Curraghchase Pumpkin Patch is a fantastic spooky season activity located near the Curraghchase Forest Park in Kilcornan, County Limerick.
The pumpkin patch is an annual seasonal addition to the Curraghchase Garden Centre owned by Ray and Joy Conway.
This is the tenth year that the couple have been running the patch, which has grown steadily in popularity each year.
“As soon as we put tickets on sale, it’s booked out nearly straight away, we’re the longest-running pumpkin patch in Ireland,” Ray explains.
“When we first started, there were four of us, one in Dublin, one in County Meath, which are no longer running, and there was one in Galway.
“We all kind of started up around the same time. But as far as I know, we’re one of, if not the longest running in the country.”
The patch now plays host to families from all over the country, from Kerry to Dublin, a testament to the growth of the business over the past ten years.
Are pumpkin patches difficult to run in Ireland’s unpredictable climate?
Running a predominantly outdoor business in Ireland comes with its challenges, namely the typical Irish weather.
“A couple of years ago, we took the decision to reduce the size of the numbers coming in [to the pumpkin patch] because we reduced the size of the patch itself due to unpredictable weather,” Ray explained.
However, it is quite clear that the Conways have been proactive in their endeavours to make their patch a success.
“We’ve a lot of covered-in areas now that we wouldn’t have had in the beginning, just to counteract the weather.
“You can’t trust it. Ten minutes ago, I had to jump into the van out of the rain, and now the sun is shining down on top of me. That’s October in a nutshell,” Ray exclaimed in good humour.
What makes Curraghchase pumpkin patch stand out?
Ray describes how he and his team wanted the pumpkin patch to be more than just a commercial business, where visitors just picked up their pumpkin and went home; he wanted them to get the whole experience.
He also credits their ability to adapt to the weather to the success of the patch.
“We’ve looked at our event over the years and made adjustments and improved. Every year, we change something so there’s a new experience,” he emphasised
There is a host of activities to discover here, like spooky storytelling with the resident storyteller Stephen Roche, the spooky tunnel filled with ghostly jump scares, and pumpkin carving. ‘The Potting Shed Café’ is also there for refreshments, undoubtedly there is plenty for visitors to see and do come hail or shine.
Ray spoke of how storytelling is an important part of the pumpkin patch. He explains that the event is based on the animated Netflix story of ‘Spookley the Square Pumpkin’, proudly mentioning how they have also bought the rights to this animation for Ireland.
“There’s a kind of lovely story attached to ‘Spookley the Square Pumpkin’, because he was square, he didn’t fit in with everybody else. He was different.
“The message of the whole story is that it’s okay to be different. It’s okay not to conform to everything else,” Ray concludes.
Do pumpkins actually grow in Ireland?
“We don’t grow them anymore ourselves, but I used to at the beginning. When we first started out, we used to grow a few thousand pumpkins every year,” Ray said.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that the weather is the main culprit for pumpkin patches not always being able to produce their own pumpkins at the scale needed to meet demand.
“There are varieties that are more suited to our climate than the original ones over in the States, but you’re still at the mercy of the weather gods the whole way through the year,” he added.
Ray’s detailed explanation of the growing process of pumpkins in Ireland gives insight to the arduous process
“It [the growing season] starts back in early May, so you’re relying on a good start to the year, that the ground is warm, and not too wet.
“Then once they start coming into flower, you’re hoping that pollination is a big thing, so you’re relying on bees and the availability of bees.
“You’re hoping that the summer is somewhat dry, that the bees are pretty active, and then you’re looking for moisture, but not too much moisture, because they’re a big fruit and they need moisture to swell.
”You need sunshine, and temperature to ripen them and get them to fully develop,” Ray illustrated in detail.
Although they may no longer be grown at Curraghchase, the pumpkins are still very much Irish-grown.
“There are some growers in Ireland that have started to specialise in pumpkins, because of the popularity of Halloween and pumpkins in the past ten years, some of the bigger vegetable growers have allocated some of their land to pumpkins,” Ray says.
What about social media?
It cannot be denied that pumpkin patches can be the backdrop to some very aesthetically pleasing Instagram posts, so has social media helped to attract a new cohort of visitors to the business?
“It would have been part of it in the early days, but now it’s massive.
“You even see people going into the patch now that are just there for photographs; no interest in pumpkins. It is a very photogenic event,” Ray laughed.
Ray explained how they don’t necessarily go for a scary feel for their pumpkin patch these days, but instead opt for more of an autumnal feel, with lots of reds, yellows and oranges.
“It does lend itself to some very nice photographs, if the weather is right,” he added.
The future of Curraghchase Pumpkin Patch
“We hope to keep seeing the same people coming back year after year, seeing their families develop, seeing kids that came as kids themselves come back with their own kids and their own families.
“Just seeing the progression of families as we’ve grown with it over the years, it adds a bit more to it.”
The Curraghchase Pumpkin Patch is open from October 11 to 31, 2025.