Irish folklore is rich and textured, passed down from grannies to grandchildren, solidifying Ireland as a country with a deep and fascinating history.
Many of us will be familiar with the figure of the banshee. But what exactly is a banshee? And how far back does the history of the figure go?
According to Linda Raferty of Irish Jewelry Craft, the banshee is one of Ireland's most enduring and terrifying legends.
The term banshee (bean sí) means 'woman of the fairy mound' or 'fairy woman'.
The mythological Irish female spirit is characterised by her eerie weeping and screaming, which is believed to be a "warning of imminent death".
While not often seen, the banshee's shrieks can be heard usually in the middle of the night, when someone is close to death.
Raferty said legend says that, if seen, the banshee will vanish into a cloud of mist.
In terms of appearance, she is sometimes associated with long hair, and combing it while she weeps and screams.
The majority of tales about the banshee that describe her height state her stature is short, anywhere between one foot and four feet.
Irish poet Lady Wilde said her exceptional shortness often goes alongside the description of her as an old woman.
Mentions of banshees reach as far back as 1380 to the publication of the Cathreim Thoirdhealbhaigh (Triumphs of Torlough) by historian Seán mac Ruaidhri Mac Craith.
Stray sod
It is said that if a person steps on a "stray sod" while out at night, usually in a field, they will go astray and lose their sense of direction.
This causes them to wander about aimlessly and, in most tales, this lasts until the sun comes up.
Some say that it confuses them, and they become disorientated, while others say that it simply feels like they can keep walking and never come across anything. It feels like they never get any further.
The phenomenon is most common amongst farmers, who go out in late evenings to check on livestock. They will turn for home and find that they have been walking and getting nowhere.
Poet Sandra Alcosser describes the patch of ground or grass classified as a stray sod as being "charmed by fairies".
The victim will find that "the gate is gone and the path erased behind you".
The only way to get out of a stray sod trance is if someone gets you out of it. You can try and turn your jacket inside out, and walk with your head down, but this may not work.
In many rural communities, stray sods are accepted as being real and most rural dwellers will know somebody who has fallen victim to a stray sod, or may have fallen victim themselves.
In a rural area of Co Meath, where the nearest shop is a 15-minute drive away, agri-engineer Teddy Cassidy said a well-known friend of his family found himself caught by a stray sod in the field beside his house.
"It was in a field he walked across every night, and there was no drink involved!," he said.
"He reckons he walked and walked that night until he collapsed. He walked until he exhausted himself. He had to sleep in the field.
"When he woke in the morning, he was still in the middle of the field. He never walked across that field in the dark ever again."
