The Banshee

it is not at all surprising to find something in the nature of a ghost harmonising with the general

ters on the subject "A Woman of the Faire Race," whilst by various other writers it is said to signi

the chapter on Banshees in his "Irish Wonders"): "The Banshee attends only the old families, and though their descendants, through misfortune, may be brought

rice Fitzgerald, occurs: "Aina, the Banshee who never wailed for any families who were not of Milesian blood, except the Geraldines, who became 'more Irish than the Irish themselves'; and in a footnote (see p. 229) it is only 'blood' that can have a Ban

k, and declares it is never to be found attached to the descendants of the multitudinous English and Scotch settlers who have, from time to time

a middle course; I do not believe that the Banshee would be deterred from haunting a family of historical fame and Milesian descent-such as the O'Neills or O'Donnells-simply because in that family was an occasional strain of Saxon or Norman blood, but, on

lented. In my opinion, to be haunted by the Banshee one must belong to an Irish family that is, at least, a thousand years old; were it not so, we should assuredly find the

ies abroad one of the most ancient of the Irish families; otherwise it stays in Ireland, where, owing to the fa

h of having lived in Ireland for two or three generations, have adopted an Irish-and in some cases, even, a Celtic Irish name, relying upon their knowledge of a few Celtic words picked up from books, or from attending some of the numerous classes now being held in nearly all the big towns, and which are presided over by teachers who are also, for the most p

rtys, according to this same authority, differs essentially from that of a branch of the O'Neills. Mr McAnnaly says the Banshee "is really a disembodied soul, that of one who, in life, was strongly attached to the family, or who had good reason to hate all its members." This definition, of course, may apply in some cases, but it certainly does not apply in all, and it is absurd to be dogmatic on a subject, concerning which it is quite impossible to obtain a very great deal of information. At the most, Mr McAnnaly can only speak with certainty of the comparatively few cases of Banshees that have come under his observation; there are, I think, scores of which he has never even heard. I myself know of several Banshee hauntings in which the phantom certainly cannot be tha

division; the only feature they possess in common being a vague something that strongly suggests the feminine sex. In most cases the cause of the hauntings can only be a matter of conjecture. Affection or crime may account for some, but, for the origin of

ho were all more or less adepts in necromancy-the most ancient of the Irish, the so-called Milesian clans who are known to have practised sorcery, might well b

her a thought-form or an unusually vivid impression in the astral light, as absurd. Spiritualists and others, who blindly reverence highfalutin phrase

distinct from ours; it is, besides, a being that has prophetic powers (which would not be th

ender pity, are either dark and tearful, or of the most exquisite blue or grey; some, again, are haggish, wild, dishevelled-looking creatures, whose appearance suggests the utmost

f she were being done to death in a very cruel and violent manner. Occasionally I have heard of Banshees clapping their hands, and tapping and scratching at walls and window-panes, and, not infrequently, I have heard of them signalling their arrival by terrific crashes and thum

was in the full knowledge of coming events, of events that would present an extremely unpleasant surprise. And, in my case, the unpleasant surprise came. I have always

y, who, though ill at the time, was not thought to be seriously ill. Indeed, she got so much better that several of her acquaintances came to her room to enliven her convalescence, and it was when they were there, all talking together merrily, that singing was suddenly heard, apparently outside the window. They listened, and could distinctly hear a choir of very sweet vo

gular purity, which doubtless explains the reason why, i