After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Episode: Banshees: Herald of Death

Release Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Anthony Delaney & Maddy Pelling
Guest: Siobhan McSweeney

Episode Overview

This episode explores the history, folklore, and cultural significance of the Banshee—a spectral figure from Irish mythology renowned as the eerie harbinger of death. Historian hosts Anthony Delaney and Maddy Pelling are joined by acclaimed actress Siobhan McSweeney for a rich, humorous, and occasionally personal discussion on the evolution of the banshee legend, its ties to family and place, and the meaning embedded in its fearful wail. Alongside the chilling tale of Charles Bunworth’s death and the banshee’s visitation, the panel reflects on how folklore, mourning, and Irish identity intermingle.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction: The Bunworth Banshee Legend

[01:58–03:51]

• Anthony narrates the 1772 death of Charles Bunworth of Cork, Ireland, a Church of Ireland rector and harpist.
• The circumstances were recorded by Bunworth’s great-great-grandson, Thomas Crofton Croker, in 1825. Croker insists credible witnesses can attest to the story’s authenticity.
• Bunworth’s death was supposedly foretold by the sighting of a haggard old lady beneath a tree—believed to be a banshee—prompting fears within the community.

Quote:

“His passing had been foretold by a haggard old lady sitting under a tree near his house almost a week before he died. There was no doubt in the minds of the people of Pragog that they had been visited by none other than the Banshee herself.”
– Anthony [03:43]

2. Who (or What) is a Banshee?

[07:27–11:13]

• The banshee is closely associated with Irish folklore; the word means "fairy woman" (ban sí in Gaelic).
• Anthony clarifies its origins within the lore of the Tuatha Dé Danann—pre-Christian fairy folk said to manipulate the land and fate.
• The banshee is recognized as a spirit of death, contrasting the lanan sí (spirit of life).
• The traditional banshee is perceived as a sound before a sight—her haunting wail more feared than any physical manifestation, especially in rural Ireland.

Quote:

“My understanding of it is actually not even as a woman, just as a wailing noise… you almost try to block your ears, so if you don’t hear it, it’s a way of postponing the inevitable.”
– Siobhan McSweeney [09:06]

3. Family Lineage and the Banshee’s Call

[11:13–13:03]

• Only some Irish families, mostly those with “O’” or “Mac”/“Mc” surnames, are said to be haunted by banshees (e.g., O’Neill, O’Sullivan, McCarthy).
• Both Anthony and Siobhan realize their own surnames (O’Delaney, O’Neill) fall under this storied lineage.
• This association reflects both the importance of genealogy in Irish identity and the way folklore can become a marker of communal belonging.

Quote:

“If you’re a McCarthy, a McGrath, an O’Neill, an O’Sullivan, an O’Riordan, O’Flaherty—essentially, any families that begin with O’s or Mc’s are the people that she follows around.”
– Anthony [11:43]

4. Folklore, Land, and Cultural Intersections

[13:04–15:46]

• The banshee is embedded in the Irish landscape, echoing themes of inheritance, land, and inter-family fate.
• The discussion broadens to similarities in English folklore, e.g., the Chained Oak of Staffordshire, where curses and omens likewise reflect localized anxieties about theft, power, and belonging.
• The episode touches on collective mythical archetypes (“hag woman,” “old woman”) and their significance across cultures, including their challenge to patriarchal lineage.

Quote:

“There is something about these collective images we have… in most cultures, the idea of the hag woman or the older woman being profoundly mysterious and profoundly… scary and being a direct enemy to patriarchal lines of lineage as well.”
– Siobhan McSweeney [15:26]

5. Banshee and Mourning Traditions

[18:56–21:23]

• The banshee’s lament (keening) connects to ancient Irish mourning customs. Keening women, or “bean chaointe,” were professional mourners who dramatically lamented the dead—a practice that survived into the early 20th century.
• The performance of the keen is described as guttural, ritualistic, and emotionally raw—distinct from structured song, but sometimes giving way to lament poetry.

Quote:

“They were used up until quite recently… professional mourners who would come and fling themselves on the coffin and, you know, tear out their hair and be absolutely bereft.”
– Siobhan McSweeney [19:34]

6. Death, Fate, and the Meaning of the Banshee’s Warning

[23:09–25:44]

• The banshee predicts, but does not cause, death—her purpose is to warn, not to sentence.
• Receiving a banshee’s warning allows for a “good death”—a chance to prepare, accept, and frame the transition within one’s community.
• The hosts reflect on class divides in how folklore was approached; in later centuries, the educated or Anglo-Irish classes both romanticized and patronized these traditions.

Quote:

“She foretells of death. It’s up to you then what you do with that… There’s this idea of the good death. And so it’s then whether or not you’re going to fight it and kind of rail against it… or you can choose to have a good death.”
– Anthony [23:09]

7. Folklore, Identity, and the Irish Revival

[25:44–31:07]

• The 19th-century Gaelic revival was about reclaiming culture from British colonial influence, reasserting a national identity distinct from the occupier.
• The romanticization of the banshee and related folklore was part of a broader effort to rediscover and sometimes invent “authentic” Irishness.
• The discussion highlights tensions over folkloric commodification versus lived tradition.

Quote:

“At what point does a funny, cute, comforting superstition that your grandmother may have said to you… become slightly manipulated and monetized and patronized by different people? When does it become Darby O’Gill and the Little People?”
– Siobhan McSweeney [26:30]

8. The Banshee in the Story of Charles Bunworth

[31:36–33:58]

• In Croker’s retelling, the banshee’s wailing is witnessed both inside and outside the Bunworth home on the night of his death:
  • A herdsman, Mr. Kavanagh, returns visibly shaken, warning of the banshee’s call and predictions of Bunworth’s demise.
  • The household and local community experience strange moans and keening.
  • As dawn breaks and the keening ceases, Bunworth dies “with quiet resolution.”

Quote:

“As they sat and chatted in the kitchen… Suddenly, they looked gravely at one another as they heard an almost indiscernible female moan from outside the kitchen window… the incessant cat keening started once more. This went on until the first slices of light cut across the darkened horizon. Then the keening stopped and all was still. At that moment… Charles Bunworth succumbed to his illness and departed this world with quiet resolution.”
– Anthony [31:36–33:57]

9. Personal Reflections—Modern Fears and Living Folklore

[39:21–42:55]

• Siobhan and Anthony reflect on childhood encounters with Irish supernatural stories—fearful of banshees, saying Hail Marys to ward off apparitions, and the blurred line between belief, ritual, and storytelling.
• The hosts note how Irish superstitions and folklore have simultaneously been sources of pride and markers for British patronization and infantilization.
• There’s a universal recognition of storytelling as both a communal bonding mechanism and a mutable aspect of heritage.

Quote:

“What we’re not wary of is our storytelling and our narrative building and our community building through story and our inheritance through story and narrative. And I think maybe this is a decent place to wrap it up, but I think that’s probably where the Banshee lives.”
– Anthony [42:58]

10. The Banshee’s Enduring Legacy

[44:16–44:28]

• The banshee, both image and sound, travels with the Irish diaspora and maintains powerful resonance in Irish identity.
• American folklore adopted the banshee story among Irish immigrant communities, reflecting how folklore migrates and adapts.

Quote:

“She’s one that follows Irish people around the world, right?... She goes with them very much in America. Lots of stories of her following them to America. So, you know, we like to travel.”
– Christine & Siobhan [44:24–44:28]

Notable Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “My understanding of it is actually not even as a woman, just as a wailing noise”—Siobhan McSweeney [09:06]
• “If you’re a McCarthy… or O’Sullivan, an O’Riordan, O’Flaherty—essentially, any families that begin with O’s or Mc’s are the people that she follows around”—Anthony [11:43]
• “There is something about these collective images we have… the idea of the hag woman or the older woman being profoundly mysterious and profoundly… scary”—Siobhan McSweeney [15:26]
• “The banshee predicts, but does not cause, death—her purpose is to warn, not to sentence”—Anthony [23:09]
• “At what point does a comforting superstition… become manipulated and monetized and patronized?“—Siobhan McSweeney [26:30]
• “She’s one that follows Irish people around the world, right?... She goes with them very much in America.”—Christine & Siobhan [44:24–44:28]

Important Timestamps

• 01:58 – Opening of the Bunworth banshee legend
• 07:33 – Origins and meaning of ‘banshee’
• 11:42 – Families associated with banshee visitations
• 13:36 – The banshee and cultural myths tied to place
• 18:56 – Mourning, keening, and the Irish death tradition
• 23:09 – The banshee’s warning and the “good death”
• 25:44 – The folk revival and national identity
• 31:36 – Detailed narration of the keening at Bunworth’s death
• 39:21 – Personal childhood experiences of Irish supernatural fear
• 42:55 – The role of storytelling and folklore in sustaining identity
• 44:24 – The banshee traveling with the Irish diaspora

Conclusion

The episode deftly blends historical investigation, folklore analysis, and personal anecdotes to reveal the banshee’s role in expressing Irish anxieties about death, belonging, and cultural identity. Through laughter, lived experience, and poignant reflection, the panel underscores how myth and memory interact—transforming the banshee from a terrifying omen to a powerful emblem of community and inherited story.

For more “After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal,” subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and join Anthony, Maddy, and their guests every Monday and Thursday for all things eerie from history’s shadowy corners.