Hallowe'en Print Night with Annie Atkins at National Print Museum, Dublin

Step into a room where ink, metal type, and storytelling meet: Hallowe'en at the Museum with Annie Atkins is a two-hour celebration of design, letterpress craft, and mischievous imagination at the National Print Museum, Beggars Bush Barracks, Haddington Road, Dublin 4. Annie Atkins, the graphic artist known for her film work including The Grand Budapest Hotel and Indiana Jones, presents her second children's book, Letters from the Witch, and walks the audience through the character-driven design process that bridges cinematic prop-making and printed ephemera. The program mixes a short talk, behind-the-scenes footage, and live letterpress demonstrations that turn story elements into tactile keepsakes you can take home. Visitors are invited to print a limited-run impression, watch antique presses engage with fresh ink, and examine original proofs and mock-ups. Taryn Knight’s illustrations, which complement Atkins’s playful witch character, will be available alongside a selection of limited editions and signed books at the event’s book signing. The evening encourages fancy dress—hats, capes, and witchy props are welcome—adding a convivial, theatrical layer to the museum’s permanent displays. The National Print Museum occupies a historic corner of Beggars Bush Barracks and functions as both archive and working workshop. Key features to look for include the museum's working presses, exhibition cases of typographic history, the Museum Shop, and the ground-floor Café. This event highlights the living craft of letterpress - hot metal type, ink rollers, and platen presses - offering a rare chance to experience mechanical printing processes that shaped modern communication. For Dublin visitors, the setting is uniquely urban yet tactile: old barracks architecture framing the clack of machinery and the smell of fresh ink. Practical details: the program runs roughly two hours and is suitable for adults and older children who enjoy hands-on making and storytelling. Tickets are limited and booking is essential; purchases and signings are cashless at the Museum Shop. The ground floor is fully accessible with wheelchair entry via the Café. Expect to leave with a signed copy, a pulled print, and new insight into how design can animate narrative. Whether you're a film prop enthusiast, a typophile, or a family looking for seasonal culture, this night at the museum connects film-level design thinking with the slower, more tactile pace of print. It's a compact, engaging window into Dublin's creative scene—and a reminder that even in a digital age, ink on paper can still surprise and delight. The event meets at National Print Museum, Beggars Bush Barracks, Haddington Road, Dublin 4; check in at Reception on the ground floor. Arrive 15 minutes early to claim your place at the press, bring photo ID if you plan to purchase signed copies, and dress warmly - the museum's workshop retains the cool, metallic air of industrial spaces comfortably.