The Leipreachán

By Tegan Elliott

Leprechauns are small, devious creatures who are part of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the magical folk who settled in Ireland before any humans did. They later became known as the Daoine Sidhe, the “fair folk,” which has also been said to be translated as the “small people,” though this is a bit of a misnomer as many of the Daoine Sidhe are not actually small at all and are now known in English as fairies, faeries, or fae. Leprechauns are shoemakers, and it is believed that they became shoemakers because of their love of dance. They dance so much that they are constantly wearing out their shoes. It is said that you will always hear a leprechaun coming before you ever see them; you can hear the tapping as they hammer nails into new shoes. Not only do they love to dance, but they also love music. Leprechauns are known to be expert musicians, and masters of instruments such as whistles, harps, fiddles, and the bodhrán, a traditional framed drum. Another thing to note is that leprechauns are extremely intelligent. With quick wit and clever ruses, they would do anything to evade capture. Though difficult, any faerie can be captured, even the leprechaun, though it is highly discouraged. Should you catch one, it’s said they will grant you three wishes in exchange for their freedom, but that if you wish for the wrong thing they will leave you cursed with bad luck for the rest of your life. How to catch one isn’t exactly clear; many people have told tales of catching one and having their three wishes, but they will often lie about how they caught them. Also, leprechauns traditionally wear red, not green!