Macnas...they really are the masters of parades.

For me this is what Halloween, or more accurately Samhain, is all about. It feels ancient, pagan. These parades came before Christ on the cross, before TV, before books even. 

Having missed out on the last few, this year I was determined to witness the spectacle, sailing its way through the streets of Dublin. 

I stared in wonder at the array of visiting spirits, and was a child again. I was hoping to be amazed, but my expectations were exceeded.

It felt like a ritual, like magic...and like all good magic I don't really want to know how it's done. I was happy to simply marvel at the sights and put my adult sensibilities aside, albeit only for a while.

I'll be back next year for my fix of childhood wonder.  Fantasy does you good. I reminded of Tom Robbin's quote from "Even Cowgirls get the blues";

"A disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business."

You can't be having that.