I remember when I was young the excitement leading up to Halloween. In our shop we would get a large supply of Barm Bracks from Thompson’s of Cork. They would arrived in a large wooden crate, with straw packing to prevent them getting crushed. They were so popular that every household would have to buy one

They had a variety of charms hidden in them. The ones I can remember were the pea which stood for poverty, the bean that stood for wealth, the rag which meant you would become an old maid, a piece of stick- you would beat your life’s partner and the ring which symbolised that you would marry within one year.