It’s almost Halloween, and after Queensland Irish Association’s very popular Irish Samhain cemetery tour in South Brisbane last year, they are once again teaming up with their friends at The Haunts of Brisbane and Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery to bring you their first Irish Samhain Tour of Toowong Cemetery.

Step between the worlds for a special Irish Samhain tour at Toowong Cemetery.

Halloween may now be celebrated around the world with costumes, pumpkins and trick-or-treating, but many of its best-known customs have deep roots in Ireland. Samhain, traditionally marked on 1 November, signalled the beginning of winter and the darker half of the year. As with other important dates in the old Irish calendar, much of the celebration took place on the eve before.

For generations, Irish families marked Oíche Shamhna with food, games and a healthy respect for what might be around after dark. Apples and nuts featured prominently in the festivities, while báirín breac, or barmbrack, could contain objects intended to reveal something about the future. A ring might foretell marriage, while other items carried their own predictions of wealth, poverty or religious life.

Halloween was also a night for disguises. Children and adults dressed up and went visiting, entertaining households in return for treats – an unmistakable ancestor of today’s trick-or-treating. And long before pumpkins became the symbol of Halloween, Irish people carved frightening faces into turnips, placing candles inside to create eerie lanterns.

Folklore also gave the night a more unsettling edge. Samhain was regarded as a time when the ordinary rules of the year were less certain. Stories were told of spirits and supernatural beings, and people took precautions to protect their homes and families. In some places crosses were made and placed at the entrance to the house, while travelling alone after dark was considered unwise. The púca, a shape-shifting supernatural creature of Irish folklore, was among the beings associated with the season.

There could hardly be a more atmospheric setting in Brisbane in which to explore these traditions than Toowong Cemetery, a place where Queensland Irish history lies written in stone.

The cemetery also holds some remarkable connections with Ireland. Among its most famous graves is that of Kevin Izod O’Doherty, the Irish nationalist and Young Irelander who was transported to Van Diemen’s Land following the 1848 rebellion before eventually making his way to Queensland, where he became a respected doctor and public figure. He is buried alongside his wife, Eva O’Doherty, the poet and writer affectionately remembered as “Eva of the Nation”. Their imposing grave, in the cemetery’s Irish Catholic section, describes Kevin as “The Irish Patriot” and remains a powerful reminder of the Irish revolutionary story in Queensland.

Another significant Irish figure connected with Toowong is Sir Samuel Blackall, Queensland’s second Governor and an Irish-born soldier and administrator. Blackall, who died in office in 1871, was the first person buried at what became Toowong Cemetery, having selected the prominent site himself as his health declined. His memorial remains the cemetery’s largest and most commanding monument.

The special one-night tour will be led by award-winning cemetery historian Tracey Olivieri and historical archaeologist turned paranormal researcher Liam Baker, in partnership with the Queensland Irish Association.

Combining Irish customs and folklore with the stories of those buried within one of Brisbane’s most historic cemeteries, the Irish Samhain Tour promises something rather different from an ordinary ghost walk. Expect history, mystery, local characters and ancient traditions – all explored after dark among the monuments and memories of Toowong.

For anyone with an interest in Irish heritage, Brisbane history or the origins of Halloween, it is an opportunity to experience one of Ireland’s oldest seasonal traditions in a uniquely Queensland setting.

Just don’t forget to watch where you’re walking after dark.

No theatre. No tricks. Just true tales and timeless folklore told under the darkening Samhain sky.

This tour is not-for-profit, with all money raised going to cemetery history and maintenance projects. (PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a theatrical tour).

Prices

Single bookings: $20 per person/$15 per concession.

FOSBC & Coffin Club members: $10 per member.

Group bookings (four or more people): $15 per person.

Tickets can be purchased at https://fosbc.au/tours/irish-samhain-toowong-cemetery

Walking difficulty

Moderate (Grade 3) – Please be aware, given the aging nature of the cemetery, this tour involves walking [slowly] up hills predominantly over generally modified terrain [hardened earth, less than 1200mm wide], mostly clear of intrusions & obstacles. Please advise us of any relevant medical concerns prior to attending the tour.

Duration

2 – 2½ hours [tour times can vary, depending on levels of customer interaction during the tour].

Age level

This tour is suitable for ages 12 years and up – it contains supernatural, murder & suicide themes.

These tours are presented by the Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery, under license from the Brisbane City Council.

Meet at the main entrance, corner of Milton Rd and Frederick St. Parking available in cemetery.