BARRICADED IN ROOM: Star gets castle patrol after maid tied up in latest raid

A CRAZED stalker broke into singer Enya’s Dublin castle and terrorised her for two hours.

The terrified entertainer locked herself in a saferoom while the man assaulted staff at her Killiney mansion.

A maid was tied up during the shocking incident.

The Evening Herald can also reveal that two different stalkers managed to sneak into the singer’s house in the space of just one week.

One of the men has been caught but the second stalker is on the loose and Enya fears that he could strike again.

The second man managed to breach the castle’s extensive security system and tie up a maid before scouring the staff quarters looking for the 43-year-old.

The former Clannad star hid in a bedroom and activated a panic alarm which frightened the intruder, who then fled.

It is the third time that the publicity-shy singer has been stalked. A crazed Italian fan once trailed her for more than a year and even stabbed himself when he was thrown out of Enya’s parents’ pub.

The singer has now beefed up security and does not leave her house without a minder while security guards are constantly on patrol around the castle.

A source said: “Bizarrely there were two stalking incidents in the space of a week at Enya’s home. During the first one, a man was caught in the house after somehow breaching the security.

“The gardai were called and the English man was subsequently arrested. The following week a different man managed to get into the staff quarters of the house and tied up a 56-year-old English woman who was working there.

“He tried to get into her private quarters but the security system wouldn’t allow it.

“This went on for a couple of hours and Enya realised what was going on and activated a panic alarm, which we responded to, but the guy had already gone. He stole a number of personal items belonging to her but she was not hurt and the worker is OK.

“He asked for the key to a safe there and was given it, but he didn’t take any cash or valuables. We initially thought it was an aggravated burglary but soon realised that it was a stalking situation.

“Enya is hyper-sensitive about security and the place was already like a fortress so this guy did well to get in.

“Apparently she has hired two security guards to patrol at night, while there is also a man there with her at all times, and she is very nervous, which is understandable,” the source added.

The last incident happened six weeks ago and is subject to an ongoing Garda investigation.

Earlier this year Enya, who has sold more than 100 million albums,2applied for planning permission to build a 4.5m high cast-iron railing around her six-bedroomed castle.

The shy star wanted to feel more secure in her multi-million euro home and shield herself from obsessed fans. In 1998, she spent an estimated €250,000 increasing security and is now likely to want to urgently update that system.

The sweet-voiced beauty also hopes to install three retractable granite bollards at the entrance to the protected structure, Manderley Castle, on Victoria Road.

In addition, the Orinoco Flow writer wants to alter the existing gates and install 1.5m-high decorative cast iron profile to the top.

The singer, third in this year’s Irish rich list with her €100m fortune, had her application rejected by Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council.

Irish Independent, 29 September 2005
Mick McCaffrey and Charlie Mallon