Sláinte! Feile Na Marbh - the origins of Halloween

George "turnip head" Dillon is on his usual anti-Irish rant.

More nonsense from a usual suspect, the poster calling himself kinvara. His belief that "there is as much interest in Halloween today as in years gone by" shows his inability to even read intelligently, since no one had mentioned the notion of "interest" in Halloween. He is even so ignorant that he thinks "trick or treating" is an Irish tradition. Wake up out of your stupor, kinvara, even as recently as 20 years ago the term "trick or treat" was unknown in Ireland. What I had pointed out, a point this guy apparently couldn`t understand, was that the rich old lore of Halloween has been lost in Ireland. The Irish Halloween is dead, and the Hollywood version, with its stupid witches and vampires, has taken over. So in this context kinvara is utterly off the mark when he says that "traditions are subject to change". In the modern Irish case traditions are subject to die, not change. If kinvara thinks that the current infantilized version of Hollywood celebrated in Ireland is an advancement of old traditions, then he's even a bigger fool than I had thought him.

I would say there is as much interest in Halloween today as in years gone by. For example look at the Tlachtga Samhain Fire Festival: The ceremony on the hill of Tlachtga dates from approximately 200 AD and was the location of the Great Fire Festival begun on the eve of Samhain. Today, the old Celtic ceremony at Tlachtga has been revived with a re-enactment of the Celtic celebration starting with a torchlit procession from the Fair Green in Athboy to the top of the Hill of Tlachtga on October 31st each year. Of course, traditions such as barmbrack persist as do Halloween games. Trick or Treating is as popular as ever etc., Every year the papers discuss 'the origins of Halloween'. The Irish Examiner did a piece on the 'Spirit of our Celtic past' and the seanachaí Eddie Lenihan wrote an article about piseógs and folklore. Such matters are also the staple diet of national schools across the country. As in any country, in any time, the practice of traditions is not uniform among a population and those traditions are subject to change (the Irish that celebrated at the hill of Tlachgta 2000 years ago would not recognise all the traditions practiced in Ireland during the 16th century etc).

So nice to see an article here by Edythe Preete. I have been reading her articles in IA for many years - they are well written and researched.

My reading of Ireland, which may be wrong, stated the Ireland has mild winters, and extra growing season. This is why the celts never had barns. Although, these customs could have orginated with the european celts, and were brought to Ireland. This mild climate is why coffee is grown in the south of Ireland.

I would say there is as much interest in Halloween today as in years gone by. For example look at the Tlachtga Samhain Fire Festival: The ceremony on the hill of Tlachtga dates from approximately 200 AD and was the location of the Great Fire Festival begun on the eve of Samhain. Today, the old Celtic ceremony at Tlachtga has been revived with a re-enactment of the Celtic celebration starting with a torchlit procession from the Fair Green in Athboy to the top of the Hill of Tlachtga on October 31st each year. Of course, traditions such as barmbrack persist as do Halloween games. Trick or Treating is as popular as ever etc., Every year the papers discuss 'the origins of Halloween'. The Irish Examiner did a piece on the 'Spirit of our Celtic past' and the seanachaí Eddie Lenihan wrote an article about piseógs and folklore. Such matters are also the staple diet of national schools across the country. As in any country, in any time, the practice of traditions is not uniform among a population and those traditions are subject to change (the Irish that celebrated at the hill of Tlachgta 2000 years ago would not recognise all the traditions practiced in Ireland during the 16th century etc).

Frankly, I think the article is well said. And what difference does it make if back so "looong" ago turnips were used and not pumpkins? The details of why and how and what happened are more important. Lighten up and Happy Halloween every one!!!

Not sure what generation you two (George and mcdolan)are talking about but every Irish person I know knows this history. Yet I have never seen a turnip in Ireland the size of a pumpkin. They were used for this purpose because they were animal feed. The people didn't eat the but fed them to the cattle and pigs. We ate colcannon and boiled bacon every halloween before we went out to get supplies for our "halloween party" which is mashed potato and kale, not cabbage and it had money, a stick and a ring in it. It's a tradition I continue with my family. If the Pooka did get you it brought you to the land of the fairies and you didn't come back if you spoke to them. So to say that the Irish are a bunch of wannabees with no attachment to their history is really just nonsense. Halloween is an international festival if you choose to celebrate it, it does not require ownership. That is one trait of the Irish, to celebrate and SHARE a good time with everyone. Get over yourselves and your self righteousness. HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE

I don't often agree with George Dillon, but he's spot on this time. In the rush to become Europeans, the Irish have lost so much that made them unique, one of which is taking ownership of Halloween!

While I would quibble with one or two things she writes, the sad fact is that this author knows more about the Irish roots of Halloween than do 99.9% of Irish people. The Irish are now totally ignorant of their folklore and traditions. They spend their time watching English soap operas or screaming and cursing at English soccer games on TV.