Hooks and Reels: Samhain at the Castle

Hooks & Reels brings a Samhain storytelling evening to Howth Castle Estate on Halloween night itself, supported by Fingal County Council’s Home of Halloween programme. It suits adults who prefer atmosphere and storytelling to a costume party, marking the old Celtic new year with the kind of gathering the season was originally built around.

What to expect

Six stories are told by writers from the Howth Writing Workshop alongside guest contributors, with musical performances from Martello woven through the evening. Documentary-maker Dearbhail McDonald hosts, and author Clare McKenna appears as a special guest. Fire breathing adds to the atmosphere alongside what the organisers describe as gentle remembering of ancestors, in keeping with Samhain tradition. The evening runs two and a half hours. Samhain, the Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest and the start of winter, falls on the same night as Halloween, and events built around its older, quieter traditions of storytelling and remembrance have become more common in Fingal in recent years alongside the more commercial Halloween trail.

Getting there

Howth Castle Estate is a short walk uphill from Howth village and Howth DART station, the last stop on the northern DART line, about 30 minutes from Dublin city centre. Dublin Bus routes 31 and 31A also serve Howth, and there is parking on the estate grounds.

While you’re in Howth

Howth’s harbour restaurants make a good option for dinner beforehand, and the castle grounds themselves are worth a daytime visit for the rhododendron gardens and Aideen’s Grave, a Bronze Age dolmen on the estate. More on the area is at Howth and across Co. Dublin.

Good to know

• Saturday 31 October 2026, 7:00pm to 9:30pm
• Howth Castle Estate, Howth
• Supported by Fingal County Council’s Home of Halloween programme
• Six stories plus live music from Martello, hosted by Dearbhail McDonald
• Booking via Eventbrite, refunds available up to 7 days before the event