Through the years, late-night passers-by in Harcourt Street, Dublin, have reported seeing the ghostly figure of a woman in 18th-century dress standing an the window of a big Georgian house.

The old house is still there but a brick excrescence on a blank wall is all that is left to indicate where the window once was. A hurtful witticism transformed Lady Jonah Barrington's bow window into an unsightly wart of brick.

In the last quarter of the 18th century Sir Jonah Barrington - whose judicial embezzlements have been forgiven and forgotten - came to live in No. 14 Harcourt Street. The side of the house forms one corner of the entrance to Montague Street.

Barrington's wife was the daughter of a silk merchant named Grogan … and thereby hangs a tale. At the opposite corner lived John Scott, Earl of Clonmel, who, by adding a letter to the name of the town from which he took his title, inspired the witticism "Give Scott an inch and he will take a mile."

14 Harcourt Street

The window of the Barrington mansion stared like an ever-open eye into the heart of the house of Scott, much to the disgust of the Countess, who professed to be vastly annoyed that her movements and those of her household should be so overlooked.

In this window, resplendent in silks and satins, Lady Barrington took her seat daily for a general survey. The Scotts became more and more annoyed and a formal remonstrance was made to Sir Jonah, who declined to close the offending window.

Finally, exasperated beyond all endurance, Lady Clonmell hurt the silk mercer's daughter, expressing the opinion that took the matter into her own hands. With a sarcasm that really "Lady Barrington was so accustomed to looking out of a shop window for her silks and satins that it was hardly surprising she could not afford to dispense with this window."

The shaft went straight home. The window was built up at once, and Lady Clonmell was forever freed from the supervision of her inquisitive neighbour. So ended the duel between vanity and wit.

In 1793 the Barringtons moved from Harcourt Street to Merrion Square, but if the reports of the ghostly woman in No. 14 Harcourt Street are true, it would appear that Lady Barringrton returned to her former residence. Perhaps she still awaits the appearance of the ghost of Lady Clonmell and a resumption of hostilities.