Peel Castle
Peel, on the Isle of Man West’s coast, has one of the prettiest ruined castles you’ll ever see. The conquering Vikings built it on a small island known as St. Patrick’s Isle (apparently, the man himself stopped off here on his way to Ireland).
Inside, the castle is all ruins, with grassy mounds instead of buildings, but that’s all the more space for kids to run across – if you don’t mind letting them let them risk the wrath of the Moddey Dhoo (black dog).
The Tale of the Moddey Dhoo
In 1666, the year London had its great fire, Peel Castle was a living, working castle protected by soldiers. They weren’t the only living people there. A huge black dog with curly fur was often seen, first in one part of the castle, than another.
The guard room lay inside the front gate. On cold nights, the Moddey Dhoo appeared there whether the door was closed or open, and lie in front of the fire. The soldiers grew accustomed to it, but they were fearful too. The mysterious dog had an unnatural sheen, almost a translucent aura.
Every night, the guards locked the gate and took the keys down a long, stone corridor to the captain of the guard. Sometimes, they would see the Moddey Dhoo, even though moments earlier, the dog had been asleep in front of the fire.
Seeing the huge black dog lying peacefully in the light and warmth of their fire was one thing, but coming across it alone in a dank, dark stone corridor when it should still be in the guard room, was terrifying. For safety, they started walking in pairs to deliver the keys to the captain. If they walked respectfully, minding their own business, the Moddey Dhoo paid them no mind.
But there was one young soldier who, while on duty, drank more than he ought. Made brave by licquor coursing through his blood, he grabbed the keys and declared he wasn’t afraid of the Moddey Dhoo. Why should he be? It was only a dog! If he saw it in the corridor, he would laugh at it!
He started walking down the corridor by himself. By the time anyone could follow, he’d gone too far ahead. With the Moddey Dhoo around, no one else wanted to walk the stone corridor so late at night.
Besides, there were strange sounds down there, around the bend in the corridor: padding paws on the stone slabs, and a deep, low growling.
If that young, drunken soldier did see the Moddey Dhoo, maybe he did laugh, and maybe he didn’t. We’ll never know, because he died alone in the stone corridor, with all his hair turned white and a dreadful, terrified rictus on his face.
Tourist Attraction
To this day, Peel Castle remains one the Isle of Man’s most popular tourist attractions – and possibly its most haunted one. For children, the grassy spaces inside the castle and the ruined buildings are great fun. Even just strolling around the outside of the castle walls is evocative.
Good Deeds and Charity
The Moddey Dhoo even makes an appearance in my fiction.
In Good Deeds and Charity, the upcoming sequel to my novel No Way To Live, a character tells Billie the eerie tale of the demon dog of the Isle of Man. ‘I’d like a dog like that,’ Billie replies.
Links
Manx Net – news and community from the Isle of Man
Visit Isle of Man – official travel and tourist guide
Manx National Heritage – Peel Castle and other Manx historic sites.
Further Reading
The Tower of Refuge The story of the sea-lashed castle in Douglas Harbour with its own history:
The Vampire Grave of the Isle of Man Another spooky legend from Manx folklore:
What happened to The Pasages? A shipwreck that can be seen on dry land:
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