AN FÉILE EILE - FIRE, FOLKLORE & FESTIVITY


An Féile Eile ignites Killorglin town during Halloween week, bringing together the past, the present, and the *otherside* in a celebration of Samhain. Visitors and locals gather to rediscover ancient harvest-time arts, the magic of fireside storytelling, dance the night away at the Divil’s disco and reconnect with age-old energies.


If you were with us last year you experienced the magic. If you weren’t . . .

. . . this is your chance to be part of the magic THIS YEAR. PLEASE DONATE TO THIS YEARS FESTIVAL
Eddie Lenihan in the grips of dark humor at Sheila Buns in Killorglin, County Kerry. Seán an Seanchaí, is smiling, watching the master tell his tales. An Feile Eile, Halloween Festival.

REDISCOVER THE MAGIC OF STORYTELLING

Storytelling has always been at the heart of Irish life, especially at this time of year. At An Fèile Eile, the stories shared are more than words—they are threads woven into the living tapestry of the festival. We were delighted to have legendary seanchaí Eddie Lenihan headline our storytelling event.

Little girl dropping her message into the Ancestral Effigy. The Otherworldly messenger is shaped like a hare, made of organic materials. Willow and paper. Photo taken by Dave Ryan at Grilse Gallery in Killorglin, Co Kerry. Halloween Festival, Ireland

RECONNECT WITH YOUR ANCESTORS

At the heart of An Féile Eile is a powerful ritual honouring a key figure in Celtic mythology, the Irish hare—a divine creature and shapeshifter that connects the human realm to the supernatural. In the build-up to the festival, an effigy of a hare serves as a portal for messages to those on the other side. Then on the night the veil is thinnest between this world and the next this divine creature is ceremoniously set alight on the River Laune, the flames carrying these messages to the other side.

Willow, wicker casket being woven by Kate of West Country Willows at the Death Cafe during An Feile Eile. Photo taken by Dave Ryan in Killorglin, Co Kerry. Halloween Festival, Ireland

RELEARN ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE

Workshops at An Feile Eile are more than activities—they are acts of remembering, reclaiming and re-rooting. Each one a doorway, each teacher a guide, helping us trace the old paths through craft, care and connection. The festival is a celebration that unites the past, the present and the other marking the transition from harvest into winter. The twilight of the year. Our week-long celebration includes introductions to the heritage arts associated with the end of the harvest and the arrival of darker days.

Wise Wool Project workshop. Wet Felting spooky ghost ornaments at the Sean Scoil in Killorglin, Co Kerry. An Feile Eile, Halloween Festival. The Wise Wool Project is a Creative Ireland project, raising awarness of the current wool waste problem

ENGAGING YOUNG DREAMERS

Last year Little festival-goers stretched into mythical shapes at Kids Costume Yoga, crafted felted ghosties with the Wise Wool Project, carved sugar beet lanterns and made magical masks with the mystical Dingle Druid and journeyed through interactive Samhain stories.

We’re deeply committed to creating even more space for our young dreamers this year because their creativity and wonder fuel the spirit of the festival!

Large sculpture of a hare at the Divil's Disco at 10 Bridge street. An old church and venue. An Feile Eile, Killorglin, Co Kerry Halloween Festival. Hare made by Phil McSweeney of Tralee

THE DIVIL’S DISCO

Did you ever hear the story ‘bout the Divil dancing the night away with a fine young lady in Tooreen Ballroom of romance in Co. Mayo?

With wicked costumes, wild energy and the hauntingly good tunes filling the dance floor it was pure mayhem in the gloriously gothic surrounds of 10 Bridge St. — the perfect end to our Samhain celebrations. We couldn’t say for sure that the man himself was there that night but I can say we had some craic and that the old church was reborn as a place of mischief and magic, thanks to the eerie brilliance of Mike Ahern’s sculptures.