From article:
"Halloween's roots can be traced to Samhain (pronounced sow-in), the Celtic New Year's Eve, which was celebrated as a harvest festival, going back to around 800 B.C., says Michelle Campbell, president of the Caledonian Society of Arizona - a Scottish group, though Campbell is half Irish and has spent hundreds of hours researching Celtic history."

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From the site:
http://www.irelandseye.com/IRELAND/irish/ghosts/leprechauns/

"Irish ghosts and tales from haunted Ireland
ghosts and spirits of IrelandIrish ghosts and supernatural beings come in all shapes and sizes, from near-invisible bog sprites to the awful Crom Cruach, or the Dullahan, headless astride his terrible black steed. We still hear of vengeful spirits, mischievous ghosts and disembodied voices - places with spooky reputations and stories of terrible ends, but are all these events the fault of ghostly activity?"

From Gwinnett Daily Post:

7/27/2004

The Associated Press

SAVANNAH — After exhuming at least four bodies in an attempt to prove a link to an inheritance, the O’Regan family of County Cork, Ireland, is planning to dig up seven more on the Emerald Isle.
Mary Sheehan of Savannah died in 1983 with a sizable estate. There wasn’t much money, but 17 properties included in her holdings are estimated to be worth $160 million. The O’Regans have dug up four bodies — one in Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah — in an attempt to prove they are related to Sheehan.