Lisburn-based tour guide Louise Heaslip tells DAVID SAUNDERSON how the Islandmagee witch trial in County Antrim inspired her to begin Haunted Tours NI
While Belfast has more than a few ghost walks, many eerie tales from smaller towns and villages of Northern Ireland have largely faded from memory.
Louise Heaslip is bringing those forgotten stories back to life through guided tours exploring folklore, dark history and reported hauntings across the country.
Her journey into the paranormal began with a simple favour for a friend.
“A friend of mine asked me for a book on the Islandmagee witches. I thought your head’s cut, there’s no such thing as a witch trial around these parts.”
Curiosity got the better of her once the book arrived.
“So the book arrived and of course I had a quick look at it, you know, and I read the whole thing.”
What she discovered surprised her.
The Islandmagee witch trial of 1711 is the only recorded mass witch trial in Irish history, yet many people locally have never heard of it.
“I’ve heard of the Salem Witches, I’ve heard of the Pendle Witches but I’ve never heard of the witch trial in my own country. So that sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole, decided I would start doing tours.”
Originally, Louise never planned to guide the tours herself. “I was just supposed to write and research and everything. My sister was supposed to do the speaking.”
But Louise quickly discovered she loved sharing the stories herself.
“So I had fell into the role and I’m now a qualified tour guide and taxi driver, as I do taxi tours as well.”
Haunted tours across Northern Ireland
Today, Haunted Tours NI runs ghost tours in several locations including Carrickfergus, Larne, Dromore and Lisburn, combining eerie folklore with lesser known pieces of local history.
One of the biggest surprises for Louise has been that many locals turn up to her tours. “It’s good because they get to tell you their own stories and then that adds to the experience.”
Her interest in the subject has also led her into paranormal investigations at historic sites across Northern Ireland.
Louise approaches the supernatural with a healthy level of scepticism.
“Well, there’s maybe not as many ghosts out there as everybody thinks, you know.”
But occasionally something difficult to explain does happen.
“I had my first experience of direct voice phenomenon where I actually heard a voice say no in my ear.”
For Louise, that sense of mystery is part of the attraction.
“There’s no experts and you’re just constantly learning, trying to figure things out.”
Anyone curious to explore Northern Ireland’s darker history can find upcoming Haunted Tours NI events on Facebook, where details of tours and ghost hunts are regularly shared.
You can find also out more about Haunted Tours NI at its website.
