Why Canadian Halloween lovers should take a trip to Ireland

Forget Salem — Ireland may soon rival the U.S. when it comes to Halloween celebrations, as the country reclaims its place as the holiday’s birthplace.

Bold statement, I know, but the holiday could one day become as iconic as St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. Between archaeological sites, looming castles, and ghost stories, it’s where the past and present coexist, making it the perfect place for visitors to experience the spirit of Halloween in its birthplace.

To truly understand the ancient origins of Halloween, I joined Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland on a three-day trip to County Meath, just an hour outside of Dublin, to see how the country’s vibrant culture and enduring mythology helped shape the holiday as we know it today.

Castles, changelings, and Celtic spirits

@bectivestudlimited/Instagram

As soon as I landed in Dublin, we headed to County Meath for a quick lunch at Bective Tea Rooms in the town of Navan. The sandwiches were huge, the setting was lovely, and the glass pods that dot the gardens allow guests to enjoy their ham and cheese outdoors regardless of the weather.

After lunch, we headed to Trim, which has all the charms of a small Irish town — except not all Irish towns can boast that in the centre are the remains of a Norman castle made famous by the 1995 Mel Gibson movie Braveheart. In fact, as locals told us, we had just missed Gibson, who had been in town a few weeks prior to celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary.

Tony Pleavin/Tourism Ireland

Roamer/Fáilte Ireland

Trim Castle is famous not just for its movie cameo but also for its rich history. Now it stands at the heart of the town’s story, providing a dramatic backdrop for the upcoming Púca Festival.

Barry Cronin/Harris PR

From Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, the festival will celebrate Samhain (pronounced Sah-win), a Celtic spiritual tradition that marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. The atmosphere is hard to beat — a blazing bonfire to honour the dead, the castle grounds transformed with tents and a big top, and performers from musicians to comedians to fire acrobats holding the audience in thrall.

The Lighting of The Samhain Fire during Púca Festival (Barry Cronin/Harris PR)

Roamer/Fáilte Ireland

Barry Cronin/Harris PR

The main draw of the festival is the Púca Parade. As darkness falls, larger-than-life versions of popular folklore characters come to life on the streets of Trim, transforming the town into a Halloween spectacle.

We got to experience one of the activities ahead of the festival — a walking tour where you can learn to “safely navigate shapeshifting creatures and spirits.” During our tour with local guide Cynthia, I learned that even the most ordinary corners in Trim have stories to tell.

Daily Hive

The best part of the tour was being greeted by an actor who played a remarkably convincing, mischievous changeling — a folkloric creature said to be swapped by fairies or elves for a human infant. She then followed us along the streets of Trim and an old churchyard dotted with crooked headstones — and really, how many people can say they’ve wandered among graves in the company of a changeling?

Daily Hive

After the tour, we stopped for dinner at BoAnn Bistro at Trim Castle Hotel, then walked over to the nearby McCormack’s bar for a pint of Guinness and to meet local woodworker and teacher Mícheál from Fiach Rua Timbercraft. While I did stock up on the obligatory bags of Keogh’s chips during my trip, the most unique souvenir I brought home was a small wooden plaque engraved with Ogham, the ancient Irish script.

Learning about Ogham from Mícheál from Fiach Rua Timbercraft (Daily Hive)

That evening, we checked into Station House Hotel in Kilmessan, a luxury boutique hotel and former train station owned and operated by the Slattery family. Unlike chain hotels, the place feels personal, brimming with character and thoughtful touches, such as handwritten notes with tomorrow’s weather forecast.

@stationhh/Instagram

It was the perfect spot to unwind after a busy day in County Meath, made even better by joining the rest of the country in watching everyone’s latest TV obsession: The Traitors Ireland.

Epic tales on a drizzly day in Ireland

Knowth and River Boyne (Paul Lindsay/Tourism Ireland)

After a quick breakfast, we were off to visit what are undoubtedly some of County Meath’s most famous landmarks in Brú na Bóinne, considered Ireland’s richest archeological site.

On a drizzly morning, we headed to the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre before visiting Knowth and Newgrange, funerary and ceremonial structures built during the Neolithic period. Although a quick look through the Visitor Centre gave me an idea of what to expect, on-site, the scale and age of the monuments are truly staggering. For perspective, the Pyramids are around 4,500 years old, while the monuments in Brú na Bóinne were built around 5,200 years ago.

Kerbstones at Knowth (Daily Hive)

We walked around Knowth, a massive ancient dome-like structure encircled by kerbstones — enormous stones with intricate, unique carvings whose meaning remains a mystery. We stopped at Newgrange, where visitors are allowed to enter the prehistoric passage tomb. Squeezing through the narrow passage felt like entering a secret chamber straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.

Newgrange (Fáilte Ireland | Brian Morrison/Fáilte Ireland/Tourism Ireland)

Inside, our guide switched off the lights to demonstrate the magic of the winter solstice at Newgrange. For a few moments, a golden beam of light pierced the pitch-black interior, illuminating the chamber for several minutes. It was brief, but breathtaking,

For lunch, we stopped for sandwiches at the Conyngham Arms Hotel in Slane, where I discovered the wonder that is Ballymaloe Relish — a chutney that’s essentially ketchup’s sophisticated cousin.

The rain gave us a brief respite — just enough to experience the ancient practice known as dowsing (also called water divining), with Gerry Cremin. Also known as water dowsing or water witching, the method is believed to help locate water-rich areas underground — a skill that’s especially beneficial for farmers. Having watched Jeremy Clarkson try it on Clarkson’s Farm, I was excited to give it a go.

Daily Hive

Armed with forked sticks and bent metal rods, we set out among the sheep at the Hill of Ward to locate hidden underground water. Believer or skeptic, it was a fun and surreal way to spend an afternoon, especially as our tools twitched and crossed to indicate hidden water sources under our feet. Others seemed to have more of a connection with the earth than others, but as luck would have it, the water found us anyway — from the sky.

Dinner that evening was a delicious three-course affair at The Signal Restaurant, The Station Hotel’s award-winning restaurant. With ingredients sourced locally, the meal began with perfectly seared scallops, followed by a rich roast duck, and ended on a sweet note with a strawberry meringue panna cotta.

Dinner at The Signal Restaurant (Daily Hive)

After dinner, we got a preview of an activity that will be available at Púca Festival: ghost stories told by CRAICLY founder Jane Gormley and featured guests. While some stories of real-life ghostly encounters were wholesome enough, others kept me wide awake late into the evening and left me just a bit hesitant to turn off the lights.

Castles and sourdough bread

Slane Castle | Photos of famous musicians who performed at the castle (Daily Hive)

Driving through County Meath, I couldn’t help but notice the occasional ruins of an abandoned castle dotting the fields. But Slane Castle stands apart.

Rather than fading into history, it’s abuzz with activity and has continually reinvented itself, hosting concerts by U2, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Bon Jovi, and Harry Styles. Today, fans of the show will recognize it as the set for The Traitors Ireland.

The library at Slane Castle (Daily Hive)

The most impressive part of the castle tour was the stunning pink library, featuring an intricate dome ceiling that firefighters saved during a massive fire in 1991. In fact, you can still see the firefighter’s sooty bootprints at the library entrance where he tried to push back the flames.

Not only can people rent out the entire castle for weddings or events, but guests also have the option to stay in houses or glamping options on the castle grounds. If that doesn’t sound busy enough, the castle’s 250-year-old stables were renovated and are now home to Slane Distillery, which produces Slane Irish Whiskey. Before a whiskey tasting session and a tour of the distillery, our guide made sure to offer us drinks: Irish whiskey topped with chocolate shavings.

Whiskey tasting at Slane Irish Whiskey Distillery (Daily Hive)

Our final stop greeted us with less-than-ideal weather. But it turned out to be the perfect time to spend the afternoon baking sourdough bread with Chris Brownlow at Bread with Benefits. A former farmer, he taught us about sustainability, fermentation, and his techniques for making the perfect sourdough.

Chris Brownlow at Bread with Benefits (Daily Hive)

By the end of the trip, one thing was clear: County Meath is a place where history, folklore, and modern life intertwine. Whether it’s through food or Neolithic monuments, the region has managed to preserve its rich heritage.

However, what made the experience special was the people, who are warm, welcoming, and proud of their traditions that they’re happy to share with visitors. And events like the upcoming Púca Festival celebrate that unique heritage in an immersive way, proving that Ireland is reclaiming its place as the birthplace of Halloween, all with a charm and authenticity that leaves a lasting impression.

Barry Cronin/Harris PR

The author of this post was hosted by Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland