March 28, 2026
“Soft at Heart” by LKV Walsh
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The Banshee: Irish Death Messenger
The Banshee is, in Irish, An Bhean Sí – the fairy woman. In Ireland, she has a long history as a harbinger of death. She does not cause death but rather is said to warn of an impending death by emitting an unearthly howl or, here in Co. Kerry, she is thought to sing a mournful song. Appearing sometimes as a maiden, sometimes as a mother, and sometimes as a crone, she serves as an omen and a guardian against the pain of sudden and unexpected demise.
I often wonder about the emotional impact of sudden death. This query began in me when I was in hospice training. The training included an exercise in which we were handed a piece of paper upon arrival that told us 1) we died on the way to the class or 2) we were told we had a week to live or 3) we were told we had six months to live. We were asked to sit silently and reflect on our emotional response upon seeing the news on the paper. Every single person who received the news they had just died was of one mind about it – they were pissed.
What about you? Would you rather know the end is coming? Would a mournful song soothe the inevitable pilgrimage beyond this life?
To Walk with Saints and Scholars 
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