Creatures

The Leprechaun

Small enough to walk under a donkey, without taking off his hat, leprechauns often wear brown and don’t like to be seen. If you catch one its perhaps because they were busy and not paying attention. If its treasure you want don’t let go, a leprechaun will try all kinds of tricks to fool you into letting them go.

You might know that every Leprechaun keeps a store of gold. They get their gold from the Fairies. Fairies like music, love dancing and always want fancy new shoes. Leprechauns make the best shoes in the world and the only money in fairyland is gold.

The Púca

The Púca is usually described as a black haired billygoat or huge dog that sweeps people on to its back and runs for the nearest cliff. Survivors are few and very lucky.

Its a wonder that anyone can describe the Púca at all. It takes a few days for the wild stare to leave your face and the colour to return to your cheeks.

The Hag

Every harvest she invites a champion to challenge her. Not only is she very strong but she is crafty as a crow. Many have failed to beat the old witch and she cackles like a madwoman when she wins.

Sometimes the old hag lets her daughter come along. She doesn’t get out much so any attention she gets is often repaid with inside knowledge.

Sheela na Gig

Nobody really knows the meaning of Sheelas or what they were supposed to do. We do know they were usually on the outside of buildings and meant to be seen.

Sheelas dont leave much to the imagination. The building they are on now may not have been their original locations.

Fairies

Fairies don’t like Iron, especially if its heated. People sometimes put iron horseshoes over their doors to keep them away. A knife with a black handle is good if you have to go out in the dark.

Faries prefer bronze and gold to iron. the chief tribe of the fairies is the Tutaha de Danann, the people of light.

The Péist

The Péist of ancient lore was beaten by Christian Saints but it was not destroyed. Stories still abound about mysterious creatures in the deep. Perhaps the most famous is the Lough Ness monster.

From time to time in lonely valleys and dark mountain lakes the Péist appears and asks the solitary traveller is it the end yet ?

Changeling

Changelings are usually swapped for babies when a fairy has lost their own child. You need to be smart to trick a changeling into revealing itself. Once it does it will flee and you own will be restored.

Sometimes a red hot poker would be held near the baby. Other times the mother would be told to do something unusual. There was a woman who pretended to brew beer from eggshells. the changeling began to laugh at the stupidity of the woman who chased him out the door with a hot poker from the fire.

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