Niamh stayed in bed until she heard her grandmother bustling about in the kitchen, which was just below her bedroom. She put on her dressing-gown and went down to breakfast. Sean and Conor met her on the stairs and they all went into the kitchen together.
“You must have heard the kettle boiling,” laughed Granny.“I’m starving,” Sean declared. “Me too!” added Conor.Niamh sat down at the table and didn’t say anything.“Niamh, I asked you to pass the milk three times,” said Sean loudly. Niamh passed him the milk without saying anything. “Did the cat catch your tongue?” said Sean.“What’s the matter, Niamh?” asked Conor.“I heard something last night. It was like a woman crying and screaming. I was really scared.”Granny stopped pouring tea and her face turned pale. “It sounds like you heard a banshee.” The children stopped eating the fried eggs Granny had cooked them and looked at her.“What’s a banshee?” asked Conor
Granny sat down. “The name means Fairy Woman in Irish. Sean, can you pass me my notepad and pen? It is over by the bread bin.” Sean did as he was asked and Granny wrote down the words in Irish and showed it to them. The children read the words, Bean-Sidhe.
Grand-mère s'assit. "Le nom signifie la femme fée en irlandais. Sean, peux-tu me passer mon carnet et un stylo? C'est sur la corbeille à pain." Sean fit ce qu'elle lui demandait et Grand-mère écrivit les mots en irlandais et leur montra. Les enfants lurent les mots, Bean-Sidhe.
“What does hearing a banshee mean?” questioned Niamh, biting her lip.“Well, it usually means someone is going to die. It is a warning so that the family has time to prepare. Some people say the banshee acts as an escort to ensure that their loved one passes safely to the other side. She used to come for certain families with the names O’Grady, O’Neill, O’Brien, O’Connor, and Kavanagh. But because people have married into these families, she includes close relatives too.” Sean, who had been smirking up until now, suddenly let out a gasp. “Oh no! What about, Tom, Gran? Tom… is Tom O’Neill.”“Oh yes, Sean you’re right,” said Granny quietly. I will call Charlie who farms my land, to check up on him.”
The children cleared the table. Sean washed the dirty things, Conor dried them and Niamh put them away, while Granny went out and rang Charlie. They didn’t talk, but each one had tears in their eyes as they all liked Tom.Granny came back into the kitchen. The children stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
“Charlie is going to call over to Tom’s house and will ring me back.”
About an hour later, Charlie rang and told Granny that Tom was very sick and that he had called an ambulance, which came and took him to hospital.
Granny’s son Lorcan came to pick up Sean and Niamh, and her daughter Sorcha also came for Conor. Granny told them about Tom going to hospital. Lorcan and Sorcha glanced at each other when Niamh told them about hearing the banshee.
Granny went to visit Tom in the hospital the next day, but he only opened his eyes once. The doctors told her he would only last a few days. On the third day he passed away peacefully. The children were very upset when Granny told them. Granny organized the funeral arrangements. Tom was brought home to his small cottage. All his neighbours and friends came to pay their respects and say a final goodbye. He was remembered in story and song at his wake. (A wake is a tradition that celebrates the life of the person that has died and is a grieving method where close ones get a chance to share a special moment with the dead person. Irish people believe that the wake is a way the dead and the alive are bound together.)
Mamie rendit visite à Tom à l'hôpital le lendemain, mais il n'ouvrit les yeux qu'une seule fois. Les médecins lui dirent qu'il n’en avait que pour quelques jours. Le troisième jour, il mourut paisiblement. Les enfants furent vraiment bouleversés quand Grand-mère leur annonça la nouvelle. Grand-mère organisa les funérailles. Tom fut ramené chez lui, dans sa petite maison. Tous ses voisins et amis vinrent lui rendre hommage et faire leurs adieux. On se souvint de lui grâce à des histoires et des chansons pendant la veillée funèbre. (Une veillée funèbre est une tradition qui célèbre la vie de la personne décédée. C’est aussi un moyen de faire son deuil car c’est un moment où les proches ont l’occasion de partager un moment spécial avec la personne décédée. Les Irlandais croient que la veillée funèbre est un moyen pour les morts et les vivants d’être liés.)
Niamh, Sean and Conor went to the wake and the funeral the next day. After the funeral they all went for a meal at a local hotel. The children were very sad but enjoyed meeting distant relations, and hearing stories about Tom’s life.
Niamh, Sean et Conor se rendirent à la veillée funèbre et à l'enterrement le lendemain. Après l'enterrement, ils allèrent tous prendre un repas dans un hôtel local. Les enfants étaient tristes mais apprécièrent de rencontrer les relations éloignées et d'entendre des histoires sur la vie de Tom.
“We gave him a good send-off, didn’t we?,” said Granny as she hugged them goodbye. “We really did,” agreed Conor. “Will we see you next weekend Granny?”“Of course, and it will be Halloween so we will have some fun.”“Oh yes,” said Sean and Niamh together.“There is going to be a Halloween disco in the village hall for 12 – 16 year olds so you can go to that. You will have to think about what you are going to dress up as.”The children left with their parents, discussing what they would wear to the disco.
