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NOW THAT THERE is an autumnal chill in the air and the leaves are changing colour, many of us are getting in the mood for spooky season.
Ireland’s close connection with the modern celebration of Halloween is in fact centuries old, a spiritual link that comes from the Celtic festival of Samhain, an ancient and mystical event that heralded the end of the harvest season and the new year.
Many of the traditions that began with Ireland’s ancient celebration of Samhain endure today, and have made Halloween what it is. Bonfires and costumes were an essential part of these ancient revelries, very much setting the tone for what would eventually become the global phenomenon of Halloween.
Even the very act of carving a pumpkin has its inspiration in old Irish tradition, whereby grotesque faces were carved into turnips to give the impression of ghouls and spirits.
This means that Ireland is undoubtedly the place to be at the end of October. It truly is the Home of Halloween with hubs across Ireland offering local parades, folklore walks, lantern carving and festive feasts. Hubs include Galway City, Longford & Westmeath, Meath & Louth, Kerry, Fingal, Kilkenny and Limerick bringing this mischievous world to life – with no shortage of interactive and immersive Halloween experiences for people of all ages to attend right across the country.
While costumes and trick-or-treating are undoubtedly part of the fun that comes with the Halloween season, being in Ireland gives you the opportunity to delve so much deeper into a rich history of traditions. By immersing yourself in Ireland’s ancient history, you can give yourself the richest Halloween experience of your life so far.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when truly getting yourself into the Halloween spirit is to recognise that Halloween is a season, not just a night. This is especially true in Ireland, where celebrations embracing the origins of the season are never too far away.
Taking place on 26 October this year, the Macnas Halloween Parade in Galway is the perfect encapsulation of the soulful, artistic hub that is the City of the Tribes, as well as capturing everything that makes Halloween in Ireland so unique.
This year’s theme is An Treun – The Summoning Of The Lost, inspired by a recently discovered story by Bram Stoker, author of the famous Dracula.
Based on past performances of the parade, expectations will be high for costumes, floats, sights and sounds that will certainly bewitch anyone lucky enough to be in the crowd, with designs that bring Irish folklore, tradition and mischief to the fore.
Elsewhere, the four-day Púca Festival has fast become a mainstay of Halloween in Ireland, an event that leans fully into the thinning of the veil between the world of the living and the dead.
From 30 October to 2 November this year, County Meath will be brimming with events attended by people from the world over, such as the Púca Procession and the lighting of the Samhain Fire. In amongst all of this are heritage sites to visit, walking tours to take, storytelling events to listen in on… Everything you could ever want to fully appreciate Ireland’s close bond with this special time of year.
While there is more than enough to keep you going on the spooky side of things, there is also plenty of entertainment to be had. The line-up for this year’s Púca Festival includes music acts such as Groove Armada, The 2 Johnnies and the High Kings, ‘Moonlight’ the Phillip Lynott rock musical, Dubliner – The Luke Kelly Story, and a discussion with writer and podcaster Blindboy.
A full itinerary of Púca Festival events can be found here.
To find out how you can celebrate Ireland as the Home of Halloween, visit discoverireland.ie
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