A bit scary, Christy
Star says her castle ghost was reined in by holy water
HOLLYWOOD star Christy Cashman has told how she had to banish a ghost from her Irish castle with holy water.
The producer and actor and her developer mogul husband Jay bought the 12th century Kilkea Castle in Castledermot, Co Kildare in 2012.
It opened its doors as a hotel after a €30million refurbishment in 2017, but Christy recalled how her first night’s sleep there was interrupted by a poltergeist.
American Hustle star Christy, 50, said: “It was Christmas time, our entire family were in the castle too.
“Jay and I were up in the bridal suite. The lights were on. Our armoire started shaking, not just shaking but rattling.”
As the wardrobe was freestanding and not near a radiator the couple were startled by the “zapping noise” and the doors opening and closing.
Christy’s friend, Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, 63, was also staying at the property at the time and the next morning he advised her to sprinkle holy water.
Ronan instructed the family to get into “every single nook and cranny” of every room to cleanse it of the uninvited spirit guest.
She said: “He had a mantra we had to recite to release the spirits, asking them if they were unhappy and to move on.
“We were telling them to please leave and go to wherever they needed to go.
“It worked and the ghost left.”
However, Christy is convinced the spirit of Hermione Fitzgerald, who owned the castle in 1180, is still at their property.
She added: “I can feel her aura. During Hermione’s time here she wasn’t happy but I don’t sense she is upset being here now.”
Christy met Jay in New York in 1996 and the couple divide their time between their homes in
We were telling them to please leave... it worked and the ghost left
Boston and Kildare. She wed the American business tycoon in a ceremony at the 15th century Franciscan Abbey at Adare Manor, Limerick in 1999 – the first wedding there in 500 years.
Her first novel, The Truth About Horses, was launched at the RDS Horse
Show in August. She said her love affair with Ireland began when she came here in the 1990s to horseback ride. But when the couple found Kilkea Castle in 2012 they knew there was “something magical” about it. Philanthropist Christy, founder of Youthink mentoring programme for teens, hosts free culture workshops for children at the castle, teaming up with local youth clubs. The mum-oftwo said: “Of course we seek out kids who might not ordinarily get to participate in something like this.
“The plan is to take our project to other cities across Ireland.”
Charity work and writing have always been her passion – and her stint in Hollywood was short lived.
She said: “I don’t think I made it as an actress really, I was on the periphery.
“I had a taste of that world. LA for me was somewhat fake.
“I’m a dreamer but a doer too, I wanted to throw myself into the trenches of trying to do something good.” She said writing is where she feels most “connected” and “vulnerable”.
Her fiction debut is about a father and daughter who drift apart after a tragedy until mysterious forces guide them back together.
Christy said: “The book is a loose interpretation of my life. I used the horse world because that’s all I know.
“There is some talk about it being a TV series set in Ireland... but the book is only out.”