Top 10 Leprechaun Questions You're Afraid to Ask

Getting ready for St Patrick's Day? This year do it armed with truth. Leprechaun truth.

1. Are leprechauns real?
Yes. And they have pots of gold to give if you catch them and don't let them go before the tricksters give it to you. It's all true.

2. Are leprechauns really Irish?
Likely not. They're more likely Scots. Leprechauns originally had different names in different places of Ireland (eg Luricawne in Kerry, Cluricawne in Monaghan, Logheryman in the north). In Ulster, the little men were once known as 'grogoch' or 'pecht,' the latter believed to be linked with the Scottish aboriginal people, the Pict, who were driven out of Scotland via Celts. (Some say they crossed on land bridge.)

Meanwhile, Germany have their hobgoblins, Wales the bwca or brownies, and England the Lob-lie-by-the-fire. Leprechauns may have been pushed to Ireland through attacking Celts or Vikings, and may have originated in Scotland or farther east.

3. Do leprechauns wear green?
They do now, but not originally. Many sources suggest they first wore red. For one, Samuel Lover, an Irish-Anglo writer in the early 19th century, described leprechauns as wearing 'a red square-cut coat.' In 'Irish Wonders' from 1888, David Russell McAnally describes the 'little red jacket' and 'red breeches' leprechauns wear.

4. Leprechauns are big St Patrick fans, right?
Wrong. Per Bob Curran's fun 'The Truth about Leprechauns' (2000), leprechauns do meet and party on March 17, but aren't fans of the patron saint (no fairies are), for they feel he cheated them out of land.

5. What's leprechaun mean? 'Green guy'?
No. It's believed to mean 'half shoe maker,' derived from leith bhrógan. The name comes from the fact that leprechauns are great shoe makers, but only repair one shoe -- half a pair -- picking whichever shoe is most worn from excessive dancing.

6. Are leprechauns nice?
No, not at all. To modern-day leprechaunologist Colin Chapman, who writes on them at angelfire.com, they are 'a difficult kith, belligerent and easily angered.' They're prone to 'a binge of whiskey,' they 'steal horses' (later cars), they're 'liars' and 'gang members.' Other show, per Curran, 'a fondness for abducting unbaptised human babies.'

There is one slight exception: the leprechauns of 'some parts' of Munster, per some sources, where leprechauns are more amiable and sometimes will give a sparán na scillinge (purse of the shilling), which never empties.

7. What's a leprechaun's favorite song?
You'll laugh, but probably 'Danny Boy.' The popular folk song is derived from the melody of 'Londonderry Air,' which is said to have been written by harpist Rory Dall O'Cahan in the 1600s. Though it's believed, as told by Curran, that O'Cahan lifted the melody from a leprechaun harpist he heard along the banks of the Roe River in North Derry. That's right, leprechauns wrote the music for 'Danny Boy.'

8. Is Paul McCartney a leprechaun pirate?
Yes. The first-known record of 'leprechaun' in English is from Thomas Dekker's comedy 'The Honest Whore' (1604). Dekker, a leprechaun lover apparently, was fresh off a hit poem the year before called, get this, 'Golden Slumbers.' Compare his verse with Paul's bit (changes IN CAPS) from the 'Abbey Road' record:

Golden slumbers
Kiss/FILL your eyes
Smiles awake/AWAIT you when you arise/RISE
Sleep pretty wanton/DARLING, do not cry
And I will sing you a lullaby.

9. Are there female leprechauns?
No one knows. According to Curran, 'The leprechaun is understandably reluctant to discuss the matter.' Some believe leprechauns come from the 'illicit' offspring between a human and a fairy.

10. Where can you find leprechauns?
Leprechauns meet regularly for holidays, particularly May Eve (April 30-May 1) at the Beltane Fair of Uisneach in County Westmeath -- which is a hill that marks the geographic center of Ireland. In WY Evans-Wentz's priceless 'The Fair-Faith in Celtic Countries' from 1911, he claims his mother 'once saw a leprechaun beside a bush hammering.' So look for bush hammerings.

If that seems too iffy, just go to Mobile, Alabama:

Just be sure to hide your unbaptised human babies.

The Irish Fireside blog lists more St Patrick's Day-related links.

10 of the most beautiful golf courses around the world

Just in time for Christmas another one of David's lists, this time a list of ten spectacular Golf Courses here and there around the globe. Hope you like it and Merry Christmas to you all!! :)

When it comes to sportsmen and women, golfers must be up there with the most fortunate sports people. Not only are they lucky enough to play the sport they love day in and day out, competing for vast fortunes watched by huge numbers of people; they also get to travel around the world and see some amazing countries and places. You may think that the spectacular sights are to be found away from the course but there are certain courses around the world that are beautiful sights in their own right. Below, TravelSupermarket looks at 10 of the most beautiful golf courses around the world:


St Andrew’s, Scotland - Scotland is the home of golf and the courses at St Andrew's on the Fife coast are a place where almost anyone who has ever swung a club wants to play at some stage in their life. Golf has been played here since the 15th Century and the real challenge is coping with the demands the coastal location places on a player, amidst the sand dunes and wind of Scotland's beautifully rugged east coast.


Muirfield, Scotland - Another great venue in Scotland is Muirfield, located in Gullane, East Lothian, just a decent approach shot away from Edinburgh. The storied greens here are viewed as particularly testing and are where Jack Nicklaus won his first British Open. There are usually two visitor days a week and tee availability should be checked with the course itself; a round usually costs around £200, depending on local factors.


Celtic Manor, Wales - Wales is home to some of the UK's most stunning vistas of mountain and ocean and the Celtic Manor resort in Gwent has emerged as a highly-rated golfing venue in recent years. Its courses include The Montgomerie, designed by legendary Scottish Ryder Cup star Colin Montgomerie, who captained Europe to victory in the Cup in 2010. The modern facilities here are superb, with a golf academy and a floodlit driving range amongst its attractions.


Royal County Down, Ireland - Moving away from Scotland and Wales and across the Irish Sea, Ireland's green hills and attractive coastlines are home to some special golfing locations. In Northern Ireland, the Royal County Down Golf Club is a very fine venue. Over a century old, this course enjoys a setting between the Irish Sea and the Mountains of Mourne and is some 30 miles south of Belfast and within 100 miles of Dublin. With wind from the sea as well as the heather and gorse bushes to deal with, this venue can challenge as well as stimulate the senses.


Ballybunion, Ireland - Also in Ireland, although right down in the south west, is the Ballybunion Golf Club. Again, the course makes the most of its setting on the Kerry coast, with its fairways and greens placed amongst the sand dunes which overlook the Atlantic Ocean. The course has a wild feel to it thanks to the native plants and the sea views give a real feeling of freedom.


Royal Melbourne, Australia - Away from Britain and Ireland, visitors to Australia can experience the superb facilities at the Royal Melbourne Golf club, in the south east of the country. There are two 18-hole courses at the site, an East and a West, with competition events being held on a composite course with 12 holes from the West and six from the East.


Mid Ocean, Bermuda - For golfers who are rich enough, the island of Bermuda has an exclusive venue known as The Mid Ocean Golf Club. With spectacular sea views and a course designed by Charles Blair Macdonald. It can often feel like golfers are actually playing in the middle of the ocean itself on this course's cleverly laid-out fairways. As well as hosting some major golf tournaments in recent years, the course was also the site of meetings between American President Eisenhower and British Prime Ministers in the 1950s.


Pebble Beach, USA - The United States itself is blessed with some the finest golf courses in the world, not the least of which is Pebble Beach in California, a five-time host venue of the US Open. The resort contains five different courses which present different challenges, with a Scottish-style links course sitting alongside the Pebble Beach Golf Links, in use since 1919 and the Spyglass Hill Course. An exclusive venue where it is unlikely to come across casual golfers, there is also the oldest course in continuous use west of the Mississippi, the Del Monte, which has seen over a century's service. Exclusivity means that playing here can be an expensive experience.


Pinehurst Country Club, USA - Over on the eastern seaboard of the US, the Pinehurst Country Club in North Carolina enjoys eight picturesque courses, with more holes on offer to the golfing visitor than any other course in the USA. The fairways are lined with trees and there are plenty of bunkers to break things up a little and it is also noteworthy as being the place where Payne Stewart won his last tournament before his tragic death in a plane crash in 1998.


Augusta, USA - Also in the southern states of the USA is the Augusta National Golf Club, the venue at which the Masters is held each year. One feature of the course which frequently attracts attention from gardeners as well as golfers is the amount of pink azaleas that decorate the championship 18-hole and nine-hole courses. The 11th, 12th and 13th holes are collectively known as 'Amen Corner', viewed as one of the sport's most challenging trios of holes.

Very few earn the right to wear the Green Blazer of a Masters champion, one of the most iconic titles in sport and the kind of gravitas associated with the jacket informs the ethos of the venue, known as a place of conservative decorum and respect for tradition. Golf is a sport that crosses geographical and cultural boundaries, allowing players who travel to soak up some of the world's most picturesque locations as well as taking part in one of the world's most widespread and enjoyable activities.

Charlie Mahoney: Ancestral Calling

Photograph Charlie Mahoney-All Rights Reserved
Here's a wonderful portfolio of images by Charlie Mahoney, with the evocative title of Ancestral Calling. (Click on Portfolios).

Bob and Dan O'Mahony are Charlie's great-uncles, who live in a farmhouse called Bawnea Kilbritain, outside Kinsale, County Cork in Ireland. I gather that Charlies spent a few days with them, researching his family's roots.

Many of us have similar ancestral callings, and ought to answer them. Charlie tells me that this photo essay may not have marketability potential...but who cares? I think that reconnecting with one's ancestors, roots and origins is infinitely more important.

The photographs in this gallery are just superbly composed, and the Irish light is perfect. It would've been an added bonus had the gallery included audio, as nothing sounds like rich Irish brogue!

A previous post on Charlie Mahoney: (Link)