Within Celtic folklore, the banshee emerges as a glowing symbol of the divine feminine. It is a remnant of ancient beliefs resiliently echoing through time, even as the Celtic world transitioned beneath the shadow of Christian dominion. This exploration will reveal the evolution of the divine feminine; inherent to Irish heritage, engrained in Celtic Paganism, and enduring in modern folklore and beliefs. Each source emphasizes the conscious effort put forth to continue to uphold Irish beliefs and carry intrinsic narratives forward. 

Thomas Crofton Croker's Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland provides invaluable insights into the banshee and related folklore. It is truly a window into the 19th-century Irish psyche and its connection to ancestral beliefs. Or so one might believe at first glance. With the use of Anne Markey’s The Discovery of Irish Folklore, one is asked to question initial assumptions about Croker’s text after reading his opinions of the published work. Specifically, this exhibit will showcase The Legends of the Banshee, which includes two stories, The Bunworth Banshee and The Mac Carthy Banshee, to explain the figure and its significance (Croker 97-152).

Meanwhile, legends of the Mórrigan help place the banshees’ roots in the divine feminine, allowing one to understand the way depictions of the divine feminine in Celtic myth evolved. The Mórrigan, a goddess figure embodying war and fate, deepens one’s understanding of the banshee's place within the Celtic pantheon. One can trace back the banshees' roots directly to the Mórrigan through the term “badhbh” for crow (Clark 225). This interesting connection ties in beautifully to the hypothesis that the banshee may be one of the last remaining representations of female Irish divinity. Furthermore, the School’s Collection, a monumental effort to preserve Ireland's oral traditions, provides a contemporary magnifying glass with which to view living banshee folklore. Specifically, the focus of this collection consists of folklore compiled by school children in the 1930s. These stories follow the living thread of ancient narratives of the banshee into contemporary Irish culture.

The banshee's importance in fine art, narrative writing, oral legend, and many other mediums, illuminates how the banshee, as a manifestation of the divine feminine, has persisted as a cultural beacon across centuries, subtly resisting the complete dilution of Celtic identity and spirituality. This exhibit not only explores the banshees’ place in folklore and art, but also highlights her significance as a living tether to Ireland's ancient past. In essence, this study of the banshee highlights the enduring divine feminine in Celtic culture, illustrates how folklore protects cultural and spiritual identity from time and change, and reveals how those who record folklore have the power to change history.