LIMERICK’S most feared supernatural resident is making her comeback this autumn as The GAFF and Bualadh Bos Children’s Festival present the world premiere of Revisiting the Banshee, marking two decades since the cult classic The Banshee Lives in the Handball Alley first captivated audiences online.
Artists Michael Fortune and Aileen Lambert have returned to the city where they originally captured the imaginations of local children, this time working with pupils from St Mary’s School, Bishop Street, and Thomond Primary School to create a fascinating new collection of children’s folklore.
The original project began in 2004 when the Wexford-based artists spent seven months in three Limerick schools armed with nothing more than a cheap video camera and microphone. What they created became regarded as one of Ireland’s finest collections of children’s folklore, preserving the voices, accents, and rich imaginations of young storytellers from the estates and streets where they grew up.
The new film, distilled from over 40 hours of interviews into a compelling 40-minute piece, reveals both continuity and change in the stories children tell. “We came across the same old set of stories, plus new ones and others that had been remixed over the years,” the artists explain. “What struck us most was how many children were watching the old recordings on YouTube and retelling them as fact, even though we know they were invented in 2004. That’s the magic of folklore—it is one big pot of stew.”
Limerick audiences will recognise familiar characters including Drunken Thady, The Bishop’s Lady, and The Green Lady, but these beloved figures now share space with fresh tales from children who have moved to the city from other countries. The collection also captures enduring family traditions, from the practice of blessing oneself when an ambulance passes to remembering loved ones at All Souls’ Night—small rituals that reveal how care and memory are passed down through generations.
This blend of old and new reflects the evolving nature of oral tradition itself. Stories that began as childhood inventions in 2004 have now entered the folklore canon, with contemporary children discovering them online and weaving them into their own understanding of local legend.
The premiere takes place at Belltable on Friday October 3 at 6:30pm, with a special schools screening on September 30 at 10am featuring the children who participated in the project. Both artists will attend alongside teachers from St Mary’s School and Thomond Primary School.
Beyond the premiere, the project’s commitment to preservation extends into the digital realm. The full archive, complete with detailed indexing, will be launched on YouTube following the premiere, ensuring this treasure trove of children’s folklore remains accessible to future generations at www.folklore.ie.
Revisiting the Banshee demonstrates that folklore remains a living, breathing tradition rather than a relic of the past. In an age of digital connectivity, children continue to find meaning in local stories, whether inherited from previous generations or discovered through modern platforms like YouTube.
The project also highlights the importance of documenting these voices while preserving their authenticity—capturing not just the stories themselves, but the unique accents and expressions that give them life. Lambert and Fortune’s approach recognises that children are not merely vessels for adult culture but active creators of their own rich narrative traditions.
With support from The GAFF, Revisiting the Banshee promises to be both a celebration of Limerick’s storytelling heritage and a testament to the enduring power of children’s imagination. Twenty years on, the banshee continues to haunt the handball alley—and the hearts of those who encounter her tale.
