As some of you don those Halloween costumes to go trick-or-treating this evening 🧙🏽♀️, I wonder how many of you knew that these spooky traditions originated right here in Ireland?
Yes, over 2,500 years ago, they celebrated the ancient festival of Samhain (pronounced “SAH-win”), marking the end of summer and harvest season.
They would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts while leaving food offerings to appease spirits and fairies. 🧚🏽♀️
Speaking of otherworldly creatures, we’ve been blessed (or perhaps haunted? 👻) by our own atmospheric Halloween gathering here in Bannow.
Each evening, scores of crows (or a “murder of crows”, to use the proper gothic collective term) congregate in the trees around our farmhouse. Their cacophonous calls create nature’s own spooky soundtrack as dusk settles in. 🌙
Our local murder of crows gathering at dusk
Now, if you’ve seen Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece “The Birds”, you might be tempted to shoo them away.
Warning! Not for the faint of heart 🫣
But I wouldn’t recommend it – these highly intelligent creatures aren’t just Halloween decoration; they’re among the smartest birds in the world, and they never forget a face! 🧠
Here are some fascinating facts about our corvid neighbours:
- They can remember human faces for years 👀
- They hold grudges (so best stay on their good side!) 😅
- They’ve been known to bring gifts to humans they like 🎁
- They can use tools and solve complex problems 🔧
- They pass knowledge down through generations 📚
Rather appropriately for Halloween, crows have long been associated with the supernatural in Irish folklore.
They’re often seen as messengers between our world and the Otherworld – perfect for Samhain, when the veil between worlds is said to be at its thinnest.
So this Halloween, while you’re celebrating with your own traditions, remember you’re taking part in an ancient Irish festival.
And if you spot a murder of crows, give them a friendly wave – you might just make some peculiarly intelligent friends for life. 🖐️
Happy Halloween from our haunted corner of Bannow! 🎃 👻 🦇
Share Your Crow Stories! 🦅
Have you had any interesting encounters with our clever corvid neighbours? Share your stories in the comments below!
A Case of Mistaken Identity!🕵🏽♂️
WHOOPS! 🤦🏾♂️
In a classic Halloween-worthy case of mistaken identity, it turns out our “murder of crows” is actually a “murmuration of starlings” (Thank you, Auntie Peig, for the ornithological intervention! 🦅)
Well, they’re still putting on quite the spooky show in their Halloween costumes, aren’t they?
Perhaps they’re just smaller crows wearing starling disguises? 🎭
Though I must admit, “A Murmuration Most Welcome” doesn’t quite have the same gothic ring to it! 😆
Note to self: Use my Merlin Bird ID app… or at least clean my glasses! 🤓
I think they are Helen’s many ancestors from Bannow visiting to check ye out Kenn , you should put a lighted candle in the window on holy souls night 2 Nov to make sure they return to their resting place. 😉
Thanks for the tip, Peig! 😊
I’ll be sure to put that candle in the window tomorrow night. 🕯️
Good to know these starlings might be more than just birds checking out their new neighbours!