The Truth About The Leprechaun

The Truth About The Leprechaun considers the leprechaun as a figure within the wider fairy traditions of Ireland and the Celtic world. Bob Curran examines reported origins, physical appearance, habitats, habits, occupations, social organisation and changing ideas about gender, birth and age.

The book also places the leprechaun alongside related beings, including cluricauns, sheela-na-gigs, grogochs and pechts. Traditional accounts describe small communities, leprechaun courts, household encounters and alleged helpers such as the grogoch of Rathlin Island and North Antrim. These stories present a figure far removed from the cheerful tourist emblem, with accounts of solitary craftsmen, troublesome visitors, strict customs and sometimes hostile dealings with humans.