The Banshees

Although much has been written about American feminism and its influence on culture and society, very little has been recorded about the key role played by Irish American women writers in exposing women’s issues, protecting their rights, and anticipating, if not effecting, change. Like the mythical Irish banshee who delivered fore-warnings of imminent death, Irish American women, through their writing, have repeatedly warned of the death of women’s rights. These messages carried the greatest potency at liminal times when feminism was under attack due to the politics of civil society, the government, or the church. The Banshees traces the feminist contributions of a wide range of Irish American women writers, from Mother Jones, Kate Chopin, and Margaret Mitchell to contemporary authors such as Gillian Flynn, Jennifer Egan, and Doris Kearns Goodwin. To illustrate the growth and significance of their writing, the book is organized chronologically by decade. Each chapter details the progress and setbacks of Irish American women during that period by revealing key themes in their novels and memoirs contextualized within a discussion of contemporary feminism, Catholicism, Irish American history, American politics, and society. The Banshees examines these writers’ roles in protecting women’s sovereignty, rights, and reputations. Thanks to their efforts, feminism is revealed as a fundamental element of Irish American literary history.

The Banshees of Inisherin is a short story written by John Millington Synge. The story is set in a small island called Inisherin, located off the western coast of Ireland. The story revolves around two old women who are believed to be banshees by the locals. The two women, who were sisters, lived in an old cottage on the island. Despite their age, they were still considered to be fierce and powerful beings by the locals. The villagers would often approach the sisters for their blessings or to ask for their help in solving their problems. The story describes the daily routine of the two sisters, who are called Mary and Nora. The two women would spend their days knitting or tending to their small garden. However, they were believed to have special powers, and the villagers feared them. This fear was further heightened when a young boy mysteriously disappeared from the island, and the sisters were blamed for it. Despite this, the sisters continued with their routine, unaffected by the accusations. However, the story takes a dark turn towards the end, when the sisters reveal their true identity and intentions, leaving the readers with a sense of unease and mystery.

The Paladíns face a hidden new threat to their lives, their loves, and their ancestral home. With the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Paladín family throws itselt whole into the great national effort of World War II. But each of them has a hidden worry—even if life returns to normal once the conflict ends, will the regular home life they all long for ever return to their beloved home? Now running the Barony and its many enterprises, Heath spreads himself thin providing the military with beef while the draft decimates the ranch’s supply of manpower. Byron, meanwhile, is forced to deal with the dangers of critical accidents and espionage as he works on a secret new project to develop atomic weapons at the remote Los Alamos research center. Darcy, a pacifist, is nevertheless doing his patriotic part and gives his film studio over to the U.S. Signal Corps to support the war effort with propaganda. Hollywood at large, though, is less than happy with his choices, and his profits are tanking. The struggles, however, do not end even with Allied victory over the Axis Powers. World War II rolls right into a new confrontation with Russia known as the Cold War. As a showdown over Cuba threatens the world with extinction, Aubrey follows the breadcrumbs of security leaks that suggest the Russians have achieved the ultimate goal of every spymaster—a mole positioned high within America’s very government. But the Paladíns face their own ticking time bomb: a power-driven politician determined to claim not only the White House, but The Barony, as well. In the final volume of New York Times bestselling author Parris Afton Bonds’ enthralling Texicans series, the Paladín progeny find themselves center stage in the great military, political, and social tumult of the mid-twentieth century. Amidst this backdrop, Bonds proves once again to be a master of her genre, weaving a tender and multi-layered tale of love, loss, loyalty, and survival into a single captivating narrative while bringing her epic saga to a satisfying close. Win or lose, The Banshees is a triumph.

In 1978, Siouxsie and the Banshees declared 'We don't see ourselves in the same context as other rock'n'roll bands.' A decade later, and in the stark aftermath of a devastating storm, the band retreated to a 17th-century mansion house in the deracinated Sussex countryside to write their ninth studio album, Peepshow. Here, the band absorbed the bygone, rural atmosphere and its inspirational mise en scène, thus framing the record cinematically, as Siouxsie Sioux recalled, 'It was as if we were doing the whole thing on the set of The Wicker Man'. Samantha Bennett looks at how Siouxsie and the Banshees' Peepshow is better understood in the context of film and film music (as opposed to popular music studies or, indeed, the works of other rock'n'roll bands). Drawing upon more than one hundred films and film scores, this book focuses on Peepshow's deeply embedded historical and aesthetic (para)cinematic influences: How is each track a reflection of genre film? Who are the various featured protagonists? And how does Peepshow's diverse orchestration, complex musical forms, atypical narratives and evocative soundscapes reveal an inherently cinematic record? Ultimately, Peepshow can be read as a soundtrack to all the films Siouxsie and the Banshees ever saw. Or perhaps it was the soundtrack to the greatest film they never made.

A Künstlerroman by British contemporary artist Sue Webster, which combines personal memoir with an exploration of the ongoing influence of youth, music, and Siouxsie and the Banshees on her life and work. Emanating from a poignant unpacking of objects and memories--which Webster has turned into a private exhibition to coincide with the publica-tion--this book positions the Banshees and the artist herself alongside visual references to everyone from David Bowie and the Sex Pistols to William Burroughs and Salvador Dalí--using the Banshees and the punk scene amid which she grew up as an entry point to reflect on the cultural and personal evolutions of the last decades. More than 300 illustrations combine ephemera with artwork and reveal the connection between influence and art: objects documenting her fanaticism of the Banshees, from record covers and photographs to ticket stubs and lyrics; paraphernalia from books, artists, and cultural figures that relate to the Banshees and that world of 1970s and early 1980s post-punk; personal effects from diary pages to unseen photographs; and selected artworks by Sue Webster and longtime partner Tim Noble.

“Epic and brutal. . . . Horror buffs and metal fans will marvel at every grinding detail in this meaty, grim fantasy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Notorious for their satanic lyrics, drunken excess and rumors of blood sacrifice, the Banshees shocked the world with their only album. The world heaved a sigh of relief when the Banshees all died in a plane crash. Or did they? Forty years later, with no fanfare, they appear in a seedy Prague nightclub. Ian St. James, son of the original Banshees drummer can't believe his eyes. Ian's attempts to get backstage nearly kill him. The Banshees phenomenon goes viral—are they real or is it all a brilliant publicity stunt? Every time the Banshees play someone dies. Is it bad luck or part of some diabolical plan? Joining forces with hot young reporter Connie Cosgrove, Ian digs into the Banshees’ past and find disturbing links to black magic, the Russian mob and an ancient Druidic sect. Death only adds to their mystique as the Banshees steamroll across North America toward a triumphant appearance at LA’s Pacific Auditorium. Ian finally grasps the real reason they’ve returned—to tear a rift between our world and a monstrous evil—a rift created by an infernal machine built into Pacific Stadium and powered by human flesh. “Mike Baron is like Quentin Tarantino on paper.” —Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times–bestselling author of the Dan Shamble, Zombie PI series

The lusty vampire, the sympathetic werewolf, the tragic banshee are just a few of the dark and frightening creatures you'll discover in Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires, and Other Creatures of the Night. Huffington Post Weird News columnist and author Varla Ventura takes readers on a wild ride through the shadowy hills of rural Ireland, the dark German forests, and along abandoned farms and country roads across the world to discover some of the most frightening and freaktacular tales, tidbits, and encounters with all those beasties that go bump in the night. Along with classic pieces from Bram Stoker, Elliot O'Donnell, Sabine BaringGould, William Butler Yeats and many others, Ventura includes: • Famous vampires you may not know • The identity of the author of the first English vampire novel (and his relationship to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein) • Excerpts from the first psychic vampire novel ever written • Stories of 19th century werewolf hunters • Why banshees are the most feared of supernatural creatures

In a world where supernatural and mythical beings coexist with humans, a 244-year-old banshee named Siobhan goes to Paris with three of her best friends to spend the week for a vacation. Eventually, after an attack on the Eiffel Tower, the four friends bond together on a journey to Jordan to bring down a powerful paramilitary organization led by the ghoul king known as Azraghul.