Halloween festivities are taking place around the country today, from local neighbourhood trick or treating to large scale events celebrating Samhain.
One of those bigger events is the Púca festival centred around Trim and Athboy in Co Meath.
Named after a shape-shifting spirit from Celtic folklore who creates mischief at this time of year, when "the veil between worlds thins", the Púca festival merges the ancient spirit of Halloween with music, myth and spectacle in Ireland's ancient east.
It got under way yesterday but tonight will see the Lighting of the Samhain Fire at Tlachtga or the Hill of Ward.
Organisers say this ceremony honours the origins of Halloween.
Tlachtga was said to be the location of an ancient fire festival at the time of Samhain.
Trim Castle will also be brought to life with a light show projected onto the walls of the ancient fortress.
In Omeath, Co Louth, children there have been preparing for Oíche Shamhna by decorating pumpkins and making spooky decorations.
Organised by Omeath Tidy Town, Fright Fest is now in its third year.
Volunteer Julie McCann said that it is getting bigger every year and has grown from a fireworks display to a whole programme of events.
Not far away, Fitzpatrick's Scare Fest is running at the well-known bar and restaurant near Carlingford.
There, visitors enter a treacherous Halloween trail at their peril, encountering plenty of frights along the way.
All these traditions have their origins in ancient practices around Halloween, when masks were a way to ward off unfriendly spirits, offering gifts of fruit and nuts a way to appease wandering spirits and jack-o-lanterns carved in turnips a way to warn off unwanted visitors.
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Meanwhile, Chief Fire Officer at Dublin Fire Brigade Greg O'Dwyer said the number of calls the fire service will receive on Halloween will more than likely be triple the number it would normally receive on a busy Saturday night.
"Last year we saw Halloween-related calls reaching almost 500 calls for the 24-hour period between 4.30pm on Halloween evening up to the next day," he told RTÉ's Drivetime.
He said extra "call takers" will be deployed, all of Dublin Fire Brigade's resources will be fully staffed, and a system put in place to assess bonfires and which ones to prioritise, dealing with those affecting "life or property first".
