Home of Halloween

Delve into Fingal’s fascinating folklore this Halloween with 100+ family-friendly events, workshops, storytelling and curated cultural events.

Home of Halloween Brochure

The season where nothing is as it seems…

Ireland Home of Halloween in Fingal has an action-packed programme with 100+ events all over the county throughout October and even into November. Halloween comes to life with fire and local folklore in fascinating castle settings, as you learn more about the Samhain tradition of historic Fingal.

The veil is thin between this world and the next. Mischief is ever afoot in Malahide Castle with Puck the poltergeist. The spectral Lady of the Stairs lingers at Ardgillan Castle as does the cold touch of the mermaid at Howth Castle.

And after dark at ominously named Hearse Road you might glimpse a phantom coach drawn by headless horses and driven by an ancestor of the Cobbe family from nearby Newbridge House.

Revel in

A figure wearing a top hat and black overcoat is seen carrying a candle in front of a faintly lit ruins of a church. On the right-hand side of the picture, a tree can be seen and there are brown leaves in the foreground.

the mischief

Your Guide to Halloween in Fingal

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A man wearing a tall hat and dressed in a black cloak and shirt speaks while holding up a candle in a dark room

100+ Events

20+ Locations

An old stone castle with a prominent round tower illuminated by artificial lighting at night, featuring battlements and slit windows. Dark green grass and bare tree branches appear in the foreground against a cloudy night sky.

A crowd of people watch blue and yellow fireworks explode spectacularly over a bright lit castle. Only the back of the crowds heads can be seen.

A woman in costume poses before a ghost decoration in the woods. She is wearing a red wig, a red/orange hat and jacket with colourful material coming out of the pockets, blue trousers, a white neck tie and black gloves. One of her arms is in the air while the other is by her side.

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A short of scare crows with pumpkins for heads. It is night time and blue and purple lights highlight the pumpkins. Some of the scarecrows are in the shadows, some wear shirts and trousers. There are pumpkins lining the ground and a tree in the background.

A group of five dancers at the Dia de los Muertos event in Swords Castle. They wear colourful clothes, four women wear red cardigans, white shirts with ruffled collars, black skirts with multi-colour designs, black sandals and red bowl-shaped hats with a black and multi-colour top. Under this hat, they wear green scarves on their heads. The fifth male dancer#s head can be seen but not his clothing. They are in front of an empty black stage and bunting. They are holding colourful props while dancing.

Three witches stand in smokey. One of the witches is blonde with a blue cape and red and yellow dress, the second witch has curly red hair, a green cape and a green and purple dress, and the third witch has brown hair, a red cape and a checkered dress with black and orange on it; she also wears an apron. In the background, there are witch's hats hanging and you can see people walking in the distance. There is also a small gazebo in the corner of the short.

A dining room lit only by candle. It has maroon walls, a chandelier, a fireplace with a fire lighting and a dark dresser. A white table is set in the middle of the room with netting coming down from the chandelier. It has candles, glasses, place settings and dinning menus. There is not yet anyone sitting at the table.

A group of adults dance in front of a black stage beside castle walls. They all wear white tshirts, the men wear jeans and the woman wear black skirts with red, blue and yellow lines around them. They are doing a fast-paced dance in pairs.

An outdoor corridor of pumpkins all with different carved faces and lights inside. An adult and two children can be seen from behind walk through the corridor and there are more people at the end of the corridor but it is out of focus.

Three people stand in of a castle at dusk. The man in the centre wears a mayoral chain and holds a flyer promoting Fingal's Ireland Home of Halloween programme. The man and woman either side hold the same flyer. In the foreground there are two fire pits lighting and a sign which reads 'Ireland Home of Halloween'.

Samhain is the ancient Celtic festival that marked the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. Ireland is the birthplace of Halloween, and we have been celebrating it for over 2,000 years.

Fingal is proud to be part of Ireland Home of Halloween, an all-island tourism strategy led by Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland.