Will you be ‘afeared’ to watch ghostly new series on TV?

A new programme series on BBC Two will be examining ghost stories associated with the Ulster Scots community, and three of the locations will be in the local area.
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Ballygally Castle, Redhall House at Ballycarry and Galgorm Castle at Ballymena will be featured in the new series, entitled ‘Afeared’, which starts on BBC 2 Northern Ireland on January 31 at 10pm.

The series is co-presented by local historian and journalist Dr. David Hume and presenter, journalist and scriptwriter Darren Gibson.

David, from Ballycarry, and Darren, from Carrowdore in County Down, are both well-known in the Ulster Scots community.

Darren Gibson (left) and David Hume co-present a new series on BBC looking at Ulster Scot ghost stories.Darren Gibson (left) and David Hume co-present a new series on BBC looking at Ulster Scot ghost stories.
Darren Gibson (left) and David Hume co-present a new series on BBC looking at Ulster Scot ghost stories.

In the first of three programmes the pair will investigate the true events behind the ghost stories associated with one of Ulster’s most haunted houses, Sharon Rectory in County Donegal.

They will unveil the story of a double murder at the site in 1797 and go on to uncover why this violent event became such a dramatic flash point in Ulster-Scots history.

Using original newspaper archive from the time and the testimony of current residents, David and Darren piece together this grisly tale of mystery, murder and rebellion with some unexpected results and altogether spine-tingling revelations.

During the second programme, David Hume and Darren Gibson visit Galgorm Castle to investigate the life of one of its most infamous owners – a clergyman from the 17th century named Alexander Colvill, who was plagued by rumours of witchcraft and devil worship.

The ghost room at Ballygally is set to feature in the new Ulster Scots series AfearedThe ghost room at Ballygally is set to feature in the new Ulster Scots series Afeared
The ghost room at Ballygally is set to feature in the new Ulster Scots series Afeared

In their quest to seek the truth behind these tales, they discover amazing, primary evidence from the time shedding new light on this mysterious part of Ulster-Scots history. While visiting Galgorm, Darren speaks to the current owner of the castle about Colvill’s life and the ghost stories that continue to linger around this original plantation estate.

And in the third and final programme in the series, Darren Gibson and David Hume join together to investigate the ghost story that is associated with Ballygally Castle on the Antrim coast and the real woman who has inspired this tale for generations, Lady Isabella Shaw.

Their journey takes them to Ballygally Castle itself and to the ‘ghost room’, which is rumoured to be haunted by Lady Isabella. David and Darren also delve into the archives to find out more about her life in Ulster after settling here from Scotland in the 17th century. On their journey they make a very exciting discovery and shake up the narrative that has existed for centuries in Ulster-Scots folklore about the life and death of this fascinating woman. 

Stories which also feature in the episodes include that of the White Lady at Redhall, Ballycarry, where the pair will visit the Glen Head field, the only location at which the ghost is reported to have appeared in the past and speculate as to the origins of this ghostly tale.

Afeared begins this Sunday (January 31), BBC Two Northern Ireland at 10pm, and is an Alleycats TV production, made in association with the Northern Ireland Screen Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund.

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