- Loftus Hall in Wexford,
Ireland , has earned the title of the mosthaunted home in the country. - Legend has it Anne Tottenham encountered the devil while living in the home. She entered a state of shock and never recovered. Since then, visitors have explored the property and reported sightings of ghosts and spirits.
- Ghost tours, garden explorations, and house tours bring thousands of curious visitors to Wexford each year.
- Now, the house is up
for sale . The current owner is asking for $2.9 million, but more importantly, he wants the house to continue to serve the public.
When Aidan Quigley misbehaved, his parents threatened to drop him off at the
The 22-bedroom
In 2011, Quigley's childhood threat became a reality. At 38 years old, Quigley and his brother, Shane, purchased Loftus Hall.
Over the last nine years, Quigley estimates the family has invested $1.76 million in saving the house and opening it up to the public.
Now, he said his time running the property is over. He's officially put the house up for sale.
"We brought it to a stage where we're quite happy with what we've done," he told Insider. "We'll let somebody else take it up with new energy, new monies, and new ideas."
The house is on the market for $2.9 million, but making a profit isn't the owner's main priority with the sale
Quigley said he's trying to find an owner that will keep Loftus Hall open to the public.
"The area's tourism and economy is built off the back of the hall's seasonality opening," Neill Ikbal, the founder of Visit New Ross, the area's tourism department, told Insider.
Each year, between 70,000 and 80,000 people
Loftus Hall's haunted history dates back to 1775. Legend has it that Anne Tottenham was living in the mansion, and during a storm, a mysterious stranger arrived at the Hall in search of shelter.
Tottenham and her family welcomed him in, and they passed the time by playing a game of cards. When Tottenham accidentally dropped a card, she bent down and noticed the man had hooves instead of feet.
Believed to be the devil, the man shot through the roof in a ball of flames. Tottenham entered a state of madness and shock, and she never recovered. Her family locked her in the mansion's tapestry room where she died a few years later.
Visitors claim to have heard Anne Tottenham's footsteps echoing throughout the Hall at night
Exorcisms have been done on the building, and paranormal investigations still take place. Over the years, the mansion has earned its title as the most haunted house in Ireland.
Quigley recalls taking visitors on tours and watching their initial skepticism slowly turn into belief.
"You watch someone getting absolutely terrified, and the confusion around it is brilliant," he said. "It's great fun — if you count that as fun."
Whether Quigley believes the house is haunted or not? "Absolutely," he said. "Can I prove it? Absolutely not."
Quigley said he's been in contact with a few interested buyers. He joked that he's looking for a Charlie from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.'' By that, he means someone who shares the same vision as him.
"I'm looking for the kid who doesn't steal the Gobstoppers," he said. "It's the person who gets it. Because if you get it, you look after the place and you bring it forward."
On November 13, also known as Friday the 13th, Quigley will host his final tour of Loftus Hall, completing a full circle from the first tour, which took place on Friday the 13th in July of 2012.
While it's Quigley's last tour, he said he hopes it won't be the end for the building.
"Yes, it's bricks and mortar has a value, and the acreage has a value," he said. "But it has so much heritage and history, and that's the value of Loftus Hall."
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