VIDEO: Arra Historical Society unmasks Halloween’s ancient Celtic Samhain origins

As October’s shadow lengthens over Tipperary, history took centre stage at Reidy’s Bar in Newtown on Thursday last, October 23, when the Arra Historical & Archaeological Society launched its 2025/26 lecture season. 

Dr Karol Mullaney-Dignam, Associate Lecturer in History at the University of Limerick, commanded the room with a lecture tracing Halloween back to its ancestral root: the Celtic festival of Samhain.Dr Mullaney-Dignam, director of the MA in Public History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Limerick, is a scholar of Ireland’s social and cultural histories from the mid-eighteenth century to the twentieth. 

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The Arra Historical & Archaeological Society was established in 2017 with the aim of researching and documenting the history, archaeology, and genealogy of the old half-barony of Arra and its surrounding areas. This region includes the present-day civil parishes of Burgessbeg, Castletown Arra (Portroe), Youghalarra, Monsea, and Templeachally.

Margaret O’Sullivan, one of the society’s key organisers, explained that the group has hosted a wide range of guest speakers over the years. “We’ve had speakers on topics such as archaeology, folklore, the Land War, the Civil War, and the War of Independence,” she said. “We try to cover a broad range of subjects that will interest our members.”

Margaret also noted that the society has previously received Heritage Council funding to investigate the Graves of the Leinsterman site under the Adopt a Monument Scheme. “So we look after our archaeological heritage as well,” she added.

Last Thursday’s talk opened with an exploration of Samhain’s Celtic pagan origins. Celebrated at the end of October, it marked the festival of the dead—a liminal time when the living mingled with spirits and the boundary between worlds grew thin. In contrast, Bealtaine in May honoured life, fertility, and renewal, while Imbolc (February) and Lughnasa (August) marked other key seasonal shifts. Samhain closed the harvest and ushered in winter, a season demanding both caution and cunning. 

Communities lit bonfires and donned masks or costumes—often of animal hide—to confuse wandering spirits and ward off danger. This “guising” reflected a deep fear of abduction and a desire to outwit the supernatural, forming an uneasy pact with the unseen forces that ruled the darkening year.

Dr Mullaney-Dignam highlighted some Irish sites historically linked to Samhain, each rich in myth and ritual significance. Oweynagat Cave in Roscommon, or the Cave of the Cats, was seen as a gateway to the Otherworld and traditionally avoided on Samhain for fear of meeting wandering spirits. 

Tlachtga, or the Hill of Ward in County Meath, hosted the Great Fire Festival, where a central bonfire marked the coming of winter and its sacred flame was carried to neighbouring communities. Throughout her talk,  she emphasised fire’s symbolic power: a force of protection, purification, and illumination at this seasonal  threshold between the living and the dead.

 Other highlights from the talk included the meaning behind turnip lanterns and the legend of the Púca. Turnip lanterns were a central feature of Samhain—hollowed, carved with faces, and lit with burning coal. Placed in windows or doorways, they were meant to ward off malevolent spirits.

Dr Mullaney-Dignam described the Púca as one of the most captivating figures in Samhain folklore: a shape-shifting spirit that could appear as a horse, goat, dog, or other creature, bringing both mischief and menace. Said to lead travellers astray, play tricks, or deliver warnings from the Otherworld. 

Dr Mullaney-Dignam explained how, as Christianity spread across Ireland from the fifth century, Samhain’s ancient beliefs were gradually absorbed and reinterpreted within a Christian framework. 

The Church aligned its holy days with existing festivals, allowing familiar rituals to continue with new religious meanings. Samhain’s focus on the dead found a natural echo in All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2). Bonfires, disguises, and feasting endured but took on Christian symbolism, placing spirits within a moral order. 

Rather than erasing the old, this fusion preserved ancient customs while embracing the new, shaping the Halloween we know today. 

The evening concluded with a lively question-and-answer session. Listening to older members share memories of their childhood, it was evident they belonged to a generation shaped by customs, traditions, beliefs, and strong community bonds. 

While it was easy to feel a pang for the fading of these practices in an age dominated by streaming and the homogenizing effects of globalization, the event also signified the crucial role of the Arra Historical & Archaeological Society. By preserving this history, the society ensures these cultural treasures endure for generations to come. 

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