Kenmare’s Halloween Magic Inspires a New Children’s Book

As Kenmare prepares for another magical Samhain, the town’s much loved Halloween traditions have found their way onto the pages of a beautiful new children’s book.

Every autumn, as the evenings draw in and October approaches, the town begins to transform. Shop windows change, pumpkins appear, costumes are planned and anticipation builds for the celebrations that have made Halloween in Kenmare such a wonderful occasion for generations of local families and visitors.

This year, there is another reason to celebrate.

Kenmare’s Halloween traditions have inspired a new children’s book, Howl at Halloween: Áine Goes to Kenmare, together with its Irish language edition, Scairt na Samhna: Áine sa Neidín.

Written by retired primary school teacher Hazel Mulqueen, illustrated by Kenmare artist Catherine Woods and translated into Irish by Ciara Begley, the books were recently officially launched here in Kenmare, fittingly in front of a large gathering at The Lansdowne Kenmare.

A Halloween story with Kenmare at its heart

The story follows young Áine and her family as they travel from Dublin to spend the Halloween break with her granny in Kenmare.

Against the backdrop of Kenmare’s annual Halloween celebrations, Áine discovers traditional games, customs and stories, before joining the community for the Halloween parade.

But behind the fun is something particularly lovely: a story about generations sharing traditions, children discovering where our customs come from, and the importance of place, family and community.

Hazel explained at the launch that while at first glance it is a simple Halloween picture book, she wanted it to encourage conversations between generations and help pass on customs and traditions.

And there could hardly be a more appropriate setting than Kenmare.

From Samhain to Halloween

Halloween has extraordinarily deep roots in Ireland. Long before pumpkins, trick or treating and the modern Halloween we recognise today, Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter in the ancient Irish calendar.

It was a time associated with gathering, storytelling, fire, food and folklore, when the boundary between the everyday world and the Otherworld was believed to be particularly thin.

Many customs we now associate with Halloween grew from these much older traditions and travelled from Ireland across the Atlantic with generations of Irish emigrants.

Today, Halloween is celebrated all over the world, but here in Ireland it remains connected to something much older.

And in Kenmare, it has become part of the rhythm of the town itself.

A celebration of Kenmare and community

One of the things we love most about the new books is the sense of place running through them.

Kenmare is not simply the setting. The town, its people and its Halloween celebrations are part of the story.

That makes the publication particularly timely as preparations are now well underway for Kenmare’s 2026 Halloween and Samhain celebrations.

Once again, our community will come together to celebrate the season, bringing the streets of Kenmare to life and introducing another generation of children to traditions that have been shared and reinvented over centuries.

There is also wonderful news for the Irish language edition. Scairt na Samhna: Áine sa Neidín has been shortlisted for Gradam de Bhaldraithe 2026 at the Oireachtas Publishing Awards, which recognises outstanding works translated into Irish. The winners will be announced in Galway on 30 September.

For a book inspired by our little town in Kerry, that is something worth celebrating.

Halloween in Kenmare 2026

As October approaches, we will be sharing much more about what is planned for Halloween and Samhain in Kenmare this year.

For visitors, it is a wonderful time to experience the town. Autumn colours surround Kenmare, evenings become cosy, fires are lit, and the streets take on an entirely different atmosphere as Halloween draws closer.

And now, children visiting Kenmare can discover some of that magic before they even arrive, through the adventures of Áine.

Howl at Halloween: Áine Goes to Kenmare and Scairt na Samhna: Áine sa Neidín are 40 page, full colour hardback books and are available locally, including from Kenmare Bookshop.

We would like to congratulate Hazel Mulqueen, Catherine Woods, Ciara Begley and everyone involved in bringing the books to life.

There is something wonderfully fitting about a festival created and sustained by a community inspiring a story about family, tradition, place and belonging.

And as Kenmare prepares to celebrate Samhain once again this October, Áine’s adventure is a lovely reminder that the traditions we celebrate today become the stories another generation will carry with them tomorrow.

See you in Kenmare this Halloween 🎃 https://www.kenmare.ie/post/samhain-in-kenmare