Bluiríní Béaloidis is a podcast from the National Folklore Collection at University College Dublin. It explores the rich landscape of Irish and European folk traditions. Each episode journeys through diverse cultural narratives, revealing how understanding our traditional heritage can illuminate our present and guide our future. By uncovering the stories, beliefs, and practices embedded in folklore, the podcast invites listeners to discover the depth and complexity of our shared cultural inheritance.

Samhain (Halloween)
The festival of Samhain has long been regarded as a pivotal moment in the Irish ritual calendar, marking the transition from light to darkness and the threshold of winter. This ancient Celtic observance, occurring on the eve of 31st October, represents one of the most significant seasonal boundaries in the traditional Irish worldview.

Samhain is characterised by traditions of heightened supernatural activity, the return of ancestral spirits, and practices of divination and disguise. It embodies a liminal period when normal rules and behaviours are temporarily suspended, allowing mischief, mystery, and ritual to take centre stage in community life. This suspension of ordinary constraints reflects a broader pattern found in festival traditions worldwide, where established social orders are temporarily inverted or relaxed.

In this edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, produced by Ireland's National Folklore Collection, Jonny Dillon is joined by special guest Dr. Billy Mag Fhloinn, a folklorist, archaeologist, author, and lecturer known for his expertise on Irish ritual and tradition. Dr. Mag Fhloinn has contributed to international productions by the BBC, PBS, and National Geographic Channel, and his 2016 book, Blood Rite: The Feast of St. Martin in Ireland, explores another key festival in Irish folklore.

Together, they delve into the rich lore surrounding Samhain, discussing its enduring significance in Irish cultural memory and the ways it continues to resonate in both historical and contemporary contexts. The programme examines how this ancient festival, with its emphasis on the thinning of boundaries between worlds, provides insight into traditional Irish conceptions of time, space, and the relationship between the living and the dead.