School: Cloonarrow (roll number 8376)
- Location:
- Cloonarragh, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Eibhlín Ní Mhaidín
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0242, Page 495
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- The Leipreachan or Mermaid
There are not many in this locality who know the Leipreachan but he is generally called the Leipreachan. He is only about six inches in height. He wears a green cap with a big tail hanging out of it and a green tight coat and a big pair of shoes. The Leipreachan generally lives in a fort or under a black thorn bush.
The Leapreachan spends his time making shoes. Long long ago there was a very old man who lived in my village. His neighbours were telling him always that he could catch the Leipreachan. One night he went out to catch him and in the middle of the night he caught him. He took the little leipreachan into his hand as quickly as he could and he asked him for the pot of gold. The little leipreachan told him to look towards a certain bush but when he took his eyes from the leipreachan the leipreachan jumped out of his hands and went away.
If anyone trys to dig up the bush under which the leipreachan lives(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Tess Beirne
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Cloonsheever, Co. Roscommon
- Informant
- Mrs Dockery
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Cloonsheever, Co. Roscommon
