Halloween: learn to carve turnips into scary lanterns

Samhain celebrations

Kylemore Abbey and its Victorian Walled Gardens will mark Samhain on Saturday, October 27th with an afternoon of traditional Connemara and Irish folklore events. Families are invited to the estate to discover the tradition of turnip carving for Halloween lanterns, meet the age-old Irish púca or ghost of Samhain, enjoy homemade traditional Kylemore barmbrack and more. 2.30pm-5.30pm, family tickets from €28, kylemoreabbey.com

Zen den

Monart welcomes two Shaolin masters this month, who will take up residency at the five-star spa until December 7th. The Wexford spa and resort will offer guests the chance to learn the practices of Shaolin life from Master Zhang and Master Jiang, with group classes in meditation and movement skills, T'ai Chi and Kung Fu. monart.ie

Castle cure

On November 17th, Ballynahinch Castle Hotel invites guests to join them for a three-day yoga retreat hosted by Galway sisters, Rachel and Hannah Healy, of Yoga Mara. The weekend will focus on bringing balance and calm back into hectic lives through yoga, mindfulness, good food and great company. The Yoga Mara Escape at Ballynahinch promises to be the perfect rejuvenating antidote to winter's stresses and strains. From €850 per individual or €655 per person sharing, ballynahinchcastle.com

Frequent flyers

Cork Airport is set for new and extended Ryanair routes in 2020. Additional services to Katowice in Poland, Malaga and Palma in Spain are being offered at the fastest growing airport in the State. With passenger numbers expected to reach 2.6 million before the end of this year, Ryanair will also operate five new services from Cork to Alicante, Budapest, Malta, Katowice and Poznan this winter. corkairport.com