Spraoi to perform spooky parade in Waterford for Samhain 

Spooky season is officially upon us. 

This Halloween, Waterford will be celebrating Samhain with a weekend of chilling thrills and spooky shenanigans that pay homage to Déise history. 

Spraoi will be performing 'Fire and Shadows', a parade inspired by the ancient vampire An Dearg Due. 

According to Waterford legend, Dearg Due was a young, beautiful woman who was sold off by her cruel father to marry a brutish Chieftain, despite her love for another man. 

She died soon after the forced marriage, but returned to haunt the earth and the men who had betrayed her. She killed her father in his sleep, and drained the blood from the Chieftain. 

The rush of blood made her strong and invigorated, and she began hunting for new targets, luring men into dark corners and feasting on their lifeforce. 

This is how she got the name 'An Dearg Due', translated from ancient Irish to mean 'Red Thirst' or 'Red Bloodsucker'. 

Taking inspiration from the 2,000 year old vampire tale, the procession will take off at around 7.30pm from, fittingly, the Museum of the Irish Wake in Cathedral Square. 

The parade will then weave around the city streets before culminating in a blood-curdling finale performance. 

The procession wont be the only attraction in town, as there will also be a bevy fun, family-friendly concerts, food stalls, tales and treats from October 25 to October 27.

More details of Samhain will be announced in the next few weeks, but is clear that Halloween in Waterford will be an event not to be missed.