Ireland’s last witch trial in County Antrim explored in new RTÉ documentary
Former Irish State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy
Wednesday 21 October 2026
The extraordinary story of eight women convicted of witchcraft in County Antrim more than 300 years ago is to be revisited in a new RTÉ documentary presented by former State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy.
Airing on Thursday 29 October, the one-hour programme will investigate Ireland’s last witch trial, which took place in Islandmagee on the East Antrim coast in 1711, and examine the accusations, fears and beliefs that led to eight local women being imprisoned.
Dr Marie Cassidy Investigates Ireland’s Last Witch Trial will bring a modern scientific perspective to one of the darkest episodes in the history of the Antrim coast, exploring how claims of demonic possession sparked a witch hunt within a close-knit community.
The accusations that shook Islandmagee
Dr Marie Cassidy in The National Library of Scotland examining a rare edition of Daemonologie a famous book on witchcraft written by King James VI of Scotland.
The events began when 18-year-old Mary Dunbar claimed to be demonically possessed and accused eight local women of practising witchcraft, which she alleged was responsible for her torment.
At a time when witches were still widely feared across Europe and America, the allegations caused considerable alarm among the predominantly Ulster-Scots Presbyterian community living on the peninsula, approximately 20 miles north of Belfast.
Although witch trials were relatively rare in Ireland, the accusations were taken seriously and the eight women were arrested and brought before the courts.
Their trial became widely publicised and controversial, ultimately becoming the last witch trial held in Ireland.
Eight women convicted and subjected to brutal punishment
All eight women were found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to one year in prison, alongside four periods in the pillory on market days.
The pillory was a form of public punishment in which prisoners were restrained and exposed to crowds who could throw fruit, vegetables, stones and other objects at them.
Such treatment could cause serious injuries, and the fate of the Islandmagee women remains uncertain. Historical records do not establish whether they survived their sentences.
Their convictions have since become an enduring example of how fear, superstition and accusations could have devastating consequences for women in the early 18th century.
Marie Cassidy examines the evidence
Dr Marie Cassidy in The Linen Hall Library in Belfast examining existing evidence of the trial.
Dr Cassidy, who served as Ireland’s State Pathologist for 14 years, will draw on her investigative experience to examine the circumstances surrounding the case through a 21st-century scientific lens.
The documentary will follow her as she travels to Islandmagee, Belfast, Dublin and Edinburgh, meeting historians and specialists to explore the beliefs surrounding witchcraft in Gaelic Ireland and Scots Presbyterian traditions.
She will also investigate what everyday life was like in 18th-century Ireland and how religious and cultural influences shaped attitudes towards alleged supernatural activity.
Among those contributing is Dr Andrew Sneddon, a leading authority on the Islandmagee witch trials, who will examine the arguments presented for and against convicting the women.
Dr Cassidy will also meet Claire Mitchell KC and Zoe Venditozzi, campaigners and hosts of the Witches of Scotland podcast, to explore how Scotland’s history of witch trials influenced events in County Antrim.
When and where to watch
Dr Marie Cassidy with "Witches of Scotland" podcasters and authors of "To Kill a Witch" - Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell KC (Claire is on Marie's left with green shirt)
Dr Marie Cassidy Investigates Ireland’s Last Witch Trial will be broadcast on Thursday 29 October at 10.15pm on RTÉ One and will also be available on RTÉ Player.
The one-hour documentary was produced by Clean Slate Television for RTÉ, with funding assistance from Northern Ireland Screen’s Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund.
More than three centuries after the convictions, the programme will revisit the evidence and beliefs behind the Islandmagee trial, bringing renewed attention to the eight women whose ultimate fate remains unknown.
