Spread across four days and nights, the Púca Festival transforms Trim and Athboy into a hive of Halloween activity celebrating Samhain and the Celtic new year. This year’s attractions include live performances from The Coronas and the Hothouse Flowers, a mischievous night with the Samhain Circus, and comedy gigs by Enya Martin and John Colleary. The Harvest Market, Púca Procession and more will bring Irish mythology to life and round off what will be a packed festival.

Best for: Adults, with some family events. Mixture of free and ticketed events.

Various venues, Athboy and Trim, Co Meath. October 29 – November 21

Ireland's reputation as the home of Halloween lies in Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest and ushering in winter. This year, you can embrace the darkness with a bit of light at Samhain Fire and Shadows Processions taking place across the country over the October Bank Holiday weekend.

Start off in Limerick on October 25 and take in the county's dazzling parade of light as part of the wider Samhain: Limerick's Hallowe'en Festival. Celebrate Halloween night with the final procession at the Dead of Night Festival in Longford on October 31. Follow the colourful march through Longford town before it culminates in a fiery finale in Market Square.

Best for: Adults and families. Free.

Limerick and Longford. October 25 – October 31.

On Halloween night, Cork city comes alive with creatures from the underworld for the Dragon of Shandon Samhain Parade. You can join the thousands of people who walk with the dragon (a massive construction made entirely of tape and guided by puppeteers) as she travels between worlds in a celebration of the living and the dead. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the parade, which has always honoured the creative partnership between the artists of Cork as much as it does Samhain. Trail the band of performers as they make their way to Coal Quay where they'll treat you to a variety of lively specatcles. 

Best for: Adults and families. Free event.

Shandon, Cork. October 31.

This October Bank Holiday, Dublin city is celebrating its gothic roots with its annual Bram Stoker Festival. Learn about the life and legacy of Irish writer Bram Stoker, the wonderfully twisted mind behind the novel Dracula. At the Abbey Theatre on Sunday, take in the drama of the original text with a staged reading of Dracula's final chapters at Dracula: The Hunt. Across the weekend, bring the kids to St Patrick’s Park for the all-ages Stokerland, a funfair filled with rides, games and all sorts of characters in fancy dress.

The festival will also feature two events focused on Japanese-Irish legends. Accompanied by a new live score, the National Concert Hall will screen Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan, the 1965 film adaptation of Japanese ghost stories brought to the West by Irish-Greek writer Lafcadio Hearn. At St Ann's Church, female ensemble Schola Hyberniae will perform a tribute to Japanese-Irish vocal traditions honouring the dead with Songs of the Spirits: East Meets West.

Best for: Adults and families. Mixture of free and paid events.

Various venues, Dublin city. October  23-26. 

Farmaphobia is not for the fainthearted. Built around a two-hour, pitch-dark trek on Causey Farm in County Meath, the haunting experience stretches over 100 acres and has six 'Terrifying Haunts' for you to sink your teeth into, each designed to terrify. Fight a demonic force in The Conjuring, try to escape The Slaughterhouse and test your bravery in the Zombie Morgue. Sessions are ticketed and advance booking is required. Bring your wellies, a coat and your best screaming voice.

Best for: Adults and teens with supervision. Tickets from €29.

Causey Farm, Fordstown, Co Meath. Select dated between October 2 – 21.

Secret Valley Wildlife Park might be full of fuzzy meerkats and family-friendly fun during the day, but during October nights, the park transforms into a no-holds-barred scare-fest for The Cornmaze Massacre. Wander through over ten terrifying zones of the cornmaze with live actors and intense scares. This isn't for the faint of heart, so book in if you dare.

Best for: Adults and teens over 12. Tickets from €30.

Secret Valley Wildlife Park, Clonroche, Co Wexford. October 16–30.

Want to experience the historic grounds of Malahide Castle and Gardens after the sun goes down? Check out A Traitorous Tale, an immersive tour that explores the castle's dark side. Wander the beautiful grounds and find live performers who share the haunting secrets that lie within the fortress' walls. After, reward your bravery with a sit-down, four-course banquet feast with your fellow attendees. 

Best for: Adults. Tickets from €120.

Malahide Castle and Gardens, Co Dublin. Every Friday in October.

Fancy a fright with a bit of flair? Don your most terrifying threads for a night of creepy cabaret at All that Glitters: Thriller Night at McHughs Bar and Venue in Drogheda. Take in some of the country's most thrilling drag performers, sideshow acts and risqué burlesque artists, each with their own devilish twist.

Best for: Adults. Tickets from €20.

McHughs Bar and Venue, Co Louth. October 24.

Get the fright of your life at one of Limerick’s most popular Halloween attractions, the Scare Factory. You’ll get a spooky sense of Limerick history in the Victorian redbrick where the ‘factory’ is housed, and where evil clowns, mutant creatures and zombies await.

Best for: Adults and teens with supervision. Tickets from €23.66.

Cleeves Factory, Limerick. October 16 – November 1.

This two-hour long tour of Dublin’s scariest sites on the Gravedigger Ghostbus carves a route through 600 years of spooky history, colourfully illustrated by the Gravedigger actors. Passing Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, Cork Hill and other Dublin landmarks with fascinating secrets and tales, the ghost bus will bring you to your final destination at the iconic Gravediggers Pub.

Best for: Adults and teens with supervision. Tickets from €35.

Dame Street, Dublin.

While you can tour Cork Harbour’s Spike Island during the day, seeing the former prison at night adds an extra thrill to the experience. This year, the Spike Island After Dark present 'Conviction' – an eerie exploration of the island and its dark history, made all the more chilling with the help of mentalist and escape artist Dean Jacob. Follow him through creepy corridors and underground tunnels, but stay on guard as he might play a trick on you when you least expect it. 

Best for: Over 18s. Tickets from €42.50.

Spike Island, Cobh Harbour, Co Cork. Select dates between October 2 - 31.

Known as Ireland's 'Gate to Hell,' the cave of Uaimh na gCat (Oweynagat) in County Roscommon has strong ties to the ancient festival of Samhain. Take a guided visit to the cave and down to the bowels of the Earth with the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre on their Origins of Samhain Cave Tour.

Best for: Adults and families. Tickets from €15.

Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Co Roscommon. October 28 – November 7.