A FUN TIME

FARIES and LEPRECHAUNS

I always thought of fairies as being nice and sweet little things, so I was surprised to learn what nasty little critters the fairies are in Ireland. That leprechaun with the bag of gold is not very nice at all; in fact he’s a pretty mean, cantankerous little fellow.

Leprechauns are cobblers, making shoes for all the other fairies. They also are the miserly bankers to whom all other fairies have to approach for money. Leprechauns have buried their money in pots all over the country. But with very good memories they know exactly where each pot can be found.

On the rare occasion when a mortal confronts a leprechaun demanding to know where the money is, the leprechaun always outwits the mortal. Even if a mortal did manage to get hold of any money, it would crumble to dust in his hand. These stocky little guys  dress in green coats and red trousers buckled at the knee. Scarves circle their neck and wide brimmed hats cover the heads of these solitary folks. They consider mortals foolish, flighty and likely to steal their money, thus generally they avoid human contact. They smoke foul smelling pipes and live in gulleys or behind and under bushes. They brew and drink poteen, so they often are intoxicated, sullen and argumentative.

Fairies often live in vine covered trees. They take many different forms from insects to grouchy old ladies. Ghost-like figures appear as fog or little people. The little people like to dance and be merry at night.

Fairies have unbelievable powers. Willful and capricious, they are easily offended, quick to anger, and are often spiteful and jealous of man-kind. They can be good hearted and merry. They also love sport and rivalry.

Although elusive and shy they are much feared and part of Irish culture. Fairies can blacken and rot your potatoes, suck away the cream from your milk or turn it sour, dampen peat stacks so they won’t burn, and even make you sick with colds and sore throats.

As incredible as it may seem, construction on a major highway was halted when people raised a ruckus about a fairy tree  designated to be cut down---in the name of progress. The problem was solved when the highway was built around the tree. On a dark night a few months after the road was finished some mortal made his way to the site and cut down the tree. However, as we passed by, the tree had spouted vigorous new growth., obviously surviving the onslaught of the probably disgruntled mortal.

It was fun learning about leprechauns. I was fascinated enough that I bought a book of Irish family stories that had been passed down through generations.