloven hooves instead of feet. The stranger disappeared in a ball of fire and was never seen again.
• A priest ascended the hill to investigate and witnessed the sacrifice of a black cat. The cat had the disgusting scaltheen poured over it and then it was set on fire. Stunned the priest grabbed the cat and began the rite of exorcism. A demon then burst from the deceased cat’s body.
• Simon Luttrell, Earl of Carhampton, was a vicious gambler and was in debt because of it. Legend states he had made a pact with the devil to clear his debts and promised his soul within seven years. When the devil came to collect, Simon fled in terror. Not to be seen again.

Eventually the building went up in fire. One theory is that a servant spilled a drink on one of the members and in revenge the member covered the man in brandy and then lit a match. The servant ran about the room and the lodge screaming, setting others on fire as well.

Many members died as a result and the interior was destroyed in the flames. The activities died out until a resurgence in 1771. This time the club lasted for almost thirty years and the tales were as depraved as the original club.

Today the remains of the Lodge are burned and abandoned ruin. Visitors to the site will enjoy the great views offered but may still feel some of the malevolent spirits that still lurk in the shadows.

Paranormal investigators have explored and have felt a dark energy moved towards them at great speeds before disappearing. The sound of a woman screaming has also been reported on several occasions.

There is also still evidence of black magic rituals guarded by a large black cat. You may still feel them if you are sensitive to that. The spirits of human and animal sacrifices are still present. Reminding us of the violent and dark happenings that once took place in this isolated and lonely hunting lodge.