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Screaming like a banshee... Rich in Irish folklore, the banshee is a truly chilling supernatural creature, reputed to be the ancestral spirit appointed to warn members of certain ancient Irish families of their time of death. According to tradition, the banshee can only cry for five major Irish families - the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Connors, the O'Gradys and the Kavanaghs - but marriage between families has allegedly further extended this select list.

Whatever the origins of the banshee, she supposedly appears in one of three guises: a young woman, a middle aged matron, or a very old ugly woman - a hag. The banshee also can appear as a washerwoman, apparently washing the bloody clothes of those who are going to die. In this guise she is called the bean-nighe (washing woman). The banshee is also said to appear in a variety of animal forms - a hooded crow, stoat, hare and weasel - animals associated in Ireland with witchcraft.

The most terrifying aspect of the banshee is her mourning call, heard mostly at night when someone is about to die. Legend has it that in 1437, King James I of Scotland met an Irish seeress or human banshee, who told him of his future murder at the hands of the Earl of Atholl. Documents exist showing human banshees, prophetesses or seeresses attending the great houses of Ireland and the courts of Irish kings. In the area around Leinster, she is called the "bean chaointe" (keening woman) whose wail is so piercing that it shatters glass.







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