Irish Gothic Podcast
Join Spence and Chris on "Irish Gothic," a podcast exploring Ireland's myths and legends. Each episode delves into folklore, bringing ancient faeries, banshees, and Celtic warriors to life. The hosts invite listeners to uncover Ireland's past, whether they are folklore enthusiasts or new to these tales. "Irish Gothic" transports you to a realm where the supernatural intertwines with history. Please tune in for spine-tingling stories, cultural insights, and humour as they examine Ireland's darker heritage.
Irish Gothic Podcast
EPISODE NINE : LEGEND OF THE LEPRECHAUN (PART 1)
This week is part one of the mischievous tales of Ireland’s iconic little green man; he Leprechaun. A fan of a prank themselves, listen to Chris and Spence unveil the secrets of Ireland’s legendary trickster, and tell tales of their hoaxes and capers gone by. Come back next week for part 2 of the legend of the Leprechaun !
The Irish Gothic Podcast explores the origins of Irish Folk tales. myths and legends in all their dark, fantastical glory and how these vivid yarns continue to resonate across the world to this very day.
Join Hosts Chris Patterson and Spence Wright as they fuse their love for all thing's horror with a wellspring of Irish lore.
From the terrifying figure of the Dullahan to the origins of Halloween itself, if it’s a yarn you’re after, pull up a chair and let ‘Irish Gothic’ fill your ears.
Hosts: Chris Patterson & Spence Wright
Producer: Rebecca Alcorn
Production Company: Causeway Pictures
Bibliography:
Fairy & Folk Tales of Ireland, W.B. Yeats : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fairy-Tales-Ireland-William-Butler/dp/0684829525
Legends and Stories of Ireland, Samuel Lover : https://archive.org/details/legendsstories00love
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Checkout our other podcast - Hostage to the Devil, real life stories of exorcism and possession. Wherever you get your podcasts.
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Lay your ear close to the hill. Do you not catch the tiny clamor? Busy? Click of an elf and hammer voice of the leprechaun singing shrill as he merrily plows his trade. He's a span and a quarter in height. Get him in sight. Hold him tight in. You're a made man. You watch your cattle on a summer's day. Supping potatoes, sleep in the hay. How would you like to roll in your carriage? Look for a duchess's daughter and marriage. Seize the shoemaker, then you may. I caught him at work one day myself, in a castle ditch with a fox. Gloves grow, a wrinkled whined and bearded elf spectacle stuck on the point of his nose and silver buckles to his hose. The rogue was mine. Beyond a doubt. I stared him. He stared me. Servant, sir, he says, and pulled a snuff box out. He took a pinch, looked better pleased. Offered the box with whimsical grace puff. He flung the dust in my face and while I sneezed, was gone.
I know all the folks round these arts and parts. Can't say I know you. Leastways. Not yet. But I dare say I know what you'll be wanting. Some of the crack, maybe. How we yarn with your sup, is it? No harm in that. Come on over. Warm yourself, hmm? I'll warn you though. If it's the old Begara and Blarney shenanigans you're after, you'll not hear them from me. Well, if such, like, pleases you, you sit on. I'll fill your ears. And see what story is meant for you. On this dark old night.
chris-patterson_2_10-23-2024_181531:I'm Chris
spencey-guest437_2_10-23-2024_181541:I'm Spence
chris-patterson_2_10-23-2024_181531:And this is the Irish Gothic Podcast.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:The Tale of the Leprechaun has a long and thrilling history with early references dating back to the eighth century. The earliest known story featuring leprechaun like creatures is a rating that describes King Fergus of Ulster meeting three tiny beans. These beans attempted to lure the king back to their underground layer, but Fergus managed to outsmart them.
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:So it is incredible, Chris, that you lead the stories of leprechauns that go so far back and. Mean, we all have that modern day depiction, be it from movies or cereal boxes or t-shirts in a turns shop. what we think of leprechauns? What do we think two to three foot high little elfin like man with jaunty pointed hats always clouding green. That would be the standard depiction of a leprechaun. Not always the case. Interesting. And as, as you say, given that these stories have been around since as early writing century, earlier concept, leprechaun said that you might passed the leprechaun on the road and never even know it himself at all. So actually leprechaun didn't look that out of the ordinary. And we could maybe talk a wee bit about why that changed Chris later. even the whole color green thing Samuel Lover and his novel Legends and Stories of Ireland, he describes them as predominantly wearing red. You know, the green seemed to come later.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:Yeah, I've always thought that the green very much emphasizes Ireland and like our St. Patrick's Day, the green is very much what is it, the 22 Shades of green, that are in Ireland that are completely red. Doesn't seem an Irish color, if that makes sense.
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:Yeah. Yeah. 40 Shades, isn't it? But
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:40 shades are.
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:about that. That was Johnny Cash people say he, he didn't write that. There was a bit of controversy around that song. I mean I like the idea. I think the story goes as he was flying in Ireland on a plane, obviously. He saw the he saw the foods and thought these 40 shades, and there's a line in it about, oh, I can't remember the name of the perfume. Let's say or something like that. And that's in the song, but that's the perfume. June Carter was wearing. But anyway,
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:He was probably, he was probably high,
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:He probably was, I, uh,
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:allegedly. Allegedly
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:of course. So I mean, as you say, Chris, these things, they change, they evolve. There seems to be a few sort of constants around leprechauns that we could sort of pick out generally, but although not always, but generally, there's solid ray creatures. They're nearly always mischievous by nature. what else? What else do we associate with'em is the old crock of gold, I suppose.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:the end of the rainbow.
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:End of the rainbow. If you threaten them, they can get quite violent. They're sneaky. They've got that kinda riddle me, this riddle me, that sneakiness about them. And what's the old rule? If you come upon a leprechaun, as long as you don't break eye contact with it, you have a chance of getting in school. But if you break eye contact.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:Perf
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:If
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:Just like the poem perf and he's gone. Well, Spence, have you ever wondered where the origin of the word leprechaun comes from?
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:Uh, yes. I mean, again, it just seems like a word we've all known or grown up with. I've never actually questioned or thought about what it meant. No.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:Well, it's, it's believed you have come from middle Irish, the middle Irish word, luon, which means small body. Over time, the spell of this word changed the luan or Opan but here's something really interesting. Some research suggests that it might even have roots in the Roman Festival of Lu and the Lui priests. Another link to the word is least broken, which means one shoe. Because leprechauns we're always often seen only working on one shoe.
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:Ah, yeah. No. You said that's only ever one shoe.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:I dunno where the other one went, but there certainly,
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:maybe. Yeah. The only, sort of fairy creatures that seem to have a trade.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:well they do have a trade though. I remember. Is there a fairy tale is it called the Elf and the shoemaker
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:else. The
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:and the elf comes in and does all the shoes at night? A bit of free labor, right? Enough. But yes.
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:Absolutely. There'll be lots gonna start now. But I mean, we think about these origins, and we think about them as being almost innocent, quirky. We don't think about leprechauns of being divine in any way. But there is a school of thought that they're actually descendants of the land. You know, they were magical beings that, served under the Gil ghosts down. And according to legend, know, that's Scri lived in Ireland long before humans, inhabited the land. McNally Junior's Irish Wonders book, from the 19th century. He described that the origins of leprechaun were actually, that they were of low descent. So they weren't off the tooth de they were low descent. The father being an evil spirit and the Mueller being a degenerate fairy. So quite a checkered origin story there for our jy little leprechauns.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:Well, I mean, leprechauns aren't just golden guardians, as we all know. They were often described as solitary creatures. You can hear them coming by their tapping signs. I. They're usually small, bearded men in that little red coating hat.
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:Always quite majorly too Chris, aren't it Majorly.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:that, I mean, that's just, that goes with it. Yeah. I mean, I'm probably describing you fence. I mean, as y wrote, is seen sitting under a hedge, mending a shoe, and one who catches him can deliver up his crux of gold. Crocs it, it makes me think of the shoes get delivered up as crocs of his golden crocs for he is a miser of great wealth,
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:Yeah, there you go.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:but if you take your eyes off the creature for one second, he vanishes like smoke.
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:Uh, love chris.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:When I looked at it, there was tons of different. Types of lab from different regions. Is that true?
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:Yeah, no, that is true. Yeah. And that, that, that took me by surprise.'cause you know, we've all grown up more or less with the same version. So in Aster for example, the locker man, would be the name and he would wear a uniform equivalent to a British infantry regiment, red coat, white breaches Instead of the cap, he wore broad bri, high pointed hat, and he'd be bit, partial to standing upside down. When he was up there with mischievous, he'd leap up on the walls, spin and balance himself on the tip of his hat with his heels in the air. So that's your locker man from Ulster. We have the l upon the raddon, from ary, excuse my pronunciation, the leprechauns been with us so long, it rolls off the tongue. But these ary leprechauns would be depicted wearing, antique slash jacket. Again, red peaks all around wearing a jockey's cap. And they'd have a sword, which they would also use as a magic wand. They have the carry another little fat little fellow with a Joey round face, be known as the Luon. he had a cutaway jacket. He had seven rows of seven buttons and each row he wore a full dress. He had a helmet, which was several sizes to a large for him headgear. And I think that's one of the things they had said about the lip conquest that, you know, they would be quite touchy about their size and the hats generally are pointy and big to, to try and give the impression that they're taller. And this one's an interesting one. the get the pronunciation right here, the Cleon, he's described, well, a couple of different ways. he's either a different species of like a cousin of a leprechaun some people think he is what a leprechaun becomes at night. Alright, and tell you a little bit about him. So he's using clad and red or wine colored clothing. Very sary around Kerry and Multon fondness for mischief at nighttime, especially in wine cellars, Chris and wine stores and bars.
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:Sounds like me.
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:Yep. These, they're always described as drunk and very surly. Yep. The comparisons keep
chris-patterson_5_03-20-2025_204935:have been described as drug advisor.
spence_5_03-20-2025_204940:and when pushed to it, they'll take vengeance on someone by poking them in the eye with a sharp stick on the point of their hat. So some people actually believe that Yes. That they're just cousins of leprechauns, a different species of leprechaun. But others say, actually no. That these, this is what happens to a leprechaun after. You know, hard days garden, it's gold at night becomes this surly, raucous creature. Which is really, and it often can be seen red and around at night, on the backs of animals. So, I mean, there, there's, that's just, you know, four types of aons. There's probably many more. but each one has its own treasure trove of stories.
chris-patterson_6_03-20-2025_210215:Surprisingly, leprechauns, didn't always wear green. descriptions often showed them in red. As you said earlier, Spence, sometimes with a three cornered hat before the 20th century, it was thought that leprechauns. Were red. the Irish poet yet said solitary fairies like leprechauns wore red jackets while tripping. Fairies were green. regions had their own leprechaun styles. leprechauns were sometimes described in military red coats. That's interesting because that would be the English middle red coats.
spence_6_03-20-2025_210220:Yep. Yep.
chris-patterson_6_03-20-2025_210215:the green leprechaun look we see today is mostly because. Green is Ireland's national color. Since the mid nine is mostly because green is AR has been Ireland's national color since at least the mid 17th century, it's connected to the Irish culture and could help sell things. So Green became a better choice for showing leprechauns.
spence_6_03-20-2025_210220:Oh wow. Goodness. There you go. The things you learn in this show, Chris said, education. Yes. Well, did you know Chris, have you ever seen a female in Lor?
chris-patterson_6_03-20-2025_210215:A female leprechaun. Actually, no,
spence_6_03-20-2025_210220:No.
chris-patterson_6_03-20-2025_210215:have I seen a female leprechaun.
spence_6_03-20-2025_210220:not weird. I hadn't thought about it until researching this, that partly there's no record of female leprechauns. So therefore, the question has to be, how do these little gentlemen, procreate you? It can't be in a traditional sense. some people say that because of leprechauns themselves or the unwanted children, bless them of the ferry community. As a result, they're grouchy, untrusting, salty creatures. Who, don't have a partner and can't have children. So yeah, a very interesting side to the leprechaun's life.
chris-patterson_6_03-20-2025_210215:In the magical world of Faye Leprechaun, stand out as unique creatures. I. Often living alone. Unlike other Irish ferries like the Assai the good people, leprechauns are considered a separate type of solidary ferry. It's important to note that leprechauns are distinct from the assai of the ferry mounds, who often are portrayed as more frightening and capable of taking children away.
spence_6_03-20-2025_210220:Oh yeah, my goodness. And when it comes to them being salty, Chris, you'd never see a female leprechaun.
chris-patterson_6_03-20-2025_210215:They are in Lord of the Rings, but they're not leprechauns.
spence_6_03-20-2025_210220:But I never thought about it until research, unless there's no record of female leprechauns. So how do your little gentleman procreate? It can't be the traditional sense we would recognize. Some sources say that because leprechauns themselves are the unwanted children of infer. You know, that's why they're grouchy, that's why they're on trusting, that's why they're solitary and that's why they themselves, are alone and without children. So, you know, another little facet to the leprechaun story, I certainly didn't know
chris-patterson_6_03-20-2025_210215:Have you ever wondered where these tiny shoemaking and grumpy creatures come from? Well, some folks believe they have ancient Irish roots from golds to tricksters. The leprechauns history is a real mystery. Some theories say they're connected to the God of son and crafts. But as Christianity spread, Luke's importance faded and he became part of folklore. people sometimes called him stooping. Luke, because he was a fairy craftsman. Others think the leprechaun might be related to early mentions of water sprouts as well.
spence_6_03-20-2025_210220:Hmm. Uh, well, as you said that first story, Chris, you quote it word Caden, Fergus was sort of accosted by leprechauns that they tried to drag him to, into the sea, to their sea layer. And you know, that's not something, I think he fell asleep at the beach and he woke to found these three little boies around him. They tried to drag them as their on their sea layers, as you were saying earlier. So I get you don't associate leprechauns with living. In the sea. Um, you know, you think of caves or hole trees or under a hedge or deep, deep in a cave or rabbit holes even. So, you know, that's so many stories and so many variations, I guess ha handed down from generation to generation. I,
spence_7_03-20-2025_211042:So Kristen, we talk about the leprechauns when we say that there's some of these constant rules. I think it's fair to say, if you ask anyone where does the leprechaun live? You know, we all know they live in Ireland. They all know it's remote places, rural areas. Underground caves and hollowed out trees, ferry trees under Hawthorne bushes maybe burrow deep, underground cave or a rabbit hole. Far away from humans who always wanna capture'em and get their three wishes. But again, there's yet little wrinkles in the tail. And you mentioned it earlier when you talked about King Fergus and that really early account of his encounter with leprechauns because he fell asleep on the beach. And awoke to find these little people trying to drag'em into their, get this on their sea layer. I had never, I thought of kelpies and silkies and all these kinds of things in relation to, to, to water dwellers, but that's a really early story. Suggested leprechauns can live under the sea. so just you incredible.
chris-patterson_7_03-20-2025_211037:I mean, things just explode and there's layer on top of layer on top of layer. Just to go back there when they talked about the shoemakers,
spence_7_03-20-2025_211042:Yeah.
chris-patterson_7_03-20-2025_211037:you know, they make shoes and brogues and such. They're considered to be the only ferry to have a trade, like you said earlier on. and it's believed. This is because leprechauns dance so much that they always needed new shoes. In fact, our old friend, WB Yitz, is quoted as saying because of their love of dancing, the will constantly need shoes. Yitz goes on to tell the story of a woman who'd been spirited away by the furry, and she returned seven years later, minus her toes as she had danced them off. According to legend, you can hear them coming by their telltale tapping signs. While some stories attribute the leprechauns wealth to define shoes, they make others say they protect treasures of the whole furry world.
spence_7_03-20-2025_211042:Ooh, A little leprechaun, security guard of the of the ferry gold. Wow. Wow.
spence_8_03-20-2025_211415:So it might be an idea that maybe just, take a step back from the origins and the history and the etymology of it all. And maybe just enjoy a couple of actual leprechaun tales. And this is the real reason these creatures endure because the tales associated with them are so fun as much as anything else.
spence_9_03-20-2025_211517:One of my favorites is a story of Dennis O'Brien from Ary, but of a scoundrel, bit of a rogue. And they always said it in any leprechaun story. You know when a leprechaun gets caught, you have to be very very clever to try and outwit a leprechaun because they're whiny wee rascals, you know, and they've got lots of tricks up their sleeve to stop you getting near their gold. And anybody who actually does succeed in catching a leprechaun usually doesn't end all that well for them. They're very rarely happy. Happy ends, leprechauns always one step ahead. So a, we bit a background. Another part of the leprechaun legend is that they have a purse that never runs and they, and you pull one coin out, you, and you go and you pull another coin, you pull another coin. It's a botanist, per for gold coin. So if, just bear that in mind and we'll tell the story. Now. Dennis O'Brien from temporary, a young scoundrel by all accounts, he always looking under their heads just to try and catch a leprechaun. All they do say that the person who doesn't search for a leprechaun has a much better chance of seeing in one. So just bear that in mind anyway. De Dennis had made his mind up that there was gonna be any dereon in the county. He was a very boy that was gonna find it. He here at work. He spent most of his time sitting in a she, which would be like a sort of IC pub, drinking the day in as if he stuck his seat. And one day on his way home here in sco, old Dennis spot something right over in the corner of a field. And he went as quiet as a mouse and he sneaked up behind it. It was a leprechaun. Been sleeping onto the trees under the heads. So Dennis grabs him. The collar wrestles under the ground. Now you ugly me. Vagabond says, Dennis, I've got you at last. Give up your goal. I'll choke the life outta you, your old cobbler. And he shakes the wee leprechaun so hard. He thought, they thought the leprechaun's head was gonna fall off. So this battle went on. The leprechaun begged and scratched and cried and screamed, but Dennis didn't let up. he was wanting the gold that the leprechaun, and he wasn't gonna be trick dealer. So eventually the leprechaun agreed to give Dennis his magic per, and Dennis knew the story of leprechaun's perch that he. It's never ended in supply of coins. So he took the coin and off he off. He ske dazzled with this purse. And it was red silk and it had a magic s shelling in it. And he just knew that, this is it Dennis was made for life. And he said to himself, you know what, I'm going to eat my fill. I'm gonna drink till A steam engine can squeeze on a drop down my neck. And off he goes to Miss Clooney's shipping. And Harry phoned. Pat Grogan, Tim o' Donovan, another man associated with a leprechaun counter and a few other locals and they're all sat around a table and up opposed Dennis's seat. And where's your money? Said Mrs. Cloy the bar lady to him.'cause he never had a penny on him. The you are a says Dennis, I have all the money you'll need. Just scrap an old you penny. Scrap an old skeleton. He called collar. He was getting very brave'cause he had this, just bring me your best drink. And he bought drinks for the guys around him. And you're all gonna drink at my expense tonight. And so they did 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 rounds of drinks come in. Then Dennis ordered the finest food. But Mrs. Clinic, she was getting the bits of special for this stage, and she crossed her lips and she said, look, not until you've paid for what you've already had, I'm not giving you no more. So Dennis pulls out the magic purse to show everyone what it was, where he got it. Have a leprechaun give it to you. They all said it. Dennis says it was. If I take a shill out of it, I could take handfuls of shills out of it and they'll come out of it like a stream of whiskey, out of a jug, and he pulls out a coin. Well, at least that's what he thought. But when he put his fingers in for another coin, there wasn't any, the gap the leprechaun had made an agent out of him, this person only one coin in it. Totally against the rules of the leprechauns per so. Dennis's face was a holy show when he saw the leprechaun and Don only gone and tricked him. The purse wasn't a leprechaun purse at all. It was looked just like one you and your leprechauns and your purses and your magic. She and scream business clinic. Get out. You're a thief yard. You've drunk all me drink and you've a, you lie on your lips a bit, a purse, and you even sold into the bargain. You impotence beats the devil, she said. And she kicked him out into the street. Hit my hell of a crack with a big stink that you kept behind the bar and all loud hall laugh at parole, genesis. Dennis's, expense. But anyway, Dennis tubs it end the street looking, had a bit of a bait from that crack in the head. His luck doesn't get any better. As I said. You crossed the leprechaun, you're taking a chance.'cause the policeman happened along and he says to Dennis, what's some water? What's happened here? And Dennis told him. About a stolen purse, and they told him the let encounter with a leprechaun, but of course, the policeman wasn't having any of it. He was thinking, you've stolen that purse. That's not a leprechaun purse. You got no such st thing from a leprechaun. You're a thief. You're a liar. If you can produce a leprechaun and testify that he gave you for then maybe you're not going to jail. But otherwise you're going to jail. Well, of course, Dennis couldn't provide evidence. The leprechaun was probably somewhere nearby having a good eye laugh at him. Dennis was given 30 days hard labor. He'd never done a hand's turn a bit of work in his life. So 30 days hard labor was a big deal for our Dennis. He got out, he said he's going to give up looking for leprechauns. He was never gonna stick a snot under another hedge in search of leprechauns.'cause even Dennis had, they admit, they were far too smart for him entirely. And so they were. So a Kraken story there of a bit of greed, a bit of confidence, a bit of comeuppance from parole, Dennis, and temporary.
Looks like your story has found you. I wish It were another. But what's meant for you, won't go by you. I'm sorry. Ach, now. No need to look so scared, eh? Enjoy the fire. Have a sop. Sure. Is it all just Irish Gothic? All just Irish Gothic.
chris-patterson_10_10-17-2024_205438:You can find us at iris gothic pod on Instagram or X, or if you want to support us, please buy us a coffee
spence_9_10-17-2024_205215:and look, while you're there, give us a follow to keep up with all things in the Irish Gothic Podcast. Send us any Irish myths, legends, stories that you'd like us to delve into next.
chris-patterson_10_10-23-2024_190653:The Irish Gothic Podcast was brought to you by Causeway Pictures. It's hosted by Chris Patterson and Spence Wright. And was produced by Rebecca Alcorn. All rights reserved.
chris-patterson_10_10-17-2024_205438:Check out our other podcast, Hostage to the Devil, which delves into the dark world of possession and exorcism. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts.
