Lisburn Standard, 17 October 1924
We often associate Halloween food with pumpkin pie and toffee apples, but did you know that in Lisburn the original Halloween delicacy was barmbrack or ‘brack’? This type of fruit loaf is popular year round. Throughout Ireland, it was traditionally linked to the festivities at the end of October. In addition to sultanas or raisins, you may have found various objects when you cut into the brack such as rings, coins, or even cloth! Each item had significance for the person who found it; for example, it was said that whoever found a ring would be married in the ensuing year.
Lisburn Standard, 24 October 1924
Our local bakeries and tea rooms made sure to have a good stock of Halloween brack and other treats, like apple cakes or currant loaves. In the 1920s, these included Lisburn’s own ‘M&S’, Millar & Stevensons Ltd, in Market Square and Riddall’s of Railway Street. Both establishments included rings and Halloween mottoes in their baked goods.