Did you know Ireland is the original home of Halloween?
Halloween is the modern incarnation of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain that has been celebrated on the island for over 2,000 years.
Samhain was one of four Celtic festivals in pre-Christian Ireland. With fire and feasting, it marked the end of summer and the beginning of the new year. But it was tinged with trepidation as the Celts believed that it was on that day that the worlds of the living and the dead were at their closest and that spirits could move between them.
Fearing that all manner of beings might pull them into the otherworld before their time, the Celts would light fires to scare off the roaming spirits and disguise themselves in costumes to confuse them. Today, we proudly continue this tradition across the nation – see below all of the locations you can catch our Samhain celebrations this spooky season.
π 25th October
11am – 4.30pm
Liverpool Irish Festival
Family Fun Day
Museum of Liverpool
https://bit.ly/4ngNslG
π 26th October 2025
4pm – 7pm
Liverpool Irish Festival
Samhain CΓ©ilΓ
Liverpool Irish Centre
https://bit.ly/48xotXy
π₯ 31st October
10am – 5pm
Ulster Folk Museum, Cultra
https://bit.ly/43lAwn7
β οΈ 31st October
5.45pm – 7pm & 8.30 – 10pm
Derry Halloween
Guildhall Square
https://lnkd.in/eRZHmGs
π» 1st November – 2nd November
11am – 3pm
Historic Royal Palaces
Hillsborough Castle and Gardens
https://bit.ly/47aolLc
