FOR an Irish child of my generation, Halloween was nearly as big as Christmas. Paradoxically it is now a much larger and more public festival but less thrilling for a child, less tied in with historic traditions, superstitions and religious faith.

It was a family event then.

Father organised the fireworks display in a manner which would be illegal today.

He would nail the catherine wheel onto a post or door and light it creating a hissing and whirling galaxy of sparks.

He would get us all to stand well back from the bangers and jumping jinnies and on no account would he let you light a banger in your hand and throw it. We only did that when he wasn’t around.

We fired our rockets into the sky from milk bottles. Milk bottles disappeared from common use in Belfast a few years later when petrol bombers found a use for them.

We wore scary masks or false faces and walked the dark streets to scare each other. These were flimsy affairs made of cardboard. They would steam up inside and go damp and the elastic holding them to your head would too easily break free. But nobody expected perfection in those days.

For tea we had........

© The Irish Post