Dr Bairbre Ní Fhloinn of the National Folklore Collection in UCD takes questions from viewers about Halloween.
Hallowe'en (in Irish Oíche Shamhna) as we know it today consists of a mix of pre-Christian and Christian customs and traditions.
The origins of Hallowe'en stretch back to when the pagan festival of Samhain was absorbed into the Christian calendar and became All Hallows Eve, meaning the night before All Hallows Day or All Saints Day which is celebrated on 1 November. The day after that, 2 November is All Souls Day, so Hallowe'en can truly be described as,
Féile na marbh é go bunúsach.
Melissa from County Tipperary phones to ask what people in Ireland ate when we did not have nuts. There were always nuts in Ireland at Hallowe'en, explains Bairbre Ní Fhloinn but we did not always have nuts imported from other countries. People ate foods at Hallowe’en that were available to them – apples and nuts in particular being plentiful in Ireland at the end of October.
Clíona from Galway asks about a Halloween game where an apple tied to a long string from the ceiling or stairs, and the person has to try to take a bite out of it without using their hands.
This was a game that was played in cities as well as in rural places. Hallowe’en was celebrated all over Ireland and was not limited to any region or district in particular.
Na nósanna as Oíche Shamhna, go mbaineann siad leis an gcathair chomh maith leis an tuaithe, agus is rud an-deas é.
This episode of 'Echo Island’ was broadcast on 30 October 1995. The presenters are Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh and Dara Ó Briain.
'Echo Island' was an Irish young people's television programme on RTÉ Network 2 that was broadcast as part of 'The Den'. It was preceded by 'Jo Maxi' and followed by 'Sting' on Network 2. It first aired in September 1994 with two episodes a week and grew to four episodes a week - two in English and two in Irish - in 1995.
It featured segments such as 'Make and Do', Pet Clinic with Pete Wedderburn, interviews with adults in The Shack, books, film and television reviews, regular appearances by Rocco a Moluccan cockatoo and showcased young Irish rock bands. It ran for six seasons and concluded in June 1999.
The presenters included Dara Ó Briain, Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, Alan Hughes, Derek Mooney, Mary Kingston and Carrie Crowley.
