The Mórrígan Samhain Procession

Celebrate Samhain in Roscommon as Halloween’s Roscommon roots take centre stage in Samhain procession

Halloween is celebrated around the world. Every October, pumpkins light up doorsteps, children pull on costumes and ghost stories return to our screens. Across the world, Halloween brings lanterns, trick-or-treating and stories told after dark. But the roots of this global commemoration reach back to the ancient Irish festival of Samhain — and to the Rathcroghan landscape near Tulsk, where the celebration is said to have originated. This October, Roscommon will bring its place in Halloween’s story into the streets. The Mórrígan Samhain Procession will gather at Roscommon Town Square at 6 pm on Friday, October 30, for an evening of fire, drumming and lanterns.

At Oweynagat, the Cave of Cats, stories of the Otherworld and the Mórrígan have long been tied to the Rathcroghan landscape. The procession will give those stories a new setting as the community gathers at dusk to welcome the long nights. In the lead-up to the event, artists Orla Clogher and Angie Byrne will lead lantern-making workshops in Roscommon in partnership with Rathcroghan Visitor Centre. Participants will explore local mythology and Samhain traditions through storytelling and making. Their lanterns will join procession sculptural works, alongside a community drumming troupe and professional fire performers. The procession is presented by The Mórrígan Collective, with Rathcroghan Visitor Centre as cultural partner. It is funded by the Creative Ireland Programme and Roscommon County Council, with support from Roscommon Chamber, SICAP and Roscommon Town Team Ltd.

Visitors can also explore the landscape behind the stories through Rathcroghan Visitor Centre’s Origins of Samhain tours, scheduled on dates from October 27th to November 6th. Places on some tours have already sold out, and availability should be checked directly with the visitor centre before travelling. Rathcroghan’s stories are reaching audiences on stage, too. Who Shot Queen Medb?, led by Mike McCarthy of Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, explores the Táin Bó Cúailnge and the characters of Cruachán Aí. It is due to be performed at The Dock in Carrick-on-Shannon at 8 pm on Thursday, October 29, the evening before the procession.
Further details will be announced as arrangements are confirmed.