‘It’s kind of a rallying cry’ – Galway chef JP McMahon brings ancient Samhain spirit to the table
Galway chef JP McMahon is stepping outside his well-known restaurants this Halloween to host a celebration in homage to the Celtic roots of the holiday. The clock towers of St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church will once again watch over a Samhain gathering, as Mr McMahon highlights centuries-old traditions and the use of seasonal ingredients to bring a community of food lovers together.
In modern times, Halloween is a night of sweets, costumes and pub parties, where neighbourhood walks with children and dance floors filled with the Monster Mash dominate the scene. The end of October has become synonymous with kitschy décor, spooky doorways, spider webs, witches and ghosts.
Yet, ancient tradition reminds us that this time of year was once more than hocus pocus, it was a farewell to the harvest until the sun shone longer once again. Gathering and community were central to that transition, and that’s exactly what Mr McMahon aims to cultivate with his one-of-a-kind event on Halloween night, a celebration of what he calls the “hibernation of the land.”
The end of October marks the division of the year between its lighter half (summer) and darker half (winter), when the Celtic festival of Samhain is observed. It’s said that during this time, the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is at its thinnest.
Traditionally, communities would gather for feasting and festivity, sharing food that warmed the belly around a great bonfire. Kindling from that fire was then taken home to rekindle each household hearth, a symbol of communal strength as man’s reliance on the sun became weak until next Spring.
Chef McMahon told the Irish Independent what that tradition means today. “It's important to tie things into Halloween because it is a celebratory event, but it's a serious time for us all – we must keep going [into winter].”
“There's a fun aspect of it, but there's also kind of a rallying cry to say ‘look, come on, we have to get together’.”
“Galway is super seasonal and most of the events take place during the summer months for tourists. There's a lot of celebration and then, in the winter months, it’s almost forgotten.”
That belief in year-round community inspired Mr McMahon and Drigín Gaffey to open Cava in 2008, a tapas and wine bar in the heart of Galway city. Mr McMahon recalls wanting a place where locals could gather throughout the year. Trusting that “the tourists will come when they come,” he focused on keeping Galway’s culinary community alive in the darker months.
“The city keeps going, and it's important to keep things going and to acknowledge that.”
That rallying spirit underpins this year’s citywide Halloween celebration, organised by Fáilte Ireland and Galway City Council. The event, ‘Galliamh Ah-Boo!’,a playful twist on the Irish battle cry ‘Gaillimh abú’ meaning ‘Galway forever’, brings together food, history and culture in true Galway fashion. It also strives to make Ireland the global home of Halloween traditions.
Autumn, Chef McMahon says, is a peak time for preserved foods such as cheese, fish and oysters, as the seas turn cold again. Rather than lament in what the season fails to bring, he sees ingredients that will lend themselves to preservation and creativity.
His menus this time of year are built around what’s available in abundance. That philosophy also inspired Blas na Gaillimhe, a November food festival founded by Mr McMahon to celebrate the richness of the season.
“When we did Blas na Gaillimhe we said we have to celebrate November. November is probably the worst month of the year in terms of food, tourism, and money making.”
Turning seasonal produce into a full course menu requires both innovation and intuition, not for the faint of heart. As McMahon begins to prepare for a menu centred around paying respect to the land and the food it gives you, creativity is the name of the game.
“We have a chat about [the ingredients] and there's loads of ideas flying around,” he said referring to a time he was given a Sumac, a middle eastern herb he was surprised to hear grew in Ireland.
“When you allow food to take you on little journeys you end up being far more creative than you could foresee because you don't have all the ideas to begin with. You start playing around with base things.”
“So we say, ‘Will we pickle this and put it with a fish dish? Or make a sauce? Or should we put it with dessert?’ So there's always a scaffold of things that you can do.”
“If I couldn't do that, I'd find it very boring.”
Preparing for a night like Féasta Fómhair takes a lot of time – JP calls it a “performance”. However, beyond culinary artistry is an ultimate goal: that people would walk out of the church with full bellies and hearts having interacted differently with both.
“There's a lot of pressure and stress build up to it,” he said, “Then I think the nicest aspect of it is when people come together, and they start talking and meeting, that's what you can't control or foresee how it’s going to go.”
“I want it to be a casual event, but at the same time, a celebration of Galway food and Galway's history and position, in relation to the tie in with cultural themes.” JP said.
The Samhain feast of food and story will take place in St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church as part of Galliamh Ah-Boo! on Halloween night, featuring a full menu in partnership with Kelly Oysters, Beechlawn Farm, Micil Distillery, and the best of Blas. The evening begins at 6.30pm with a complimentary drink, followed by a harvest dinner at 7.00pm.
Tickets are available from the Town Hall Theatre Galway, and early booking is advised.