Séasúr Sona buíochais!

…or “Happy Season of Thanks” if you don’t have Google Translate handy!

Halloween is behind us - thanks to Gabby Dunne and Ashleigh Rizzo for giving us a fun opportunity to dress up and be a bit silly at our Halloween party at the Sandymount Community Centre.

I hope all our Canadian members enjoyed their Thanksgiving Day last month. Now it’s time for the rest of us to gear up for turkey and the trimmings! And the PIE!

BTW, Canadians, feel free to double-dip and enjoy a second round of Thanksgiving with the US version - sharing is what it’s all about!

As always, there’s lots on the AWCD calendar. I won’t steal that thunder. You will have to check it all out for yourself on the website and Wild Apricot, but I will remind you of our next daytime General Meeting at The Harcourt Hotel on November 14.  Special Guest Speaker Lorraine Hall, a councillor from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, with buckets of other political-role experiences, will be on hand to give us some insights into Irish politics. Pretty timely, considering that the Irish elections are coming up pronto! And thanks to Program Co-Chair Deb Mandel for getting this one on the books!

At the meeting we will also have our usual door prize, plus our Philanthropy duo, Amber Liggett and Jenny Lavin are having a raffle of some nifty prizes to benefit our selected charity, Dogs Trust Ireland - so bring some extra cash for your chance to scoop a prize.

Our FAWCO duo, Margie O'Rourke and Carol Lovelett, will be on hand with their flowerpot to collect your spare coins for Awesome Blossoms, the FAWCO target project. 'Tis the season for giving!

Coming up, even before the GM, on Nov. 7th there’s an evening New Members’ Social - thank you Lori Garife for securing the venue! We have quite a few new members - hurray! - so let’s all join in to welcome them into the AWCD Community.

Looking just a little further out, have you registered yet for the Annual Holiday Luncheon at Clontarf Castle? Queen of Special Events, Else O’Neill, has scored not only a fabulous venue, but a fabulous price and extras like a welcome drink to get us in the Holiday mood!

A bit of business to close this one out…we had the votes needed to approve the updated Constitution, but, as promised, there is a comparison between original and revised now available. You can find it on the AWCD website by clicking on Members Home. Down under Quick Links, click on Forms and Documents and voilá! Or you can click here.

Thank you to all who participated in the revision, to those who voted, and to those who sent feedback. Together, we are an amazing community!

See you around,

Andrea

Andrea Worker
AWCD President, 2023-25

Samhain (pronounced sow-win) is an ancient Celtic pagan festival that marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter—the dark half of the year. Those who partook in the traditions and rituals believed that the barrier between the physical world and the spiritual world was broken during this time.

Communal bonfires were lit in order to burn sacrifices to the gods for protection against evil otherworldly spirits. Offerings were also left out in the villages for those spirits of deceased relatives believed to have returned for a visit.

The Celts dressed in disguise as monsters or animals so that fairies would not be tempted to kidnap them. Masks were a popular choice. This ancient tradition slowly evolved into the costumes we now adorn today for Halloween!

Another ritual used to repel evil spirits (and guide lost ones) was the carving of turnips. Before pumpkins became the symbol of Halloween, the Celts would carve the frightening faces into turnips from the harvest.

As these Pagan traditions eventually became attached to the Catholic church, they became more secularized and developed into the festivities we now partake in today. However, there are still people who recognize Samhain for the connection it has to the seasons and the spiritual world. In fact, there is a large Samhain festival, The Púca Festival, that takes place each year in Ireland’s Ancient East (Trim and Athboy)! It is on this year from Oct. 31st-Nov. 3rd.

So, if you’re wanting to connect with the true spirit of Samhain, you can check out the full festival program at https://pucafestival.com.

Learn more about Samhain:

• https://time.com/5434659/halloween-pagan-origins-in-samhain
• https://www.pagangrimoire.com/samhain-rituals-traditions
• https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain
• https://www.irelandbeforeyoudie.com/samhain-symbols-history-meaning-facts

Gabby Dunne was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, and never left the States before meeting her Irish husband on the Vegas Strip. She moved to Dublin a year later and has been here for 12 years. She has one son and two stepchildren, and she works in early intervention for neurodiverse children. Gabby joined the AWCD in 2023 and is 'finally reconnecting with [her] American side!'