School: Danesfort (roll number 1300)

Location:
Danesfort, Co. Kilkenny
Teacher:
Bean Uí Eadhra
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0854, Page 221

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0854, Page 221

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  3. XML “The Bean Sí”

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  1. The Bean Sídhe is one of the fairies. She appears at certain times but always in the night-time dressed in white with long flowing hair. She was often heard before the death of people of this district. While she keens she is said to comb her flowing hair. It is said that she follows Irish families having "O" in their surname. If any person found her comb and kept it she is supposed to come to the window at night at night keening and the person must hand her comb out on a red-hot fire shovel. I heard a story one time about a boy who found her comb and she came crying at night for it. He handed it out on the shovel and she took a piece out of the shovel and nearly took the hand off himself.
    At first she is very small and if you watch he she grows very very tall. Some people would not be frightened if they saw or heard the "Bean Sídhe". Others get frightened very much. I often heard stories about how people saw and heard her before some member of their families died.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. agents (~1)
      1. supernatural and legendary beings (~14,864)
        1. banshees (~369)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Mary Brophy
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    11
    Address
    Rathclogh, Co. Kilkenny