Praise for Banshee:
"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."
Description
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.
*An Irish Times bestseller and "One to Watch in 2026"*
*An Irish Examiner "Fiction to Watch Out for this Year"*
*One of Stellar.ie's "20 Books We're Dying to Read in 2026"*
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 crashing seas, generational curses and mystical islands. Here you’ll find unruly mothers, rule-breaking queens, and women outrunning their destinies—their stories pulsing with desire, danger, and defiance.
With contributions from every corner of Irish literature, Banshee features luminous retellings 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
"As irresistibly alluring as the sirens themselves."
"Ailbhe Malone stimulates renewed homage for the rich legacy of Irish storytelling that pours down to us through the millenniums... The resulting variety is breathtaking; in one moment, you’re guffawing at surreal satire or tripping on poetic beauty and shaking a righteous fist or recoiling in horror in the next. Authorial relish and exuberance are apparent on every page... a must, not just for lovers of Irish folklore, but for readers of magic realism and speculative fiction, too."
"The stories in Banshee are traditional, timeless—and now even more timely."
