In this spellbinding anthology, Ireland’s most electrifying female writers breathe new life into ancient Irish myths, reclaiming the stories of women who have too long stood in the shadows of warriors and kings.
Editor and journalist Ailbhe Malone was raised on these legends – but the women, always cast as mothers, warriors or witches, were never given the lead. And so, Banshee was born: not just a retelling but a radical reclamation.
Banshee transports you to treacherous landscapes and salt-crashing seas, generational curses and mystical islands. Here you’ll find unruly mothers, rule-breaking queens, and women outrunning their destiny – stories pulsing with desire, danger and defiance.
With contributions from every corner of Irish literature, Banshee features luminous re-tellings by Naoise Dolan, Megan Nolan, Jess Kidd, Wendy Erskine, Nikita Gill, Sarah Maria Griffin, Jane Casey, Anne Griffin, Sheila O’Flanagan, and Salma El-Wardany. This is a celebration of womanhood – and an homage to the ancient stories that still shape us.
Editor and journalist Ailbhe Malone was raised on these legends – but the women, always cast as mothers, warriors or witches, were never given the lead. And so, Banshee was born: not just a retelling but a radical reclamation.
Banshee transports you to treacherous landscapes and salt-crashing seas, generational curses and mystical islands. Here you’ll find unruly mothers, rule-breaking queens, and women outrunning their destiny – stories pulsing with desire, danger and defiance.
With contributions from every corner of Irish literature, Banshee features luminous re-tellings by Naoise Dolan, Megan Nolan, Jess Kidd, Wendy Erskine, Nikita Gill, Sarah Maria Griffin, Jane Casey, Anne Griffin, Sheila O’Flanagan, and Salma El-Wardany. This is a celebration of womanhood – and an homage to the ancient stories that still shape us.
Reviews
You don't need to be familiar with the original Irish fairy tales to be ensnared by this anthology of their re-jigged versions, though once you race through them, you'll crave to know the backstories of these resilient and strong women
A dazzling modern mythology of our oldest stories, richly imagined by the very best of Irish writers
Dark, lyrical and exhilarating, these stories feel both timeless and urgently modern
Whether set in an ancient past or the present day, all these brilliantly innovative reimaginings of Irish myths crackle with real magic
A mystical, magical, empowering modern re-imagining of the Irish goddesses, I LOVED these superb stories
The stories in Banshee are traditional, timeless - and now even more timely
Bold, beautiful and bleak, these powerful reimaginings of ancient Irish myths and old folktales put women at the centre of stories that focused on male protagonists
Ailbhe Malone brings together some excellent female writers and charges them with taking the ancient myths of Celtic Ireland and placing them in a context that shows the original female characters in a different perspective
The editor's passion for Irish folklore and mythology is the magic ingredient in this enthralling short story anthology . . . a must, not just for lovers of Irish folklore