THE SPOOOOKIEST TIME of the year is almost upon us – by now, everyone has their costumes bought (or they’re still in line to get one), the pumpkins carved and the sweets ready for the trick-or-treaters.

So we’re asking you: What’s your favourite memory of Halloween, from your childhood or otherwise?

Here are a few Irish Halloween traditions to send you off down memory lane.

Black bin bags

Bin Liners Direct Bin Liners Direct

The basis of any good costume.

Masks like these

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Throw on one of these and a black bag and you were ready to trick-or-treat. No faffing about with costume shops and clever concepts.

Fireworks scaremongering

OK, so it’s rightful scaremongering – but Halloween wasn’t Halloween without the Gardaí visiting school with horrific tales of lost fingers and eyes.

Collecting up every bit of wood you could find

Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

This stuff? For an illegal bonfire? Nah sir, you’ve got it all wrong.

Bobbing for apples

Irish people bobbing for apples in the 19th century, painted by Daniel Maclise Wikimedia Wikimedia

And nearly losing your teeth playing snap apple. They didn’t make it easy for us.

Finding the ring in the barmbrack

Flickr / Neal Foley Flickr / Neal Foley / Neal Foley

Then trying to hide it, so you wouldn’t be mercilessly teased about your ‘girlfriend’ or ‘boyfriend’.

Egging

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Not that we would ever condone such an activity.

Tormenting the neighbours

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The one time of year children are rewarded for being brats.

“Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something nice to eat, not too big, not too small, just the size of Donegal!”

Over to you – what’s your favourite Halloween memory from childhood?

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