Druids, legends, mysteries: a journey into the heart of Ireland, the birthplace of Halloween
From the sacred site at Navan to the ring-shaped ‘alien’ mountain, right through to the massive parade in Derry: how to experience the most authentic origins of the Celtic Samhain
Key points
The Irish Samhain is a veil as thin as mist. A night suspended between the midsummer (Samrad) and the beginning of winter (Gam). A boundary between time and matter where the membrane separating material reality from the Afterlife (the Sídhe) becomes intangible.
Il Samhain irlandese (oggi Halloween) è una notte sospesa tra la metà estiva dell’anno (Samrad) e l’inizio dell’inverno (Gam): un confine del tempo e della materia in cui la membrana che separa la realtà materiale dall’Oltretomba (il Sídhe) diviene impalpabile.
The creatures of the hills, the fairies, the ancient gods and the souls of the dead return to walk amongst mortals. There is no distance between those who have been and those who are. The living open the doors of their homes, leave an empty place at the table and offer food to the wayfarers of the unseen, in an act of ancestral hospitality towards their ancestors similar to the Dia de los Muertos in Mexico.
To survive a night in which the unknown runs rampant, men and women must become unknown themselves. By smearing their faces with ash, wearing masks of straw and bark, and disguising themselves with animal skins. Blending in with the wandering spirits, to deceive the dark forces.
Per sopravvivere a una notte in cui l’ignoto dilaga, uomini e donne devono farsi ignoti a loro volta: dipingendosi il volto con la cenere, indossando maschere di paglia e corteccia, camuffandosi con pelli di animali per ingannare gli spiriti.
The Irish Samhain is the land falling asleep, the seed sinking into the darkness of the soil to prepare, in the frost of the cold earth, for the rebirth of spring. It is the moment when we celebrate the beauty of the shadow, reminding ourselves that every beginning holds an end, and every end is but the womb of a new beginning.
If there is one place in the world that preserves the true roots of Halloween, it is Ireland. Magical almost by definition. This is where Samhain originated, before it was absorbed into All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’ Eve), which later became Halloween: one of the most fascinating examples of ‘religious syncretism’ in history, with the Christian Church absorbing and reshaping an ancient pagan festival to facilitate the conversion of the Celtic peoples.
Samhain venne assorbito da Ognissanti (All Hallows’ Eve), poi diventato Halloween: fu Papa Gregorio III nel 731 d.C. a spostare la festa dei martiri cristiani dal 13 maggio al 1° novembre, proprio per sovrapporsi al Capodanno Celtico (Samhain) e offrire alle popolazioni delle isole britanniche una festività cristiana che sostituisse i loro rituali druidici senza sradicarli.
It was Pope Gregory III in 731 AD who moved the feast day of the Christian martyrs from 13 May to 1 November , specifically to coincide with the Celtic New Year (Samhain) and to offer the converted peoples of the British Isles a Christian festival that would replace their Druidic rituals without eradicating them.
Let’s begin our journey through Irish Halloween in Navan.
Navan: the sacred site of the Druids
Of the many places in Ireland where the millennia-old roots of Samhain lie, Navan Fort is the most important and fascinating. A millennia-old archaeological site where the ancient Emain Macha once stood, capital of the Kingdom of Ulster, where the Druids celebrated Samhain to mark the beginning of the dark half of the year with grand bonfires and ritual stories.
Nel Navan Fort, sito archeologico millenario in cui sorgeva l’antica Emain Macha, le rievocazioni storiche sono all’ordine del giorno.
At the Fort Navan site in County Armagh, there is the ancient archaeological site, a reconstruction of a Celtic village with actors in period costume explaining what life was like in the Iron Age (“living history”) and a modern, interactive visitor centre with a museum.
L’ingresso del centro multimediale e del museo, che custodisce decine di manufatti originali ritrovati nell’area archeologica.
The ‘fort’ is in fact a monumental earthwork situated on a hill, surrounded by a huge circular moat. From the top, there is a magnificent view over County Armagh.
Il “forte” è in realtà una struttura monumentale in terra battuta adagiata su una collina dalla quale godersi il panorama della Contea di Armagh.
At the centre stands an imposing mound of earth and stone, erected around 95 BC, on which once stood a Celtic temple 40 metres wide. The Celts deliberately filled it with stones, ritually set it alight and covered it with earth to seal it: a sacred ceremonial act that is unique in its kind.
Nella fedele ricostruzione di un villaggio celtico attori in costume raccontano la loro vita di duemila anni fa nel nome della «living history».
Not far away is the faithful reconstruction of the Celtic village, with huts made of straw and clay and actors in period costume who recount what life was like two thousand years ago.
Finally, the multimedia centre houses a museum containing original artefacts unearthed in the archaeological site, as well as an audiovisual show featuring the myths of the goddess Macha and activities for families.
La ricostruzione di una capanna dell’era del ferro, in paglia e argilla. Il 31 ottobre l’intero complesso si trasforma nel teatro a cielo aperto di Samhain, dove i sentieri vengono illuminati solo da torce e bracieri.
On 31 October, the entire complex is transformed into the Samhain open-air theatre, where the paths are lit only by torches and burning braziers to commemorate the ancient Celtic New Year.
Bluebell Lane Glamping: trinkets and ballads
Also in County Armagh is Bluebell Lane Glamping, a magical eco-friendly retreat situated at the foot of Mount Slieve Gullion, in the heart of the Gullion Ring. Famous all year round for its traditional cottages and nature retreats, during the Halloween period it becomes the perfect place to experience the legends of Samhain.
Il Bluebell Lane Glamping è un magico “rifugio ecologico” ai piedi del monte Slieve Gullion, nel cuore dell’Anello di Gullion.
Here, in the sacred land of Ulster, one of the tales told is that of the young hero Sétanta, who, right here in these valleys, killed with his bare hands the ferocious guard dog belonging to the blacksmith Culann, thereby earning the name Cú Chulainn (the Hound of Ulster).
Qui, tra cantastorie che narrano i miti del Samhain e attori in costume che interpretano i personaggi dell’Altrove, puoi anche tornire e cesellare il tuo ciondolo celtico in legno.
Here you can turn and chisel your own Celtic wooden pendant, carve objects and swords, and weave wicker baskets just as they did two thousand years ago.
Storytellers recount the myths of Samhain in the shade of millennia-old trees, actors in costume portray the characters of the Celtic Otherworld amidst bonfires and braziers, whilst singers such as Colleen Savage perform traditional folk music, interspersed with poems and legends.
L’atmosfera della foresta la rende la culla ideale per i racconti delle leggende di Halloween.
On misty autumn days, the Bluebell Lane forest exudes an ancient and magical atmosphere that makes it the ideal setting for Halloween tales.
The Thousand Legends of the Ring of Gullion
Bluebell Lane Glamping is situated in the Gullion Ring, a geological and scenic wonder that is unique in the world: it is a gigantic ring of hills and mountains arranged in a perfect circle with a diameter of approximately 11 kilometres, at the very centre of which stands Mount Slieve Gullion.
In 2026, the area was officially designated as a protected area and incorporated into the prestigious Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark.
L’Anello di Gullion è il più straordinario esempio al mondo di un fenomeno geologico chiamato “ring dyke”, quasi da geologia aliena: tutto è nato da un immenso vulcano circa 60 milioni di anni fa.
The Gullion Ring is the world’s most extraordinary example of a geological phenomenon known as a “ring dyke”. It’s almost as if it were alien geology.
Around 60 million years ago, the area was home to a huge active volcano. When the volcano collapsed in on itself, the underground lava was forced upwards through the surrounding circular fissures, where it solidified. Subsequently, the action of Ice Age glaciers eroded the surrounding terrain, leaving only this perfect ring of rocky mountains intact.
L’anello di Gullion è lo scenario principale del Ciclo dell’Ulster (l’equivalente gaelico dell’Iliade) ed è considerata una terra di passaggio tra il nostro mondo e l’Altrove.
Nowhere else in Ireland are so many legends concentrated within such a small area. For the Celts, the perfect geometric shape of the Ring could not have been natural, but was the result of magic.
It is the main setting of the Ulster Cycle (the Gaelic equivalent of the Iliad) and is regarded as a land of passage between our world and the Otherworld.
Nessun altro luogo in Irlanda concentra così tante leggende in così pochi chilometri. Le acque del lago vulcanico sulla cima, per esempio, trasformarono i capelli del guerriero Fionn mac Cumhaill in un bianco candido quando vi si specchiò.
At the summit of Slieve Gullion lie the two tallest Neolithic burial mounds in Ireland. One of them is a passage grave in which, during the winter solstice, the setting sun perfectly illuminates the burial chamber inside.
And the waters of the volcanic lake at the summit are said to have turned the hair of the warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill into snow-white when he gazed into them.
Ulster American Folk Park: the arrival in the USA
Another fascinating stop on an Irish Halloween tour. It is a large open-air museum near Omagh (County Tyrone) which covers no less than 36 hectares and is home to more than thirty historic buildings, both original and reconstructed: farmhouses, artisans’ workshops, sections of villages and even a full-scale replica of a 19th-century transatlantic sailing ship.
L’Ulster American Folk Park è un viaggio immersivo nella storia degli emigranti irlandesi in America che si estende su ben 36 ettari e ospita più di 30 edifici storici originali e ricostruiti: case coloniche, botteghe artigiane, parti di villaggi e persino la replica di un veliero transatlantico.
An immersive journey through the history of Irish emigrants to America (featuring actors in period costume, storytellers and musicians) lasting between two and four hours, depending on your pace.
When the Great Potato Famine (Great Famine) struck Ireland in the mid-19th century, over a million people fled to America, taking with them their own treasure trove of myths. The Folk Park tells the story of this journey.
Nella parte del “Vecchio Mondo”, entri nei veri cottage di pietra con i tetti di paglia, dove trovi attori che ti spiegano com’era la vita nell’Ulster prima della Grande Carestia di metà Ottocento.
The park is divided into two sections: the “Old World” (19th-century Ireland) and the “New World” (pioneering America).
In the ‘Old World’ section, you step inside authentic stone cottages with thatched roofs. You’ll find a fire burning in the fireplace and women in period costume busy baking traditional apple pie or carving turnips, whilst explaining the old curses to you. The atmosphere is sombre and rural, steeped in the fears of the land.
La ricostruzione della vita in Nordirlanda nella prima metà del XIX secolo è molto accurata e immersiva, con la descrizione dettagliata dei mestieri dell’epoca (qui, un tipografo).
You then pass by a replica of a moored ship in the harbour, the physical symbol of the journey that the Samhain traditions undertook across the Atlantic.
In the New World section, you’ll find replicas of Pennsylvania’s wooden farmhouses. Here you can discover the transformation: Irish immigrants, unable to find the turnips they used to carve on the Emerald Isle, discovered that American pumpkins (large and soft) were the perfect substitute. Ghost stories merged with local folklore, barn dances took the place of Druidic gatherings and the festival became both a commercial and community event.
La sezione del Nuovo Mondo descrive la vita degli immigrati irlandesi in America, tra le ricostruzioni delle case in legno della Pennsylvania e l’“importazione” delle leggende di Halloween oltreoceano (dove le zucche intagliate prendono il posto delle rape).
Every year, the park organises the famous Torch Light Tours (guided tours by torchlight). In 2026, the show will focus on the New England witch trials of 1690 (The Witch of Proctor’s Folly), illustrating how European religious hysteria and beliefs took root and evolved once they reached America.
The four-day Derry festival with a parade and fireworks
But it is in splendid Derry, Ireland’s only “walled city” overlooking the Atlantic, that Halloween reveals its most spectacular and futuristic side. A four-day celebration that draws over 100,000 visitors from all over the world – including Canada, the United States and Australia – to this Irish town of around 85,000 inhabitants.
Derry durante la notte di Halloween, con il grandioso spettacolo di fuochi artificiali sul fiume Foyle. I quattro giorni di celebrazioni attirano nella cittadina irlandese oltre 100mila visitatori da tutto il mondo (compresi Canada, Stati Uniti e Australia).
On the final night alone, with the spectacular parade featuring around 500 performers and floats through the city’s streets and the fireworks display over the River Foyle, the audience numbers more than 40,000.
Quest’anno Derry celebra il 40° anniversario della celebre parata di Halloween con oltre 500 performer e carri che sfilano tra le vie della città.
An event now estimated to be worth £7.4 million, but which began exactly forty years ago, almost by chance, in a pub in the city centre during the turbulent period of the “Troubles” (the conflict in Northern Ireland between Protestant loyalists and Catholic republicans). An impromptu fancy dress party that, year after year, has grown to the point of transforming the whole of Derry into a gigantic open-air stage.
L’evento (che ora vale 7,4 milioni di sterline) è nato esattamente quarant’anni fa in un pub del centro, nel tormentato periodo dei “Troubles”.
And it’s not just a passive spectacle. The whole community takes an active part: shopkeepers decorate their windows with themed displays, restaurants create special menus, and everyone (and I mean everyone) takes to the streets, strictly in fancy dress.
Fantasmi luminosi davanti alla seicentesca Cattedrale di Derry, la prima protestante a essere stata costruita nelle Isole Britanniche dopo la Riforma.
The four most important moments of what has been hailed as the world’s best Halloween.
The Awakening the Walled City Trail, an immersive trail featuring lights, illuminated creatures, actors and installations that winds along the city’s 17th-century walls, transforming them into an open-air theatre dotted with dozens of mini-performances and light projections.
L’Awakening the Walled City Trail, percorso immersivo fatto di luci, creature illuminate, attori e installazioni che si snoda lungo le mura seicentesche.
On the afternoon of 31 October, don’t miss the sophisticated multimedia shows taking place in the Guildhall (Derry City Hall), often featuring the famous works of the artist Luke Jerram, such as the spectacular giant moon or the colossal installation of the Earth (Gaia), accompanied by light displays and atmospheric music.
Da non perdere il 31 ottobre i raffinati spettacoli multimediali ospitati nel salone della Guildhall (il municipio di Derry), accompagnati da giochi di luce e musiche d’atmosfera.
The town hall square is transformed into the so-called “Heart of Samhain”, a vibrant area brimming with street food stalls, performances by travelling street artists and a large stage for live music.
Il Municipio neogotico di Derry illuminato dai fuochi: è il cuore civile della città a sfoggia 23 spettacolari vetrate colorate, oltre a un imponente organo da oltre 3100 canne. A fianco il “piccolo Big Ben” alto 40 metri. Nel 1995 la piazza davanti al Municipio ospitò il celebre discorso di Bill Clinton a sostegno della pace.
On the evening of 31 October, you’ll be swept up in the most spectacular event of all, the Halloween Carnival Parade: the official parade on the night of 31 October, in which hundreds of local performers, dancers and percussionists put on extraordinary choreographed displays.
And finally, the show concludes with the fireworks display, a magnificent pyrotechnic spectacle that brings the four days of celebrations to a close, lighting up the sky above Derry and reflecting in the waters of the River Foyle.
‘Samhain comes to remind us that even darkness has its beauty’, says an ancient Irish proverb. A mysterious and fascinating journey to the end of the night that is worth experiencing at least once in a lifetime.
Derry al tramonto durante «l’Awakening», prima della notte di Halloween.
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