Did Hallowe’en have its origins outside Athboy?

In 1634, the Irish historian Geoffrey Keating completed his magnum opus on Irish history, Fóras Feasa ar Éirinn (Foundation of Knowledge of Ireland, often simplified as Keating’s History of Ireland).

The book, which chronicled the origins of the Irish people as a distinct and ancient nation, and ends with the coming of the Normans in the late 12th century.

In his account of pre-Christian Ireland, Keating claims that the autumn festival of Samhain, which we now call Hallowe’en (Oíche Shamhna), originated on the Hill of Tlachtga outside Athboy, named after an ancient druidess, and commonly known as the Hill of Ward.

On Samhain Eve (October 31), Keating wrote, all fires across Ireland were extinguished. Druids then lit a huge bonfire at Tlachtga and people came from miles around to light their fires from this central fires.

Samhain was a festival in pagan Ireland which marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of the dark of winter.

It was also a period when, it was believed, the souls of the dead returned to their homes seeking hospitality for one night before returning to the otherworld.

The Hallowe’en custom of “trick-or-treating” evolved from a Samhain tradition where people impersonated spirits or ghosts, and received offerings on their behalf, or visiting mischief on those who didn’t oblige.

When Ireland was Christianised following the arrival of St Patrick, Samhain and various other festivals became incorporated into the Christian tradition. November 1, Samhain, became All Souls Day, a feast day to remember all those who died.

In 2014, Keating’s account of Samhain was given credence when archaeologists discovered physical evidence of past fires after carrying out examinations of the site.

“We have found evidence of intense burning there, whether you want to equate that with Samhain or not,” Dr Steve Davis of University College, Dublin told the BBC.

It is believed that the great fire of Samhain on Tlachtga was one of the origins for the custom of lighting bonfires.

At the ancient festival of Bealtaine, which took place on the hill of Uisneach outside Mullingar, bonfires were also lit at a time when, like Samhain, the threshold between this world and the otherworld was considered to be at its narrowest.

Tlachtga, like Uisneach, became one of the great assemblies of Gaelic Ireland, and was the site of a major assemblage held by the last High King of Ireland, Ruaidhrí Ua Conchobair in 1168, shortly before the Normans arrived.