A period house that is believed to be haunted is for sale in Co Donegal. Sharon Rectory, on five acres at Newtowncunningham, is described as "beautifully restored". According to the sales brochure, the property offers gracious living accommodation in privacy and seclusion just off the main Letterkenny to Derry road.
However, there is no secret about the fact that a double murder took place there 209 years ago yesterday, on March 2nd, 1797.
Rumours that the house is haunted have persisted down the years, and sightings of a "blue lady" - believed to be the spirit of Mrs Waller, one of the two murder victims - have been reported up to recently. Owners Vincent and Lisa Tully have restored much of the original architecture and interior.
After claiming to see Mrs Waller's spirit every night, they sought help eight years ago to free the house of her presence. Several "ghostbusters" were called in, including a psychic and an exorcist, but their attempts apparently failed. The story of the double murder goes back to a night in March 1797, on which Dr William Hamilton, a magistrate, sought refuge at the home of the Wallers.
Dr Hamilton had been returning home but some local men refused to ferry him across Lough Swilly, reportedly due to bad weather, and so he stayed at Sharon Rectory. The United Irishmen were preparing for the insurrection that was to take place the following year.
Dr Hamilton had been in the house several hours when a number of men arrived demanding that he be handed over. Mrs Waller rushed to protect her husband, who was wheelchair-bound, and Dr Hamilton crouched at her side as the attackers fired. Mrs Waller was killed.
The attackers were reportedly enraged when they heard they had killed Mrs Waller, who was much loved in the area.
The servants, angered by her death and possibly fearful for their own lives, put Dr Hamilton out, and he was duly murdered on the doorstep.
Photographs of the rectory dining room taken in recent days by Property Partners Paul Reynolds & Co in Letterkenny feature an unusual smudge. They say they are convinced Mrs Waller's spirit still haunts the house.
The five-bedroom property, which has a guide price exceeding €1.5 million, is approached through stone entrance pillars and a winding private driveway.