School: Creenkill, Johnstown (roll number 2137)
- Location:
- Creenkill More, Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Nóra Ní Chathail
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0868, Page 161
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- XML “The Leprechaun”
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- The people of ancient Ireland had a belief that fairies existed in the raths and forts throughout the country. Fairies are imaginary people and even to the present day are said to exist. There is one fairy who is said to be the fairy-cobbler and there are many stories told about him and about crocks of gold which he is supposed to have hidden. He is called the Leprechaun.
The Leprechan is said to be a tiny, withered little man, so tiny that he can sit under a mushroom. He wears a bright-red coat and a large red cap with a tassel on the top. On his feet he wears a tiny pair of boots with turned up toes.
Whenever he is seen, he is sitting under a mushroom busily working at a pair of boots, similar to the ones he wears. He is generally to be seen in a shady spot on a moonlight night hammering with perfect rythm on an old brogue.
He is supposed to be very clever and when anyone ventures to catch him, he tries to escape his catcher by telling a lie about something behind, because once the eyes are taken off him, even for a fraction of a second, when you look again he has vanished into thin air.
- Collector
- Kathleen Carey
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 14
- Address
- Ballyspellan, Co. Kilkenny
