HALLOWEEN, in all its guises, is traditionally celebrated from hearths to horse shows.

The history of Halloween goes back to pagan times when the Celts traditionally held the Samhain autumn festival. Samhain marked the end of the Celtic year and was said to be the night when evil spirits and fairies roamed about.

This is where the tradition began of bonfires and masks to ward off and stay disguised from Halloween spirits. The Church took a dim view of such pagan rituals and in the seventh century, Pope Boniface decreed the 1st of November as All Saints Day, which also became known as All Hallows Day. And that’s how the night before became Hallow’s Eve. Or Halloween.

Many of the current Halloween traditions began in Ireland and spread around the world, particularly North America, where a carved-out pumpkin with a candle placed inside replaced the original turnip. Barm brack and a tipple were Halloween night treats, often with neighbours invited around for storytelling and song, before the abstinence associated with November, the month of the Holy Souls, began.

So whether it’s fancy dress or a family excursion, enjoy the best of a Celtic tradition. Happy Halloween.

Famous brack

Hickey’s Bakery famous barm brack has been sampled by many, from Mary Berry to horse show goers.

“We always had a barm brack in the lorry for anyone who wanted some,” says Nuala Hickey, the fourth generation in the Clonmel family bakery business, recalling the days accompanying her brothers Eamon, Jim and John to shows.

“Mother always had a picnic ready for us to take to shows. We’d our sandwiches made with the blaa [floury bread roll]. There’s the traditional Waterford blaa but we had our own blaa in Clonmel, filled with turkey, ham and salad and a big flask of tea in the lorry. And the barm brack!”

Hickey’s Bakery, painted beach hut blue with its distinctive candy-striped awning, is located beside another of Clonmel’s well-known landmarks, the West Gate. The same name as the Clover Hill mare John Hickey brought with him to Sweden where he and his brother Eamon now live. John’s West Gate Farm is the address regular shipments of barm brack are posted to.

“John sends us back the little video of his children opening up the present so the Swedish people have been introduced to barm brack as well!”

The bakery began in 1900. How long have they been producing their most famous product? “Well, I can’t prove it but we do have a diploma of excellence that my grandfather got in October 1929 for a sultana fruit bread from the Hovis Flour Company.

“Barm brack is unique to Ireland. It was a treat before November, the festival of Oíche Shamhna, celebrating the end of summer from way, way back. Clonmel has become synonymous for barm brack. Whenever I go around the country with deliveries, people say ‘Oh, this is the Clonmel one.” Unknownst to us, we’ve become famous for it.”

According to Nuala, her father Eddie was ahead of his time when it came to marketing the bakery.

“On the horsey line, Daddy named the horses after Clonmel and the bakery. We had a horse called Clonmel, Irishtown the street we’re on and of course West Gate. We even had a mare called Barm Brack. I suppose my father was doing marketing before marketing became trendy!”

Unfortunately, both Brexit and Covid have had knock-on effects for the business. “We can’t send them to the UK because the person receiving them gets caught for tax.

“We closed the coffee shop because the space was too small and unfortunately I just can’t see it working going forward with us all being used to Covid. We’ve different habits now. People are used to having their lunch at home and their coffee in the car.”

One highlight last year though was the visit by Mary Berry, during the filming of the BBC food programme Home Comforts.

“She’s the queen of baking so it was unbelievable to have her here with the BBC team. She’s such a lady and such an icon of baking. I still can’t believe she came here,” said Nuala, who has pictures of the visit, plus the many awards garnered by the bakery that has 18 employees.

“I’m so lucky to have the business. I don’t take it for granted. I really don’t. And I’m very lucky to have the team of staff I have. They’ve been very loyal and good to me over the years and I’ve the most wonderful, loyal customers too.”

Time to let Nuala back to the batch of 300 bracks in the oven and more flat-out deliveries.

“Halloween is our little mini Christmas. We get a little breather for November and then we go again with the Christmas puddings and cakes,” added the fourth generation of Hickey bakers. www.hickeysbakery.com

  • The bonfire is said to have originated from the bones of animals, slaughtered at winter’s onset, being burnt. Hence its original name: bone fire.
  • The most infamous Halloween fairy is the Puca, said to be adept at taking on animal shapes, especially horses.
  • The Banshee is another Halloween legend and it’s said if you hear a wailing banshee, watch out for a funeral carriage pulled by a headless horse. The book and film The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is said to be based on another Halloween apparition: the Dullahan or headless horseman.

    • Did you know?

  • the Japanese-bred thoroughbred Barmbrack (Novellist) earned £5,363 on the racetrack there.
  • Anky van Grunsven’s Bonfire won her an individual gold medal at the Sydney Olympics.
  • Just this week, the Tokyo bronze medallist Gio, or ‘Pumpkin’ the small, round orange horse first spotted by Charlotte Dujardin at a US dressage clinic, made headlines with his sale.
  • In 1975, a naked horseman, bar a pumpkin mask as a disguise, appeared at the Washington International Horse Show, then jumped a couple of fences before the cheeky rider galloped out of the ring.
  • More traditional Halloween costumes spotted at Washington’s 60th anniversary show three years ago included a leprechaun (Shane Sweetnam) and the Statue of Liberty (Georgina Bloomberg).
  • If you feel like dressing up, there’s fancy dress prizes on offer tomorrow at Milchem Equestrian Centre’s league show and the Tinahely Riding Club autumn league final where a collection will take place for Tiggy’s Trust.
  • The yellow ribbons and Tiggy’s Trust raffle tickets were flying at Cavan’s Halloween show last weekend, one of Tiggy Hancock’s favourite shows.