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Halloween has always been tied to music and storytelling in Ireland. The ancient festival of Samhain marked the time when spirits were close, and music carried both celebration and a touch of the eerie. In this article, you’ll find whistle tabs, audio, and sheet music for five Irish tunes with a Halloween connection, each rooted in folklore, myth, or seasonal tradition. I play each tune at moderate speed with ornamentation. Scroll to the bottom of the page for download links, including free tin whistle sheet music pdf file. The music is played on a Dixon Trad whistle.
The pagan Hallowe’en at the end of summer was a time of grief for the decline of the sun’s glory, as well as a harvest festival of thanksgiving to him for having ripened the grain and fruit
Contents
The Banshee’s Wail over the Mangle Pit
Pull the Knife and Stick It Again
More Tin Whistle Tunes with Sheet Music
Halloween was celebrated in Ireland as the ancient Celtic festival Samhain, and the vestiges of this tradition can be seen today. The festival of Samhain celebrated the end of summer and the advent of the long nights of winter, a period when the land of the living intersected with the land of the dead. The Halloween bonfire was lit to ward off the evil spirits that were said to walk the earth at this time.
The evil powers that came out at Samhain lived the rest of the time in the cave of Cruachan in Connaught, the province which was given to the wicked Fomor after the battle of Moytura. This cave was called the ” hell-gate of Ireland,” and was unlocked on November Eve to let out spirits and copper- colored birds which killed the farm animals. They also stole babies, leaving in their place changelings, goblins who were old in wickedness while still in the cradle, possessing superhuman cunning and skill in music.
It was also the period of the harvest and a celebration of the turning of the year, a time when stores of food were harvested an put away for Winter.
The Banshee’s Wail over the Mangle Pit (Jig)
The Banshee was an Irish spirit that appeared in the form of a wailing woman, often when somebody was about to die.
The Banshee is sometimes called a fairy woman. The banshee is a very tall thin woman, and she cries after certain people.She cries piteously along the banks of the rivers it is said that she follows people with O’ or Mac before their surnames. Then one of those people dies the banshee is heard crying around the house. This woman is not small with long brown hair. She wears a red dress with a red cloak covering her head. Sometimes she is seen sitting on the banks of the rivers combing her long hair and mourning as if in pain. The night before the person would die is the time she is heard most.
The Harvest Home
Halloween wasn’t just about evil spirits, but also a time of celebrating the harvest and preparing the long nights of Winter.
Halliday and Hollintide are local names for All Hallows Day or All Saints Day or the 1st of November. The night when the harvest is all completed is called “churn ” night. The harvest home is celebrated with feasting and dancing.
Halloween or Samhain marked the end of the harvest season & the lighting of bonfires during Samhain was an integral part of this ancient celebration. It was believed that the bonfires had both protective and purifying qualities, helping to ward off evil spirits and ensure a smooth transition from one year to the next. As Samhain falls during the darker months of the year, the bonfires were seen as symbols of light and hope during the encroaching winter season. They provided illumination during the nighttime celebrations and also represented the return of light and warmth in the future.
Old Hag You Have Killed Me
Hags or women with witch-like powers feature prominently in Irish folklore and the titles of Irish tunes. The hag is a significant and multifaceted figure that appears in various forms and contexts. The hag is often associated with the darker aspects of Celtic mythology and typically represents a supernatural being or spirit that embodies wisdom, transformation, and the cyclical nature of life.
One of the most famous hags in irish or Celtic mythology is the Cailleach, who is known by various names in different regions, including Beira in Scotland and Cailleach Bheur in Ireland. She is often associated with winter and is considered a personification of the harsh, cold, and unforgiving aspects of the season. The Cailleach is believed to control the weather and is sometimes portrayed as a creator goddess who shaped the landscape. Her legend emphasizes the importance of the changing seasons and the inevitability of death and rebirth.
Pull the Knife and Stick It Again
The story goes that once there was a witch who used to waylay travellers; the only way to break her spell was to stab her once with a knife. She would plea to “pull the knife and stick it again” but removing the knife would give the witch her power back:
About sixty years ago there lived an old hag in Bealaha and she went by the name of “Cailleac Bealáthá” and every night after night after nightfall she came out on the road and any horseman that passed on a horse she jumped up behind him and choked him. This night there was a man named Hogan from Lacken going to Kilkee after nightfall and the old hag jumped up behind him and went about choking him, he pulled out a black-handled knife and stuck her with it and she fell to the ground an said, “Tappongh agus saith arís”, which meant, “pull it and stick it again,” but the man left it stuck and went his way and next morning the ashes of the old lady and the black-handled knife were found on the road where she was stuck. This Old hag lived in a little house under the eye of Bealaha bridge.
The Banshee Reel
In Irish folklore, the Banshee, known as “Bean sí” (pronounced ban-shee), is a supernatural entity often associated with death and mourning. Other spirits said to appear around Samhain include the Púca, a shapeshifter often taking the form of a dark horse, and the Dullahan, a headless rider. The Banshee is typically depicted as a female spirit or fairy who wails or keens, a high-pitched lament, as a warning or omen of impending death within a family or community. Her mournful cries are said to be an eerie and unsettling sound that foretells a tragic event.
About twenty years ago, my father heard a banshee. A women named Mary O Donnell was sick. The banshee was walking on the tops of the bushes. It was in the Sumer-time and my father was milking the cows outside in the fields. When the cows heard the banshee, they began to run through the fields and they would not let him milk them. So he had to bring them into the byre to milk them. In an hour after, the banshee went over to the house and tapped at the window and the girl died. Then the banshee disappeared.
The appearance of the Banshee can vary, but she is often described as a woman in a flowing, white or grey, mourning gown, with long, flowing hair. Sometimes, she may have red or fiery eyes. In some legends, the Banshee may take on a more terrifying, otherworldly form, appearing as a ghastly hag or a spectral figure.
The concept of the Banshee has deep roots in Celtic and Irish mythology, and it has become an enduring part of Irish cultural folklore. The Banshee serves as a symbol of death and the transitory nature of life. While her presence is associated with death, she is not malevolent but rather a messenger or herald of the inevitable.
Sheet Music PDF Download
5 Irish Tunes for Halloween Tin Whistle Booklet – Sheet Music
Sheet Music Image Files
More Tin Whistle Tunes with Sheet Music
5 Scottish Songs for Tin Whistle Beginners
5 Irish Christmas Songs for Tin Whistle
5 Easy Irish Tunes for Tin Whistle
5 Irish Language Songs for Tin Whistle
Folklore Sources
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5177618/5173617/5198606
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4493739/4415638/4529000
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922322/4870060
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5008982/4973704/5112845
Thank you for offering these delightful tunes appropriate for the Halloween season. The program notes and audios for each tune are deeply appreciated and add to the encouragement and thrill of playing them.