‘Food and Folklore’, a celebration of Samhain, proves a big hit at Biddys O'Barnes

A pint of Guinness by the fireside at Biddys O’Barnes was the spur for the unique ‘Food and Folklore’ night last Thursday.

The event was a collaboration between Biddys O’Barnes, Sue Glackin from Donegal Food Tours and acclaimed writer and storyteller Keith Corcoran.

The event, a unique celebration of Samhain, was hosted by Sue.

“Each year I’ve wanted to participate in Celtic celebrations in an authentic way, a way that would pay homage to the traditions of ancient Ireland - but wasn’t quite sure how,” she says.

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“Our ancestors celebrated eight festivals through the year, four of which were lunar and four of which were solar influenced celebrations.

“With a celebration every six weeks there was always a community gathering to prepare for and look forward to and that is something I feel is important to bring back to modern living.

“Our ancestors would’ve always celebrated this time with a feast to enjoy the fruits of the harvest, fire to light up the dark and storytelling to remember those who had gone before them.”

Writer and storyteller Keith Corcoran speaks to the crowd at Biddys O'Barnes

After an autumn hike in 2021, Sue and Keith began talking over a pint of Guinness in Biddys O’Barnes. When speaking about their similar goals of promoting ancient Irish culture, a collaboration seemed inevitable.

Keith's knowledge on Irish Mythology and culture complemented Sue's interests in indigenous Irish food, druidry and herbalism.

Earlier this year, the idea for ‘Food and Folklore’ was born.

“What better time to start celebrating the Wheel of the Year than Samhain - the Celtic New Year,” Sue says.

“The aim of the event was to create a feast by the hearth in the same way our ancestors would have done to celebrate Samhain and to make a connection to the land and Irish mythology through the ingredients used in the feast.

“We incorporated ancient Irish foods that would’ve been accessible to our ancestors at this time of year, the mythology of the food and surrounding land.

“We also done a little wine tasting because our ancestors and the gods enjoyed a tipple too - Medb was the Irish Goddess of intoxication!”