Halloween in Ireland has evolved massively over the last three decades – just ask anyone born in the 80s.

The time, effort and cost that goes into children's Halloween costumes these days would have been met with dropped jaws and open mouths in every primary school classroom back in the 1990s.

And if you did your formative trick or treating in 90s Ireland, you will know that Halloween meant running around your housing estate dressed head to toe in bin liners while frantically trailing a ripped shopping bag of loot behind you.

It also meant a blatant disregard for the following…

1. Political correctness

A worrying number of children in 1990s Ireland actually trick or treated while dressed as someone of a different race and ethnicity.

Alarming and all as it seems these days, neighbours didn't bat an eyelid 20 years ago when they were met with a group of Irish children culturally appropriating like nobody's business.

"And who are you meant to be, son? What country would that be?"

2. Child safety

Oh, your mother may have warned you to stay back from the bonfire and avoid bangers at all costs, but she also thought nothing of dressing you head to toe in one of the most flammable materials ever – black plastic.

While bangers may have sailed over your head and sparklers were indiscriminately discarded by the hem of your 'costume', you innocently assumed all would be well because it's not as if your mam would have put you in obvious danger, right?

"My mam told me not to come running to her if I was set on fire."

3. Reputation

Back in the day, we were forced to show good manners when that oddball in the corner house hesitantly dropped a ropey-looking Granny Smith and a handful of Monkey Nuts into our open plastic bags.

And God forbid if your family ever ran out of treats, and were forced to raid the fruit bowl.

"My brother says your mam gave him an apple on Halloween, so you can't sit with us."

4. Sibling safety

If you had an older brother or sister, you'll know that your safety generally wasn't a priority back in the day, but you put up with it if it meant you could trick or treat with the big kids.

From forcing you to knock on houses your parents warned you against to making you hop fences into different estates, the fact that you were left hanging by the arse of your plastic costume from a railing was just par for the course.

"Either hop that wall or give me the Wham bar you got. It's your choice."

5. Sugar intake

Our parents would have been well within their rights to ration our loot, and dole out a piece every day from Novemeber 1 until the following year. but they didn't.

No, they watched while we poured our haul onto the sitting room floor and stoically made our way through it while beads of sweat broke out on our foreheads and our hands shook from the sugar rush.

"Sure, look it, have at it, as long as I can have that mini Galaxy you got there."