Ah, Halloween, our national night of messing around and getting dressed up, acting the maggot and getting blind drunk. What’s not to love?
We have many treasured traditions here in Ireland, so we wanted to make a list to help you embrace this Halloween like a genuine Irish person.
If you’ve ever experienced a Halloween night on the Emerald Isle, then you know how amazing it is.
Keep reading to discover the best Irish Halloween traditions.
10. Throwing a half-assed costume together at the last second – we’ve all done it
It’s happened to the best of us. We’ve decided we’re just not in the spooky mood this year and decided not to go out. But then the phone starts ringing, and the peer pressure begins.
You run to the closest shop, only to be met with a disgracefully basic assortment of costume choices. Desperate, you buy a random variety of the selection at hand.
You end up going out with devil horns and cat whiskers, with some badly drawn scars for good measure. Own it.
9. Sneaking into a place you’re barred from – perks of the costume
Halloween is a free for all when it comes to getting into the pubs that you’ve gotten too drunk in in the past.
Does the bouncer turn you away from one of your favourite clubs every weekend? Not tonight. Don your face paint and walk right past in style, fair warrior.
8. Watching Hocus Pocus – an essential every year
In Ireland, we have the three sister rivers: the Barrow, Nore, and Suir. Still, at Halloween, there’s a different sister trio that we care about.
Petition to change the names of the three sisters rivers to Winifred, Sarah, and Mary for October, anyone? That would be one of the best Irish Halloween traditions if we could make it happen.
7. Gathering around the bonfire – always a sly one on the go
They may try to stop us, but there’ll always be a bonfire somewhere nearby on Halloween.
It’s a tradition for the community to gather around a bonfire to celebrate the night where the gap between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest.
The spirits need guidance with our light, and what better way to call on the spirits than by knocking back some spirits by a bonfire?
6. Picking through the brack until you find the ring – love is in the air
Is it even Halloween until you’ve torn apart your mammy’s brack to make sure you’re the one who’ll find love over anyone else in your family?
You might need to marry quickly once your mammy discovers the mess you’ve made because there’ll surely be murder. That’s just one of the best Irish Halloween traditions of all time right there.
5. Turning off all the lights and eating all the sweets – trick or treating done right
You’ve opened the door to a few trick or treaters, and they already have loads of sweets in their bags. You, however, don’t have any sweets in your bag because you’re too old to trick or treat.
You make an executive decision to turn the lights off, pretend no one is home, and eat the whole stockpile yourself. You’re doing their parents a favour. Life is good.
4. Screaming TRICK OR TREAT in the takeaway and expecting free food – God loves a trier
If you don’t try, you won’t know what you’re potentially missing out on.
After your night of merriment, it’s ALWAYS a great idea to shout “trick or treat” in your local Chinese or chipper. You might get some free onion rings for your very original joke.
3. Staying in character the whole night – to the point that you lose all concept of the real you
Whether you’re a witch or a Mexican wrestler, you must stay in character all night. That means talking like your character and reacting to situations in the way your character would.
That’s right; if you’re a banshee, you’re going to have to scream a death omen as a warning to all who will hear it. Everyone will understand, it’s one of the best Irish Halloween traditions, and it’s your duty. To help, read our article on the Banshee and the meaning of the terrifying Irish spirit.
2. Bonding with a character over the same costume – friends forever
If you find someone in the same costume as you, it’s the law that you need to befriend them and remain close by all night.
You will share common enemies, you will have each other’s backs, and you will never know their true identity come morning time.
1. Shifting someone you shouldn’t – costumes are deceiving
It can be anyone: your friend’s ex, that weird lad that smelled like ham in primary school, even your second cousin. Costumes can be deceiving, but it’s ok; you’ll never know for sure who it was.
You were shifting Spiderman on the dancefloor; that’s all that matters. Don’t listen to anyone else’s suggestions as to who it was; they’re just haters.
