Halloween is almost upon us in Ireland. Why not visit Derry Halloween Festival and enjoy the best of music, fancy dress, fun and frolics Ireland has to offer during spooky season? Halloween is a great time to visit Ireland for a short break or a longer holiday. If it is bonfires, music, games, fireworks, festivals or tasty pumpkin pies you want, then Ireland has it all. There are some excellent B&B Special Offers available for the mid-term Halloween school holidays!

Ireland is a land of magic and mystery celebrated at Halloween. With our old Irish history and rich cultural past, tales of strange and mystical events and apparitions are weaved into Irish storytelling during the Autumn and Winter months. Ireland has some special traditions that are observed every Halloween, some can be found in other parts of the world and many unique to Ireland.

The Celts celebrated Halloween as Samhain, ‘All Hallowtide’ – the ‘Feast of the Dead’, when the dead revisited the mortal world. The celebration marked the end of Summer and the start of the Winter months.

One of the main Halloween traditions in Ireland is The Barnbrack Cake. The traditional Halloween cake in Ireland is the barnbrack which is a fruit bread. Each member of the family gets a slice. Great interest is taken in the outcome as there is a rag, a coin and a ring in each cake. If you get the rag then your financial future is doubtful. If you get the coin then you can look forward to a prosperous year. Getting the ring is a sure sign of impending romance or continued happiness.
 
Jack O’Lantern is a common sight in Ireland during Halloween. Pumpkins are carved with candles placed inside. In the old days a turnip was used to craft the Jack O’Lantern. The tradition of Jack O’Lanterns was born – Jack made a deal with the devil for his soul. The result did not go so well for Jack and he was left a wandering blacksmith – a damned soul. Villagers in Ireland hoped that the lantern in their window would keep the wanderer away. When the Irish emigrated in millions to America there was not a great supply of turnips so pumpkins were used instead. It is said that Jack O’Lantern was left to roam Ireland for eternity!

Colcannon for Dinner: Boiled Potato, Curly Kale (a cabbage) and raw Onions are provided as the traditional Irish Halloween dinner. Clean coins are wrapped in baking paper and placed in the potato for children to find and keep.

As in other countries, Ireland also celebrates Halloween with Trick or Treating, Halloween parties, telling ghost stories, decorating the house, eating toffee apples and decorating the house. Traditional Halloween games include bobbing for apples. If you need some other ideas on great ways to spend your Halloween holidays in Ireland visit our list of Autumn Winter staycation ideas on the B&B Ireland blog.

To guard against any evil at Halloween, the people of Ireland lit huge bonfires. It is said that the souls of the dead return on Halloween to seek revenge on those they did not like while they were alive. To prevent this doom, the people wore ugly masks and disguises to confuse the spirits of the dead so they would not recognise the people they had returned to claim.

An event in Ireland not to miss is certainly Halloween in Derry, the world’s biggest Halloween party is held there every year. Over 30,000 people party on down in the streets of Derry the majority of them in fancy dress. Derry comes alive with music and dance from local and international artists.

Virginia in County Cavan Ireland is home to one of the worlds most famous pumpkin festivals. The Virginia Pumpkin Festival is held annually and includes the largest and best carved pumpkin competitions. Music, bonfires, bbq’s, street partying, fancy dress and of course lots and lots of pumpkins await you in County Cavan!

Halloween is a great time to visit Ireland with many special festivals and events around the country. Your B&B host or hostess will advise you of any local celebrations and perhaps tell you a tale or two of local ghosts and goblins! You may even get a guided tour of an old historic building or walk through a mysterious forest at dusk. Your bed and breakfast host will recommend the best local pubs and restaurants. Many Irish pubs have storytelling, music, Halloween themed parties and plenty of fancy dress costumes to keep you partying through Halloween night.
 
An old Irish saying “When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, may luck be yours on Halloween.”