My Ireland
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Ireland: home of Halloween
Come to the island of Ireland for an autumn getaway and you’ll soon discover that this is the birthplace of Halloween. Ask any local and they’ll tell you... Halloween all started with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the coming of winter. As firelight cast flickering shadows over the countryside, imaginations took flight. The boundaries between worlds blurred and spirits walked among the living, ready to carry them off to the Underworld.
At Samhain, the world around us is dying, notes Dr Kelly Fitzgerald, Head of UCD’s School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore, and this spurs us to reflect on those who have passed before us. “Halloween is the time of year that we face our fears because we’re going into the darkness.”
Derry Halloween, Derry~Londonderry
The wily Celts fought back against that darkness with masks to hide their faces from the undead, bonfires to banish the gloom and lanterns carved from turnips to ward off malevolent forces.
But Halloween was also a celebration when plentiful harvests were marked by feasting and games. People donned costumes and went from house to house entertaining their neighbours. They bobbed for apples and left out offerings of food to welcome the spirits of their ancestors.
Many traditions display a strong desire to see what the future might hold. Clodagh Doyle, Keeper at the Irish Folklore Division in the National Museum of Ireland, points out how many Halloween games aim to foretell the future. “This is a superstitious time of year. There’s a belief that you can get signs from the Otherworld about what your future may hold.”
Autumn sunset at Brú na Bóinne, County Meath
Two thousand years later, many of these customs live on, carried to new lands by Irish emigrants and adopted by their descendants to honour their culture and (let’s be honest) have some fun.
This Halloween, as you carve your pumpkin, get dressed up for Trick or Treating or search your slice of barmbrack for prophetic symbols, remember those ancient Celts who boldly faced the darkness head on. Better yet, book an autumn break and come and celebrate the enduring legacy of Samhain with us in Ireland: home of Halloween.
An Grianán of Aileach rises above the autumn mists, County Donegal © Gareth Wray Photography
Ireland's Halloween hotspots
Celebrate Halloween on the site where the very first Samhain bonfire was lit.
A scary, joyous and fantastically fun carnival in this historic walled city.
A festival with a real bite celebrating the legacy of Dracula creator, Bram Stoker.
Expect eerie goings-on in one of Northern Ireland's most haunted locations.
A spectacular Halloween parade through Galway by this renowned theatre company.
Samhain night processions through Longford, Waterford and Limerick are an exciting fusion of Celtic mythology and Halloween fun.
