1838.] 261 [Mooney. 
carrying fire out of a hous in which some one is lying sick, or meeting a 
hare or a red-haird woman when starting on a journey, all of which ar 
regarded as unlucky. Among the Galway fishermen a sudden blast of 
wind from the ocean is a sign that some one has just been drownd at sea. 
According to Lady Wilde, they say also that such an accident is often 
preceded by low music issuing from beneath the water—the melodies of 
the fairies who ar about to charm away the victim.* The same author 
states that there ar certain death omens connected with particular fami- 
lies. Thus in.one family the omen is a mysterious crashing sound and a 
sudden blast of wind through the hous. The death of, an officer in the 
Crimea was announced in this way, the news following immediately after 
the warning sound.} It is also believed that the spirit of one who is soon 
to die, altho perhaps in perfect health at the time, sometimes lJeavs the 
body by night and appears to some near friend, who thus has a certain 
warning of the approaching death. 
But of all the beliefs in regard to death omens, the wildest and the most 
peculiarly Irish is that of the Bean-sighe.{ This is the disembodied spirit 
of a woman who in former days was connected in some way with one of 
the old princely families of Ireland. The Bean-sighe never concernd her- 
self with any of the upstart breed of the foreigner, but faithfully attended 
those of the ancient race even when, deprived of their possessions by war 
and confiscation, they sank to the level of peasants and laborers, and in- 
stances ar related where she has even followd their decaying fortunes in 
their exile beyond the ocean. Her mission is to giv warning, by a plaintiv 
wailing cry, of the near approaching death of one of the fumily, and this 
cry is repeated at the moment when the soul leavs the body. This be- 
lief, which has been called ‘‘the wildest and grandest of all the Irish 
superstitions,’ has its parallels on the continent, the most notable example 
being that of the spectral ‘‘White Woman’ who waits upon the royal 
family of Prussia, but these ar isolated cases, while in Ireland the Bean- 
sighe is a part of the popular belief throughout the country. The spirit 
is generally heard at night, sometimes at midday, and very rarely in the 
morning. The mournful cry is generally the only indication of her pres- 
ence, but in a few instances she has been seen for a moment as a rapidly 
receding figure having the appearance of a witherd old woman clad in 
* Lady Wilde (Speranza), Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ire- 
land, i, 151, London, 1887. While this work—in two volumes—necessarily contains a 
number of valuable points, it is a real disappointment when we consider the exceptional 
opportunities enjoyd by the author during a life-long residence in Ireland, half of 
which was spent in the wildest districts of Galway, Of legends there ar hardly any 
beyond a few local traditions, while the statements in regard to the popular customs and 
beliefs ar all loose and fragmentary and ful of vague theorizing. The best portions of 
the book ar those taken from the writings of the late Sir William Wilde, the distin- 
guished husband of the authoress, and a man wel versd in all that pertaind to the 
national life of the people. 
+ Idem, i, 266. 
{ Pronounced, and commonly written, Banshee. From bean “woman” and sighe 
“spirit.” 
