Samhain Festival

19/11/2025

The SAMHAIN25 Photo Archive is now live at:

https://www.samhainfestival.ie/photo-archive

A very special thanks to the community of Clonakilty and to all of our visitors who lined the streets in torrential rain this year to support all of the great artists who made the 2025 Samhain parade.

Thank you also to all of our local sponsors, without whom, none of this would be possible:

The Olive Branch
Clonakilty Credit Union
Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce
DeBarra’s Folk Club
O’ Donovan’s Hotel
Dunmore House Hotel
Clonakilty Park Hotel
The Pike Deli
Clonakilty Black Pudding
Monk’s Lane
The Studio, Spiller’s Lane
The Loft Gallery

Thank you to Michel Colaci of Screezest creative digital design, for all of your kindness in website maintenance.

To all of the wonderful volunteers, community groups, photographers and film makers who bring Samhain to life in Clonakilty every year.

Thank you John Joe Lyons & The Red Cross, Sinéad Cowley, Daniel Sexton, Karl Llewellyn, Garda Oonagh and colleagues and to each and every steward who ensured this was a safe and enjoyable event for all attending.

To all of the people who have kindly donated to our 2025 GoFundMe campaign, which is a vital support for this project, a hundred thousand thanks yous. If you would like to contribute to our fundraiser, you can access the link below:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/samhain-festival-25?attribution_id=sl:ae6b78c8-aad7-4a02-ba52-cfcb76db66bf&lang=en_GB&ts=1760108277&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp13_t1&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

Teastaíonn pobal chun féile a reáchtáil!

It takes a community to make a festival!

Sonas oraibh go léir!

www.samhainfestival.ie Samhain is the first of four traditional festivals on the old Irish calenda… Geata Arts needs your support for SAMHAIN FESTIVAL '25

10/10/2025

www.samhainfestival.ie Samhain is the first of four traditional festivals on the old Irish calenda… Geata Arts needs your support for SAMHAIN FESTIVAL '25

15/12/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4aTGXQalQ4

In this video we have The Wren Dance with dancers and musicians dressed up and wearing masks to celebrate St Stephen's Day, The Day of the Wren. A great remi...

02/12/2024

Some wonderful photos from Anna Groniecka from the Samhain 24 Parade

2024Samhain Parade Gallery View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fu...

15/11/2024

A wonderful film by Myles O'Reilly of Clonakilty during Samhain Festival. Featuring Lunatraktors.

Samhain is the first of four traditional festivals on the ancient Irish calendar, marking the arrival of Winter. In the Celtic view, Winter is honoured as th...

10/11/2024

https://youtube.com/shorts/gBhPwrL_h5o?si=IDDPFlRCXbrGZ8z6

�The 2024 Clonakilty Samhain Festival and Parade was independently funded, created and produced by Clonakilty town.

�With special thanks to Mayor of Clonakilty Eileen Sheppard, the Clonakilty Mayoral Council, Cork County Council, the Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce and Clonakilty Credit Union.

�To Oonagh and all of the local Gardaí, the RedCross, Sinéad Crowley, Daniel Sexton, The Rugby Club and to all of the stewards who opened the roads and kept us all safe during the Samhain Parade.

�To our great oaks O’ Donovan’s Hotel, The Olive Branch and DeBarra’s Folk Club and to The Pike Deli, WCTC and Dunmore House Hotel for your great kindness and support.

�To Liz, Conrad and Jeremy who so kindly let us host the Samhain concerts in Clonakilty’s beautiful Methodist Church.

�To Ray Blackwell, the West Cork Traveller’s Centre, Johnny and the man from Leinster for the shelters in Emmett Square.

�To John Fitz and Keith O’ Connor for all of the extraordinary work on light and sound.

�To Clodagh Simonds, Medazza Choir, Kevin McNally, Justin Grounds, The Clonakilty Drum Collective, ROGU, Alchemy Arts, Pamela and the Clonakilty Gospel Choir.

�To Liz Twomey, Judy O’ Connell, Roni Coomey, The Men’s Shed, The Women’s Shed, The Sacred Heart, Kilmeen NS, Darrara NS and The Flower Basket.

�Thank you to Séan Casey, Ana Groniecka and to all of those who help capture the parade so beautifully in photo and film.

�To Ali Wheeler for use of the stunning Bronze Age costumes and to Michel Colaci of screenzest.com for the beautiful website at www.samhainfestival.ie

�To Rosie McCarthy, Thomas McCarthy, John Reid, Jon Hicks, Jim Murray, Aideen Macken, Clonakilty Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Eireann, Toddy Hogan, the Gamelan Spréacha Geala, Eoghain Hamilton, Rose Connolly, Josh Sampson, DeBarra’s session musicians and all other traditional musicians who attended Samhain24.

�To all the festival and parade organisers and musicians and to all the Púcas who made this year’s Samhain the best yet.

SAMHAIN24 was made possible by all of the people who donated to the SAMHAIN24 GoFundMe campaign. Thank you all for the generosity of community spirit.

�Thank you to BGM Media for this Samhain Parade reel

Samhain Parade Clonakilty 24 ...

02/11/2024

A wonderful reminder of last year by West Cork Discovered!

During the ancient Pagan and Celtic Celebration of Samhain, it is said that the veil to the Otherworld thins allowing spirits to pass through. The family's a...

01/11/2024

Some wonderful footage from last year by Sean Casey.

We're almost there with the fundraiser!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/samhain-24

Geata Arts Samhain Parade In Clonakilty, 5th November 2023. A community supported local sustainable festival, this year the theme was Listen to the Land Spea...

01/11/2024

https://www.rte.ie/gaeilge/2024/1031/1478174-feile-na-samhna-chloich-na-coillte/

"When the songs have stopped being sung, the ancestors are truly dead. When the stories have stopped being told, we all fall asleep. And when we wake up, what are we waking up to?"

27/10/2024

To support these independent cultural revival projects, please visit and share our GoFundMe campaign which will be running until November 6th; the mid-point between the autumn equinox and winter solstice and the actual date of Samhain 2024.

All donations will be used to support Samhain Festival, Samhain Street Theatre and the Samhain Festival Office and Street Theatre Workshop on 28 Ashe Street, Clonakilty, Cork.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/samhain-24