On a wing and a... SCARE
WELCOME to a very Irish time of year. The early Celts gathered around this time to celebrate the harvest, welcome in the darkening evenings and called it the Samhain.
It’s shaping up to be a ‘spooktacular’ Halloween around the country with lots to do for all the family so I’ve pulled together some special fun activities.
The Pùca Festival in Co Meath, from October 23-31, features artists like Jerry Fish, Aoife Scott and Joanne McNally. Check out spiritsofmeath. ie for a full list of events. Venues will be in Trim, Athboy, Drogheda and this year Slane Castle is joining in on the fun for the first time.
The Feast of the Spirits is a one-off opportunity to enjoy a Samhain dinner in the incomparable surroundings of Slane Castle ballroom. Limited to just 50 people, this feast is a celebration of produce from the Boyne Valley region. See slanecastle.ie.
I’ve already been to my first event of the season at Causey Farm, where the scary Farmaphobia is bigger and better than ever. This haunted experience offers something for everyone to enjoy over the age of 13; under-16s must be accompanied by an adult but the adult doesn’t need to pay or go into the various worlds. Tickets are from €29-€35 and booking is essential at farmaphobia.com.
Why not treat the family to a stay at Trim Castle Hotel, with prices from €180 for two adults and two children, or at Dunboyne Castle Hotel, where a mid-term two-night break with dinner for the family is from €438.
In the south of the country, Waterford has a host of spectacles. Be afraid as you enter the haunted Woodlands of the Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens in Tramore. Lafcadio Hearn is globally famous for his Japanese ghost stories and the Ghostly Woodland Walk runs from October 17-31, 10am-5pm. General entry costs €6 for adults, €3 for children. Mid-term is also a good time to visit Waterford Suir Valley Railway. This heritage narrow-gauge railway runs along 10km of the abandoned Waterford-Dungarvan line and will operate five trips per day. Watch out for the spooky scenes at Kilmeadan Station. See wsvrailway.ie. Over in Kilkenny, I especially like the story of the county’s most famous witch and one of the oldest inns in Ireland. The daughter of a Norman banker, Alice de Kyteler married four times and, in the process, amassed a considerable fortune. Local jealousies abounded and she was eventually accused of witchcraft and sentenced to be burned. Her excellent connections with local gentry ensured however that she was ‘spirited’ out of the country to England before the execution could take place, see kytelersinn.com. The Kilkenny Catwalk Trail consists of 21 wonderful cat sculptures which have been decorated by some of Kilkenny’s most talented artists for public display in and around the city. Follow the trail on the official Kilkenny Catwalk Trail App. If you’ve time for a family stay, the Newpark Hotel has a two-night action-packed family Halloween Break from €648, while at the Hotel Kilkenny, families can enjoy a two-night break with two children under 12 staying for free; prices start from €420. Derry has been voted number one place in the world for Halloween by The New York Times and with good reason. This year the festivities stretch further than ever including events in Strabane and Buncrana. With something for all the family including illuminations, shows and fireworks, check out the website for more details, derryhalloween.com. Always worth nipping up for a stay, I’ve heard there is still availability in the gorgeous Blue Book country house Ardtara with a dinner, bed and breakfast rate of £284 for two people. See ardtara.com.
■ FOR more information, see thenoveltraveller.com