School: Ballinvally (C.) (roll number 932)
- Location:
- Ballinvally, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: S. Nic Shiomóin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0724, Page 124
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- XML “A Banshee Story”
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- One morning Jack Leonard of Sheepstown was cutting turf on Gilmore's old bog when he saw a banshee coming towards him and she saying, "wirra, wirra, wirra" and clapping her hands.
When he saw he coming near he ran shouting into Gilmores. "Oh, I'm done now" said he. "What will I do at all, at all? "Why" said Mrs Gilmore what did you see. "Oh", said he, a banshee, I must be going to die".
She told him to stop his foolishness, both went out and they could hear the banshee crying all round the house of people called McLoughlins, who owned it long ago, but weren't there for years, having emigrated to America. The foll. day Mrs Gilmore had a letter from her sister in America saying she had attended Mrs McLoughlin's funeral the day before she wrote.
They say the banshee is some friend that comes to cry 'their own' before they die.
