Going back to our roots

A Samhain festival in Co Meath acts as an annual gathering for Ireland’s growing numbers of Pagans, writes Caomhán Keane.

AS THE Halloween season begins many Irish people continue the traditions passed down to them from one generation to the next, of dressing up like slutty nurses and firing bangers at the neighbour’s dog.

For thousands of Irish Pagans (3,000 on the last census), however, it’s the start of a new year, taking place on the night that the veil between this life and the next life is at its thinnest.