Episode 5: The Banshee in Irish folklore with Dr Gillian Kenny

For generations, families across Ireland have passed down accounts of the Banshee.

In Irish folklore, the Banshee is a messenger of death, her cry said to be heard in the days or sometimes the hours before someone passes away.

Descriptions of her vary from place to place.

Sometimes she is described as a young and beautiful woman with long flowing hair.

In other accounts, she appears as an old woman seen combing her hair.

But at the centre of these stories is the same supernatural figure, a woman whose wailing warns that someone is about to die.

The banshee does not cause the death, she foretells it.

On today's episode of The Other Ireland, I'll be speaking to Dr Gillian Kenny, an Irish historian and writer who's given talks around the country on the Banshee and her place in Irish folklore.

But before we get into my conversation with Gillian, I want to share one of the many accounts of the Banshee preserved by Ireland's National Folklore Collection.

The following story comes from the school's collection of the National Folklore Collection at UCD and is available to read through ducas.ie.

It was collected by Dee Boyd through Masterson School in Manor, Hamilton, County Leitham and is preserved in volume 197, page 213 of the school's collection.

The story concerns an event said to have taken place in Mohill, County Leitrim around 70 years before the account was recorded.

According to the story, the narrator's parents were living in lodgings in Mohill with their young son and daughter.

Staying in the same house were a brother and sister by the name of Miller.

One night, Addie Miller was gravely ill.

His sister asked the narrator's mother to sit up with her as they feared that Eddie would not survive until morning.

Towards morning, the woman suddenly heard what sounded like children crying.

Thinking it was her own children, she went upstairs to check on them.

But when she entered their room, she found them both fast asleep.

As she was leaving the room, she heard the crying again.

This time, it seemed to be coming from downstairs.

She went back down, opened the door and looked outside.

There was nobody there.

Then she heard the crying again.

Only now, it seemed to be coming from upstairs.

For generations, families across Ireland have passed down accounts of the Banshee.

In Irish folklore, the Banshee is a messenger of death, her cry said to be heard in the days or sometimes the hours before someone passes away.

Descriptions of her vary from place to place.

Sometimes she is described as a young and beautiful woman with long flowing hair.

In other accounts, she appears as an old woman seen combing her hair.

But at the centre of these stories is the same supernatural figure, a woman whose wailing warns that someone is about to die.

The banshee does not cause the death, she foretells it.

On today's episode of The Other Ireland, I'll be speaking to Dr Gillian Kenny, an Irish historian and writer who's given talks around the country on the Banshee and her place in Irish folklore.

But before we get into my conversation with Gillian, I want to share one of the many accounts of the Banshee preserved by Ireland's National Folklore Collection.

The following story comes from the school's collection of the National Folklore Collection at UCD and is available to read through ducas.ie.

It was collected by Dee Boyd through Masterson School in Manor, Hamilton, County Leitham and is preserved in volume 197, page 213 of the school's collection.

The story concerns an event said to have taken place in Mohill, County Leitrim around 70 years before the account was recorded.

According to the story, the narrator's parents were living in lodgings in Mohill with their young son and daughter.

Staying in the same house were a brother and sister by the name of Miller.

One night, Addie Miller was gravely ill.

His sister asked the narrator's mother to sit up with her as they feared that Eddie would not survive until morning.

Towards morning, the woman suddenly heard what sounded like children crying.

Thinking it was her own children, she went upstairs to check on them.

But when she entered their room, she found them both fast asleep.

As she was leaving the room, she heard the crying again.

This time, it seemed to be coming from downstairs.

She went back down, opened the door and looked outside.

There was nobody there.

Then she heard the crying again.

Only now, it seemed to be coming from upstairs.