Ulster Folk Museum marks Samhain from 29 to 31 October 2026 with turnip carving, cabbage fortune-telling and the Armagh Rhymers in their straw masks, the way Halloween was kept in Ireland long before pumpkins.
Credit – Shemazing.net
Halloween in most of Britain now means plastic masks, orange pumpkins and a supermarket aisle of sweets. On the shore of Belfast Lough, a museum of old Ulster farmhouses and shops spends three days showing what came before all of that.
Here the lanterns are carved from turnips. The fortune-telling is done by pulling a cabbage stalk in the dark. And the masked figures going from house to house are the Armagh Rhymers, keeping alive a mumming tradition that most of Ireland and Britain have forgotten.
Event dates: Thursday 29, Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October 2026, 10am to 4pm
Location: Ulster Folk Museum, 153 Bangor Road, Cultra, Holywood, County Down BT18 0EU
Nearest town: Holywood, with Belfast city centre further west along the lough
Getting there: Train to Cultra station on the Belfast to Bangor line, which serves the museum
Admission: Included with museum entry; free for National Museums NI members
Tickets: Book through National Museums NI
What It Is
Samhain was the Celtic festival that marked the start of winter on 1 November. The celebrations happened the evening before, with bonfires and feasting to see in the cold, dark months. As Christianity spread, that evening became All Hallows’ Eve, the night before All Saints’ Day on 1 November and All Souls’ Day on 2 November, and it deepened its connection to the souls of the dead.
The Ulster Folk Museum opened in 1964 on a 136-acre estate at Cultra, bought in 1961 under the Ulster Folk Museum Act of 1958. Its farmhouses, cottages, churches and the recreated town of Ballycultra were built or moved here to show everyday life in Ulster, and its archive holds records of how people here kept Halloween. The Samhain event draws directly on that material.
What Happens at the Ulster Folk Museum Samhain Event
Across the three days, the museum runs activities in and around its historic buildings. The event listing includes:
- Turnip carving and clay carving workshops
- Mask-making with natural materials
- Cabbage fortune-telling
- Tastings of barmbrack and apple pie
- Storytelling in English and Irish
- A murder mystery trail
- Presentations drawn from the museum’s own Samhain archive
- The Armagh Rhymers in traditional masks and costume
The turnip lanterns are the first thing to see. Curator Victoria Millar has explained that turnips were hollowed out to frighten or amuse passers-by and to ward off fairies and spirits. A carved turnip does not glow like a pumpkin. The flesh is thick and pale, the candlelight comes through in a low, uneven orange, and the faces look more like old men than cartoons.
Cabbage divination is stranger still. Young people pulled a cabbage stalk in the dark, and its shape was said to show the build of a future husband or wife. A straight stalk meant a good-looking partner, and soil clinging to the root meant money. Barmbrack and apple pie were baked with a ring, a coin or a thimble hidden inside, each one a forecast of marriage, wealth or a life unmarried.
Then there are the Armagh Rhymers. Founded in the 1970s, the group performs mummers’ plays, music and rhyme in masks woven from straw, willow and flax. Their oldest mask is a horse’s head made when the group began. Inside a whitewashed cottage with the fire lit, the smell of smoke and the dry rustle of straw masks make their arrival feel like a visit from another century.
When and Where
The Samhain and Halloween event runs on Thursday 29, Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October 2026, from 10am to 4pm each day. The museum is at 153 Bangor Road, Cultra, BT18 0EU, on the County Down side of Belfast Lough between Holywood and Bangor. The museum is closed on Mondays and normally opens 10am to 5pm from Tuesday to Sunday.
Getting There
Cultra station, on the Belfast to Bangor railway line, serves the museum directly, with trains towards Belfast Lanyon Place and Belfast Grand Central in one direction and Bangor in the other. By car, the museum is on the A2 Bangor Road east of Holywood. Check Translink for train times on the day.
Where to Stay
Culloden Estate and Spa, Holywood. The former official residence of the Bishops of Down, Connor and Dromore, set in 12 acres of gardens on the Holywood Hills overlooking Belfast Lough, on the same Bangor Road as the museum.
The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn. A boutique inn in Crawfordsburn village, about 15 minutes from Belfast, with open fires, an AA Rosette restaurant and a spa overlooking Crawfordsburn Country Park.
Where to Eat and Drink
The Dirty Duck Alehouse, Holywood. A traditional alehouse on Kinnegar Road with food, a warm fire and views across the lough towards Belfast. Bookings by phone only.
The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn. The 1614 Bar serves cocktails and lighter food if you want something quieter after a day at the museum.
Worth Knowing
- Records in the museum’s archive describe people in masks, or false faces, playing pranks on neighbours at Halloween, including climbing on roofs and putting small fireworks under doors, in places such as Limavady and Portadown.
- Go on the Thursday if you can. The event runs into the weekend, and Saturday 31 October is Halloween itself, so it will be the busiest day.
- The jack-o’-lantern started as a turnip, not a pumpkin. Here you can carve one and take it home.
Practical Tips
- Book tickets online in advance and check prices on the National Museums NI booking page.
- Wear waterproof boots. The site covers more than 130 acres, and the paths between buildings get muddy in late October.
- Bring a bag for your turnip lantern. It will be heavier than you expect.
- Arrive at 10am to get into the workshops before they fill.
- Take the train. Cultra station saves you from the car park queues on the busiest days.
- After the museum, plan a walk on the North Down Coastal Path towards Crawfordsburn with the AllTrails app.
Reader Q&A
Is the Ulster Folk Museum Samhain event suitable for children?
Yes. The carving, mask-making, storytelling and tastings are all aimed at families.
What time does the Samhain event at the Ulster Folk Museum start?
10am. It runs from 10am to 4pm on 29, 30 and 31 October 2026.
How do I get to the Ulster Folk Museum without a car?
By train. Cultra station on the Belfast-Bangor line serves the museum.
Is Samhain the same as Halloween?
Not quite. Samhain was the Celtic festival marking the start of winter on 1 November. Halloween grew out of the evening before it, once the church made it All Hallows’ Eve.
The pumpkins will be back in the shops next year. On the shore of Belfast Lough, the turnips and the straw masks are the older story.
For more of the traditions Britain nearly lost, read England’s forgotten summer festivals and our guide to the Sidmouth Folk Festival. Browse more in our Events section.
