Spooky Legends of Ireland
The Banshee
The Banshee, or bean-sidhe (woman of the fairy), is one of the best known horror legends. Poets and storytellers refer to the screaming of the banshee as a portent of doom. The original banshee is an ancestral spirit sentenced to forever warn certain ancient Irish families of a pending death in the family. Families such as the O’Neills, the O’Briens, or the O’Gradys have their very own banshee, who will appear often at night, right before someone is about to die.
The banshee can appear in three forms: a young woman, a mother, or an old crone. She wears a grey cloak with a hood, or a winding sheet. If the family doesn’t see her, they will certainly HEAR her keening cry across their lands. Her keening has been described as “the cross between an owl and the wail of a woman” or “so piercing, it shatters glass.”
Thank goodness my family isn’t on the list of ‘haunted’ Irish families. No banshees for me!
The Dullahan
I wonder where Washington Irving got his inspiration for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?
In Ireland, the Dullahan is an undead black-robed horseman sans head. The ghoul rides furiously around the Irish countryside upon a coal- black steed, carrying his head in his hand, or on his saddle. His head glows and lights his way. The Dullahan can see with supernatural sight and pick out mortal victims sleeping in their beds. He uses a human spine as a whip, and when he pulls his fire-snorting horse to a stop, a mortal dies.
The Pooka
The Pooka is another dark horse of a different color. This undead equine likes to gallop around after midnight, damaging farms, tearing down fences and scattering the livestock. It is a black horse, with sulphurous yellow eyes and a long untamed mane. The Pooka can change forms to a goblin that demands a share of the harvest crop. Some country folks will leave a small portion or tribute of their crop for the Pooka to take, and hopefully leave them alone.
Ghosts
If you travel to Ireland you will find every bed and breakfast and every castle has its own ghostly tale. Some are tales of ancient ghosts, some are more modern spirits. The stories probably grew out of a rich mixture of Celtic, Roman and Christian mythology, along with a certain dash of Irish humor. I found a vast selection of compilations of Irish ghost stories on Amazon and at the library. Dig in!
Famous Irish Authors in the Horror/Scary Genre:
Next time you are in the library, check out these Irish authors. No one can tell a spooky ghost story like an Irishman.
Bram Stoker,
James Joyce,
Sean O’Casey,
George Bernard Shaw,
W.B. Yates,
Oscar Wilde,
Joseph LeFanu
By: Mary Casey
About the Author:
This post is very interesting thank you. Makes you want to go to Ireland
It was good but I personally dont like scary stories. I have not read any book of such type till now. BUt I am sure those who are crazy about horror fiction would love this article and will find the names of the authors informative.
Hi,Interesting Information Ireland’s wonderful legends.
These are some real legends of ireland and specially i liked the ghosts one. I would like to see such legends of ireland.
I am going to Ireland now after reading this. It has been on my top 5 list of places to visit for way to long.
Personally, I think the stories grew out of drinking too much Guinness! That drink can do strange things to a person.
Jon, I true lover of the drop.
Such wonderful people the Irish.
Their stories are a gift from the God’s
All the best,
Ewen