Little-known Irish site where Halloween is thought to have originated – with fire festivals and druidess legends

HALLOWEEN is now all about the fancy dress, pumpkin carving and spooky events.

But the original Halloween was much more terrifying – and thought to have originated in Ireland.

The Hill of the Ward, also named Tlachtga, was named after a druidess said to have been buried there and thought to be the origin of Halloween.

Once a scared place, a fire festival was said to be the largest in Ireland, and lit as part of Samhain celebrations to welcome the new year.

Samhain festival is said to be the pagan origin of Halloween, also called the Feast of the Dead.

During the festival, sacrifices with crops and animals were offered – with signs of these at the Hill of the Ward.

Cathy Moore, Managing Director of Archaeology and Built Heritage, was part of an excavation there in 2014 and 2015.

Speaking to Sun Travel, she said: “It is not the only Irish archaeological site to have connections to Samhain, but according to the 17th century historian Geoffrey Keating, it was the site of the ‘Fire of Tlachtga’, where the druids of Ireland used to meet at Samhain and make offerings to their gods.

“All fires in Ireland had to be extinguished that night and could only be rekindled from the ‘Fire of Tlachtga’.

“Earlier medieval texts, including the Annals of the Four Masters also associate the site with fire. “

She added: “The earliest phase was that of a massive Bronze Age hillfort which underlies several later enclosures, built over several millennia. 

“On the summit of the central mound the excavation uncovered the remains of a substantial fire and a burnt timber structure, charcoal from which has been dated to the 12th-13th centuries AD.

“Below the mound was evidence of a much earlier burnt feature dated to the c. 3rd-6th centuries AD.

“Whether these are evidence of Samhain fires is open to interpretation but there were certainly several episodes of burning in the centre of the site, which seem to tie into the folkloric traditions.”

Many of the other famous Halloween traditions are said to have come from Ireland too.

Fancy dress during Halloween celebrations are thought to have been inspired by a mischievous Celtic folklore character named Púca.

It was believed that if Púca appeared at your house and said your name, you’d never be seen again – so people would dress up in different outfits to they wouldn’t be recognized.

Trick or treating was also Irish, although a sadder affair as was often kids begging for food, with it considered bad form to turn them away.

Even pumpkin carving as origins in Ireland.

But instead of pumpkins, turnips were carved with scary imagery to keep away bad spirits and omens.

Want to go to Europe’s largest Halloween festival? You’ll want to head to Derry with nearly 100,000 people attending.

But Halloween is still one of America’s biggest events – the second most popular after Christmas.

This is because many of the Irish traditions were brought to the continent after the 1840s potato famine led to mass migration.

This means the US now also has the world’s largest Halloween party.

This takes place at Salem, with the Salem Haunted Happenings attracting 500,000 a year.