The Great Irish Spooktacular Weekly Dose ☘️👻
Oct 31, 2025 1:14 pm
🎃 Weekly Dose of Irish – Oíche Shamhna Special ☘️
By Stephen– Irish Around The World
Every week, we dip into the heart of Ireland together. A little folklore, a little language, a story or blessing, and that familiar spark that keeps us connected to home, wherever we are in the world.
Over the past while, many of you have written to say these weekly notes give you a smile, a memory, or a moment of quiet connection in the middle of busy life. That means more than you know. Truly.
Now I am brewing something new and would love your help.
I am considering creating a Daily Dose of Irish EMAIL(in addition to the book).
A short daily email with a piece of history, a phrase in Gaeilge, a poem line, a blessing, or even a bit of mischief and Irish humour. Nothing heavy. Just a warm Irish moment each day to carry with you.
Alongside that, I am also exploring Irish wall prints and digital art for the home. Think meaningful Irish blessings, Gaeilge phrases, Celtic touches, and warm Irish cottage style. Beautiful pieces that feel timeless.
Before I build anything, I want to hear from you first.
This is your community as much as mine.
If you have one minute, please fill out this short survey. Your answers shape what comes next.
Survey link
https://formrobin.com/f/234ryvw
🔥 This Was Never Just Costumes and Sugar
Oíche Shamhna in Ireland wasn’t about jump scares or fun-sized chocolate.
It was the turning point of the year. The moment when time stood still and the line between the living and the dead blurred like mist.
The wind carried whispers.
The fire spoke in crackles.
And the wise left a candle glowing in the window for the wandering souls making their way home through the dark.
Tonight, we walk the old paths together.
Kettle on. Lights low. Imagination wide open.
If you would like a few extra reads for the season, here are some favourites:
- How the Irish invented Halloween
- Fascinating facts about Samhain and ancient Irish Halloween traditions
A cup of tea, five minutes, and a bit of Irish magic. Perfect reading.
👻 Irish Spirits You Never Knew You Knew
Taibhse
Your everyday Irish ghost.
Never in a rush. Sometimes nosy. Always gone before the tea is poured.
The Banshee (Bean Sí)
The wailing woman of fate.
She doesn’t cause death. She warns of it.
The original Irish emergency siren with better vocals and no volume control.
The Púca
A shapeshifter known for charm and chaos.
It might be a black horse. A sly goat. A suspiciously attractive stranger.
If it complements your outfit, smile carefully. If it offers you a lift, say no and walk the other way.
Abhartach
Ireland’s own vampire before vampires were trendy.
He rose again and again, thirsty and hard to bury.
Bram Stoker didn’t need Transylvania. He had Irish soil and darker legends.
The Dullahan
A headless rider with glowing eyes.
He carries his own head and rides at night, announcing death as he goes.
If you hear hooves behind you, pretend you didn’t.
The Sluagh
Spirits of the unforgiven.
They fly on the wind, seeking souls at twilight.
If a cold gust touches your back, step inside. Quickly.
🍞 Barmbrack – A Slice of Fate
No Irish Halloween is complete without barmbrack.
The sweet fruit loaf hides charms baked inside, each one telling your fortune:
- A ring means marriage
- A coin means wealth
- A rag means frugality
- A stick means an argument
- A medal or bean means protection
Take small bites. Fortune is grand until it cracks a molar.
🕯️ Halloween Traditions in Ireland
Before horror films and pumpkin spice lattes, Irish homes marked the night with:
- Bonfires to protect the parish
- Doors left ajar for visiting spirits
- Plates of food set outside for the dead
- Turnips carved into eerie faces
- Children singing for sweets
- Apples swinging from string in the kitchen
- Names of the departed spoken out loud with care
Halloween was never just a party. It was a passage.
🧠 Oíche Shamhna Quiz
1. In Snap Apple, what hangs from a string?
A. Pear
B. Apple
C. Turnip
D. Whatever Dunnes had on special
2. What was left out for spirits?
A. Milk
B. Bread
C. A plate of food
D. All of the above
3. Which group is said to steal souls?
A. Púca
B. Banshee
C. Dullahan
D. Sluagh
4. Before pumpkins, we carved:
A. Potatoes
B. Turnips
C. Beetroot
D. Large cabbages
5. Samhain marks the beginning of:
A. Winter
B. Summer
C. Spring
D. Harvest
6. Barmbrack charms were once baked:
A. In cloth
B. In paper
C. Loose in the loaf
D. Wrapped in grass
7. Snap Apple resembles:
A. Pin the tail
B. Bobbing for apples
C. Tug of war
D. Guess the ghost
8. What might the Púca do to crops on Halloween?
A. Bless them
B. Spoil them
C. Turn them gold
D. Eat them and blame the neighbours
Answers below unless the púca gets there first.
🍂 A Blessing for the Thin Night
May your home be warm and your heart be steady
May the old stories find you when you are ready
May the veil fall soft and never startle
And may your laughter ring brighter than the dark will
Hold close the living
Remember the gone
This is the night when memory walks beside us
🎭 Irish Around The World Halloween Challenge
Dress up as your favourite character from Irish folklore and tag us @irisharoundtheworld
We’ll feature the best one in next week’s Weekly Dose
Ideas for costumes:
- Banshee in fuzzy slippers
- Leprechaun who lost the pot due to inflation
- Púca in the Ryanair boarding queue
✅ Quiz Answers
- B – Apple
- D – All of the above
- D – Sluagh
- B – Turnips
- A – Winter
- C – Loose in the loaf
- B – Bobbing for apples
- B – Spoil them
If you got six or more right, you would’ve survived Halloween in rural Ireland two centuries ago
Less than that, and the púca might have some opinions
💚 Final Thought
Halloween was Irish before it was anything else
We didn’t run from the dark. We lit it up
We laughed in the face of fear, baked fortunes into bread, and welcomed home the spirits we missed
So light a candle. Pour the tea
And remember someone who once stood where you now stand
Slán and Oíche Shamhna shona daoibh
Stephen Palmer
And if you leave out brack for the púca, slice it neatly. Even spirits have standards