The púca, or pooka, is Ireland’s great shape-shifter: a black horse, a horned goat, a red bull, even a fleece of wool. Here are the real recorded stories, from wild night rides to the Halloween blackberry rule, plus Harvey, Carrigaphooca Castle in Cork and the Púca Festival 2026.
The Dullahan is Ireland’s headless horseman, a rider carrying his own head or a coachman driving the death coach. Here’s what the old sources from Cork to Clare say, and which bits the internet made up, like gold and the spine whip.
The Cat Sìth is the black fairy cat of Highland folklore, with Irish cousins. Here’s what the oldest source really says, where the soul-stealing and Samhain milk stories came from, and how a witch’s ninth change may have given cats nine lives.
Halloween grew out of Samhain, the Irish festival at the start of winter. Here’s the real story, with folklore and history kept apart: the Hill of Ward fire, the púca, Stingy Jack’s turnip jack-o’-lantern, the barmbrack ring, how emigrants took it all to America, traditions to try at home, and the four Halloween festivals in Ireland worth travelling for in 2026.