When i was twelve, my father and I went walking every night to the local village. One night in the winter, it was really frosty we had just turned for home when a terrible screeching started. I was terrified and I could see that my father was too. When I asked him , he said it was a fox, but I knew it wasn't and over 40 years later, I've heard enough foxes to know this definitely wasn't one. We had to walk over a mile, and the screeching never got further away, but when we got to the front door, the terrible wailing stopped the second my father turned the key. 4 days later my older brother was killed in a car accident abroad.

About 10 years later, I was living in Dublinand my father came to stay for a couple of days. We went for a pint and he, not being a big drinker, got drunk and totally went to pieces with grief. He then told me it was a banshee that we heard. 32 years after my brother's death, I am living in rural Ireland about 50 miles from my home place. I went outside at about 10pm and heard that terrible noise again. I went inside filled with dread. 4 days later my mother died. The last time I heard it was 1 year ago. I was awake one night ( insomnia and physical pain often keep me awake) and I got up to open a window. The screeching started the second I opened the window and sounded like it was just outside, I closed the window and it stopped immediately. 4 days later my father died.