The National Museum of Ireland has just launched an exciting fun-filled programme of trails, tours and creative workshops for all the family to enjoy over the October Midterm break.
From creating your own spooky Halloween masks and exploring eerie Victorian-era objects to interactive storytelling and outdoor adventure trails, there’s something for everyone to enjoy across our Museum sites in Dublin and Mayo.
In the traditional Irish calendar, the festival of Samhain on the first day of November marked the start of winter. Like most Irish festivals, the main celebrations took place on the eve of the day itself - in this case Oíche Shamhna on 31 October. The day is now widely celebrated as Halloween in Ireland, and in many countries around the world, with lots of feasting, games, tricks and treats.
Check out some of our top events and activities taking place to mark Halloween and the Midterm break, from the Bram Stoker Festival in Dublin to reconnecting with traditions and customs in Co Mayo.
Design Your Own Spooktacular Halloween Mask with Artist Carmel Balfe! BOOKED OUT!
Saturday 26 October & Sunday 27 October | Selected Times | Families | Booking required
National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo
In this imaginative workshop you will have the opportunity to make your own Halloween mask inspired by images of traditional Halloween masks from the Irish Folklife Collection of the National Museum of Ireland. There will be lots of unusual materials to play with. So get crafty and have fun creating your own, unique mask that will make your Halloween trick-or-treating adventure this year a special one! FIND OUT MORE
Making Faces - Family Halloween Mask Making workshop with Artist Carrie Lynam
Monday 28 October | 2 - 4pm | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
All treats, no tricks in this drop-in family mask-making workshop. Taking inspiration from the curious objects in our galleries, design and build unique faces or characters using a variety of techniques and materials. Then, wear your creation for Halloween! No booking is required. This event is part of the Bram Stoker Festival. FIND OUT MORE
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Calling all Dublin Vikings! Are you a raider, trader or settler?
Wednesday 30 October | 10.30am - 12.30pm | All Ages | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Take a look at Viking swords and axes used for raiding, a Viking brass scales for trading, and clothes worn by men and women who lived and settle in Viking Dublin. Take part in some relaxing colouring activities, read through our many books about archaeology, and make sure to explore the Museum's galleries afterwards. FIND OUT MORE
Are crows as spooky as we think they are?
Throughout the Halloween Midterm break - ONLINE
National Museum of Ireland - Natural History Online
While the National Museum of Ireland - Natural History remains closed for refurbishment, we've prepared a special online activity to make your Halloween Midterm extra spooktacular! Discover whether crows are as eerie as they seem, get some last-minute costume ideas from Artist Jo, and challenge yourself with our Halloween-themed activity sheet! FIND OUT MORE
Experience Spine-Tingling Tales by Storyteller Fiona Dowling
Sunday 27 & Monday 28 October | Selected Times | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo
Halloween as we know it today owes its origins to the ancient festival of Samhain which celebrated the end of the Harvest season and signalled the beginning of Winter. Many traditions and customs arose at this time such as the ancient art of storytelling! Join Storyteller Fiona Dowling as she brings her tales to life in these interactive performances as we celebrate Halloween. FIND OUT MORE
Dscover the chills, ills, and kills of Collins Barracks!
Friday 25th to Sunday 27 October | Selected Times | BOOKED OUT!
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
Find out about the trials and tribulations of life as a soldier living in the Barracks from the 1700s until the late 1900s, with a focus on (ill-) health, as well as the transition from one of Europe’s oldest occupied Barracks into one site of Ireland’s National Museum. These tours are free but booking is required. This event is part of the Bram Stoker Festival. FIND OUT MORE
Become a budding archaeologist and help us solve a puzzle!
Thursday 31 October | 2pm - 4pm | Families 7+ | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Drop-In to the Learning Resource Room at the Museum and learn how to think like an archaeologist by solving our puzzle. Look and handle our Viking replica artefacts and figure out what they are and how they were used. FIND OUT MORE
Create your own Halloween masterpiece at our Arts & Crafts Station
Daily from Friday 25 October to Friday 1 November | 2pm - 4pm | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo
Explore the grounds of Turlough Park and visit our various exhibitions before entering our Halloween themed Craft Station in the Education Rooms on Level C of the Museum Galleries. Here, you will find all of the materials you need along with the instructions to create some Halloween inspired crafts specially chosen by our Education Team. FIND OUT MORE
Interact with peculiar objects that reflect a ghostly history of disease, murder and death ….only if you dare!
Monday 28 October | 1.30 - 3.30pm | All Ages | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
Move out of the bright sun and into the Museum to learn all about how people fought illness and mourned losses in the Victorian era. Museum educators will facilitate an interactive session with peculiar objects from the Museum’s handling collection that reflect a ghostly history of disease, murder, and death...! FIND OUT MORE
Discover how Christianity influenced the development of writing techniques in Ireland
Saturday 26 October | 2pm | All Ages | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Discover the artefacts associated with the patron saints of Ireland, St. Patrick, St. Brigid, and St. Colmcille, and see what archaeological evidence can tell us about the impact of Christianity to Ireland and which objects demonstrate the development of writing techniques. FIND OUT MORE
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Can you find Scarecrow Jack hiding in Turlough Park woods?
Saturday 26 October to Sunday 3 November | Families | No booking required | Prize Alert!
National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo
This Midterm, bring all of the family to the Museum to pick your free map and find Scarecrow Jack in the woods. When you find all of the scarecrows, bring your finished trail to Museum Reception to enter a free draw for a spooktacular Halloween hamper. FIND OUT MORE
Life, Disease, and Death at Collins Barracks
Thursday 31 October | 1pm & 2pm | All Ages | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
Curious about the skeletons that hide in our closet? Come to Collins Barracks for a special Halloween tour exploring the chills, ills, and kills of this historic site. Epidemics, debauchery, and the death of Wolfe Tone...a mélange of maledictions await you at Collins Barracks in this ghoulish tour of the National Museum. FIND OUT MORE
Become a Spook Detective and take our Scary Objects Activity Trail!
Saturday 26 October to Sunday 3 November | Families | No booking required | Prize Alert!
National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo
Pick up a free activity sheet at Museum Reception to go on an object hunt across three floors of the Museum and find our scary Halloween artefacts hiding in the exhibitions. Round off your object hunt with a visit to the Samhain display to learn about the origins, customs and traditions associated with Halloween. Discover how many of our modern Halloween celebrations were actually started long ago by our Celtic ancestors. FIND OUT MORE
What was a Mace Head used for? Find out in a Prehistoric Ireland Family Tour!
Wedneday 30 October | 2pm | Families | No booking required.
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Discover Mesolithic fish-traps, food of Neolithic Ireland, wonderful gold objects of the Irish Bronze Age, and artefacts from Iron Age Ireland. This tour weaves through the changes and continuity of prehistoric Ireland by using key objects from the Museum’s collection to inform us about the people and changes of each period. FIND OUT MORE
Discover what life was like in Viking Dublin!
Saturday 26 & Thursday 31 October | 12pm | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
See a replica fishing boat, examine the beautiful oval brooches worn by Scandinavian women, and discover ice skates made of bone! Discover what life was like in Viking Dublin, and see the wider impact that the Vikings had on Ireland. FIND OUT MORE
- BROWSE: Upcoming events at the National Museum of Ireland
- READ: Ghost turnips, the púca, fortune-telling and evil abductions...how our ancestors inspire our Halloween celebrations today
- WATCH: Traditions and customs of Halloween/Samhain
- TOP THINGS: To do in Mayo for the Halloween Midterm break