School: Lattoon
- Location:
- Lattoon, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: P. Ó Hiorraí
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1001, Page 377
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- XML School: Lattoon
- XML Page 377
- XML “Leipreachán or Mermaid”
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- The Leipreacháns were also called in this district geanncannachs, but certainly like the corncrake they got very scarce. I do not believe any of them appeared in this locality within the last 50 years. According to local tradition their height is about 20 inches or 2 feet. They were usually dressed with red coats and red caps and were supposed to dwell in the local forts. I never heard tell of a female leipreachán but two of the male kind often were seen and they busy making loots. They are supposed to have a lot of gold or know where it is hidden. None of them ever was caught in this locality. One harvest evening 90 years ago in the townland of Lacken in the Parish of Denn just on the border of this Parish of Lurgan lived an old man named Michael Smyth. He had a few men working that day cutting the corn with reeping hooks and when they finished their day's work they came home for supper. The old man hobbled out when the men were at supper for the purpose of seeing how they were getting on with(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Brigid Coyle
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Coragh, Co. Cavan
- Informant
- Mr P. Mc Gennis
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Coragh, Co. Cavan
