With Halloween fast approaching, the National Museum of Ireland has just launched a spooktacular fun-filled programme of trails, tours and creative workshops for all of the family to enjoy over the October Midterm break.
In the traditional Irish calendar, the festival of Samhain on the first day of November marked the start of winter. Like most Irish festivals, the main celebrations took place on the eve of the day itself - in this case Oíche Shamhna on 31 October. The day is now widely celebrated as Halloween in Ireland, and in many countries around the world, with lots of feasting, games, tricks and treats.
Check out some of our top events and activities taking place to mark Halloween and the Midterm break, from the Bram Stoker Festival in Dublin to reconnecting with traditions and customs at our Country Life site in Co Mayo.
Bram Stoker Festival Hands-on History: Malady, Mourning and Mystery
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
1pm to 3pm, Friday, 27 October. All Ages
1pm to 3pm, Sunday, 29 October. All Ages.
Move out of the sun and into the Museum to learn all about how people fought illness and mourned losses in the Victorian era. Museum educators will facilitate an interactive session with objects from the Museum’s handling collection that reflect a history of life, disease and death. No booking required. FIND OUT MORE
SOLD OUT! Bram Stoker Festival: ‘A world full of miseries, and woes, and troubles’- Life, Disease and Death in Collins Barracks
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Dublin 7
1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 27, 28 and 29 October. Families
Join a free tour with a Museum guide to discover some of the chills, ills, and kills in the 300-year long history of Collins Barracks. Find out about the trials and tribulations of life as a soldier living in the Barracks from the 1700s until the late 1900s, with a focus on (ill-) health, as well as the transition from one of Europe’s oldest occupied Barracks into a public museum. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. FIND OUT MORE SOLD OUT!
Frankenstyle: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Dublin 7
12noon, Saturday, 28 October. Families
Bring the Museum back from the dead by creating your very own artefact-inspired headwear, inspired by the Museum’s collections. Join Museum educators on a trip around the Museum, then use what you’ve discovered to create your own Halloween mask from recycled materials. BOOKING REQUIRED
Drop-in Workshop: Make Your Own Halloween Mask
National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Castlebar, Mayo
11.30am to 3.45pm, Saturday, 28 October. Families
1pm to 5pm, Sunday, 29 October. Families.
Make your own Halloween mask in this imaginative workshop, inspired by images of traditional Halloween masks from the Irish Folklife Collection. There will be lots of unusual materials and plenty of paint to play with. So get crafty and have fun creating your own, unique mask that will make your Halloween trick-or-treating adventure a special one! No booking is required. FIND OUT MORE
Scary Objects Activity Trail
National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Castlebar, Mayo
During Museum opening hours, 28 October to 5 November. Families
Can you find the scary Halloween objects in the exhibition galleries? Pick up a free activity sheet at Museum Reception to go on an object hunt across three floors of the Museum and find our scary Halloween artefacts hiding in the exhibitions. FIND OUT MORE
Stingy Jack Hunt
National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Castlebar, Mayo
During Museum opening hours, 28 October to 5 November, Families
Go on a Halloween adventure through the grounds of Turlough Park this Midterm to see if you can track down Stingy Jack in the woods. Pick up a map at Museum Reception to take our spooky scarecrow trail inspired by a famous character from Irish folk tradition. Can you find Stingy Jack - a character so mean he was barred from heaven and such an evil trickster that the devil shut him out of hell as well! FIND OUT MORE
FULLY BOOKED! Shadow Puppet Workshop
National Museum of Ireland - Cournty Life, Castlebar, Mayo
1pm to 2.30pm & 3pm to 4.30pm, Monday, 30 October. Families
11.30am to 1pm & 2pm to 3.30pm,Tuesday, 31 October. 1 Families
Join artist Carmel Balfe to make your own spooky shadow puppets! Samhain is a time when winter sets in and shadows take over. Make this year's Halloween experience a fun and memorable one by creating a shadow puppet story filled with pucas, skeletons, scary cats or whatever else comes to mind. This workshop is aimed at families and gives everyone a chance to be creative together. FIND OUT MORE
Guided Tour: Viking Ireland Family Tour
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
11am, Friday, 3 November. Families 7+
10.30am & 2pm, 4 November. Families 7+
Learn all about the Vikings in Ireland on this family tour. See a replica fishing boat, examine the beautiful oval brooches worn by Scandinavian women, and discover ice skates made of bone! Discover what life was like in Viking Dublin, and see the wider impact of the Vikings on Ireland. FIND OUT MORE
Drop-In Workshop: Medieval Pop-up Chess Club - Learn the basics of chess with your friends and family
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Dublin 2
2pm to 4pm, Wednesday, 1 November. Families 7+
Inspired by the Viking and Medieval artefacts in the Museum relating to board games, join us in the Learning Resource Room to learn more about the game of chess with members of Ficheall.ie, Primary Teachers promoting chess. Get a taster of the game of chess by learning about some of the pieces through ‘mini games’. Museum Educators will be on hand to point you towards the ancient examples of board games in the Museum! FIND OUT MORE
Drop-In: Hnefatafl; A Game of Vikings
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
10.30am to 12.30pm, Thursday, 2 November. Families 8+
Did you know that the Vikings played a board game called Hnefatafl? Drop into the Museum, create your own board and counters, and learn how to play this board game of capturing the king. Hnefatafl was a board game brought to Ireland by the Vikings. Played between two people, one person must capture the king, while the other tries to lead them to safety. FIND OUT MORE
Activity Sheet: Past Times; A trail of ancient board games and hobbies
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Throughout the Halloween Midterm. Ages 7 - 14
This October Midterm pick up the trail at reception 'Past Times; a trail of ancient board games and pastimes'. Then, follow it into the Glendalough: Power, Prayer and Pilgrimage exhibition, up to the first floor to Viking Ireland, and into Medieval Ireland, and along the way, discover what games, hobbies, and pastimes that people had in the past. See if you can answer all of our questions on ancient board games and hobbies, and don't forget to bring your pencil! This trail was created in partnership with Ficheall, an organisation of primary school teachers who teach and promote chess in schools. FIND OUT MORE
Pop Up Chats for the October Midterm
National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Merrion Street, Dublin 2
Selective date during the Halloween Midterm, All Ages
Drop into the Wonder Cabinet and join a pop-up chat this October Midterm. Meet an Educator, ask some questions and maybe even get to touch a fossil, fur or skull from the handling collection. FIND OUT MORE
Online Activity: Halloween with the Dead Zoo
National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Merrion Street, Dublin 2
Throughout the Halloween Midterm
Bring the spirit of the Dead Zoo home with you this October Midterm with the National Museum of Ireland - Natural History. This Halloween we have a collection of frightfully good resources for you to use at home. FIND OUT MORE
Browse more upcoming events at the National Museum of Ireland