Colcannon
Colcannon was a traditional Halloween dinner. Colcannon is boiled potatoes, curly cabbage and raw onion. Coins were wrapped in baking paper and placed in the potato for the children to find and keep.
Halloween cake
A traditional Halloween cake is call barnbrack, which is a fruit cake. Each family member gets a piece. Great interest is taken in the outcome of this activity. There is a piece of rag, a coin and a ring in each cake, with each item having a meaning behind it. The rag suggested your financial future is in doubt. The coin is a positive sign and suggests a prosperous year. A ring is also positive and suggests impending romance or continued happiness.
The Ivy leaf
Each member of the family puts a perfect ivy leaf in water and leaves it undisturbed for the night. If the leaf is perfect in the morning and has not developed any spots then this person can be sure of good health for 12 months.
Blind date
Blindfolded local girls would go out into a field and pull up the first cabbage that they found. If the cabbage had a sustainable amount of earth attached to the roots their future loved one would be wealthy. Eating would reveal the nature of the future whether bitter or sweet.
