School: Lios Uí Chearbhaill (C.), Malla (roll number 12016)
- Location:
- Liscarroll, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Bean Uí Dhuibhir
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0367, Page 206
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- Leipreachan Or Mermaid.The Leipreachan is known in my district as the "Leipreachan". He is about a foot in height, and he wears a red cap, a red coat, and a green knee - breeches. He lives in the forts in Ireland. His usual occupation is cobbling for the fairies.
The mermaid is supposed to be half a woman, and half a fish. She has long golden hair. There is a story told in my district about the leipreachan, and a girl. One day a little girl was reading a book in a wood, and she saw a leipreachan. She ran up to him and caught him. She put him into her pinafore, and she told him that she would bruise him if he would not give her the gold.
Then he said to her "Oh! look at the woman behind you who has the gold, and the castle that is on fire". She looked behind her but she saw nothing, and then the leipreachán was nowhere to be seen.
About two or three years ago a mermaid was seen on the shore at Ballybunion. That evening a woman who had come to spend the evening there was drowned.
Leipreacháns are looked upon as being friendly beings. Once there was a man who was in charge of butter. The butter was kept in large boxes. A leipreachán got shut up in one box. When the man took the butter to his(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Breda Stack
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Knockardbane, Co. Cork
- Informant
- Cornelius Stack
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 59
- Occupation
- Farmer
- Address
- Knockardbane, Co. Cork
