Leprechaun story for St Patrick's Day

Here's our favourite story (from the archives)!  We love this one and it has become part of our traditions.

Leprechaun Gold

One warm evening Paddy was making his way home when all of a sudden he heard a tap-tap-tapping sound coming from the hedge at the side of the road. Paddy stopped and listened. Well, it wasn’t a bird, nor did it sound like any other creature that might live in the hedgerow. Paddy quietly pushed the thick leafy tangle to one side and peered through the gap. And what did he see but a little man sitting in the field and alongside him was a small pile of tiny shoes, each shoe no bigger than Paddy’s thumb. The little man sat upon a little wooden stool, tapping away at one of those tiny shoes. He was dressed in green as bright and fresh as the spring grass, with a leathery apron and a bright red cap.

Paddy couldn’t believe his eyes or his luck. It was a leprechaun! He hardly dared blink for he knew if he took his eyes off that wee man the leprechaun would disappear and, with him, Paddy’s chances of ever finding the faery’s crock of gold.

Quietly, Paddy crept around the side of the hedge, over the stile and into the field. Slowly, he moved through the long grass until he was standing right behind the leprechaun. He stretched out his arm and snatched the leprechaun off his wee stool and held him by the scruff of his shirt.

The little man kicked and hollered: ‘Put me down, you great lug.’

‘I’ll put you down quick enough, once you’ve told me where you’ve hidden your gold,’ replied Paddy.

‘Gold,’ spluttered the leprechaun, ‘do you see any gold?’

‘Well, of course not,’ snorted Paddy. ‘You wouldn’t just leave it lying about, would you? Now tell where you’ve hidden it.’

‘I haven’t got any gold, you great thug. Now put me down!’ shouted the leprechaun as he dangled in mid-air.

‘What do you take me for?’ growled Paddy. ‘A fool? I know you’ve got gold and I won’t let you go until you tell me where it is.’ Paddy gave the little man a shake and the little man let out a squeal.

‘All right, I’ll tell you,’ he said, ‘but you’ll have to put me down so I can show you where it is.’

‘You’re a cunning wee fellow,’ laughed Paddy. ‘If I put you down, you’ll run away. So I tell you what, I’ll hold on to this until you keep your promise.’ And with that Paddy snatched the red cap off the leprechaun’s head and lowered him to the ground.

So the two of them set off. Across the field, and then across another, through a small thicket of trees, up and down ditches, over a boggy marsh and across a small stream they went. Paddy’s boots were wet and his legs were beginning to ache with tiredness and his stomach to grumble with hunger. At last they came to a field covered with thistles.

‘There,’ the leprechaun pointed to a large thistle plant that stood among hundreds of others. ‘If you dig under that one, you’ll be finding the gold that you want.’

Paddy grinned from ear to ear. Gold! He was going to be a rich man. Then he remembered he hadn’t got a spade with him to dig up the treasure. Suddenly he had an idea. He pulled off his sock and tied it to the plant so that he would recognize it again.

‘Promise me, he said to the leprechaun, ‘that you will not untie that sock.’

‘Now why would I want to be touching your smelly old sock?’ said the leprechaun.
‘My hat please.’ The leprechaun stretched out his hand towards Paddy.

Paddy took the cap from his top pocket and tossed it to the wee man. The leprechaun caught it, pulled it tightly on to his head. ‘Enjoy your gold,’ he laughed gleefully and then in a wink and a blink, he was gone.

Paddy hurried home and fetched a spade. Then back across the fields he ran, through the tress, up and over the ditches, across the marshland. With a leap he cleared the stream. As he ran, he thought of all the things he would do with the faery gold!

The sun was just beginning to set and the field itself was doused in a rich golden glow. He looked out across that field and gave a cry of dismay. Every thistle bush as far as his eye could see was tied with a sock exactly the same as his own. Poor Paddy! Heaving the spade back upon his shoulder, Paddy trudged home, without even so much as a penny.

Paddy never saw that leprechaun again, though sometimes, when he was out in the fields working, he felt sure he could hear a mischievous chuckle coming from the hedge. And whenever he pulled on his socks in the morning, Paddy would remember just how close he had come to finding the leprechaun’s gold.

Getting ready for St Patrick's Day - bait for leprechaun traps!

Today plans made for construction of complex leprechaun traps and building them too.  For bait....this is a good one...finest quality tobacco for the wee men's pipes, herbal tea, herbal ale brewing and even distilling finest herbal Irish whisky...

What imaginations!

 May the luck of the Irish be with you!

Happy St Patrick's Day

Happy St Patrick's Day!

May God grant you always..
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.

Be sure to be wearing green.

Green buns for breakfast.

Leprechaun story for St Patrick's Day

Here's our favourite story.

Leprechaun Gold

One warm evening Paddy was making his way home when all of a sudden he heard a tap-tap-tapping sound coming from the hedge at the side of the road. Paddy stopped and listened. Well, it wasn’t a bird, nor did it sound like any other creature that might live in the hedgerow. Paddy quietly pushed the thick leafy tangle to one side and peered through the gap. And what did he see but a little man sitting in the field and alongside him was a small pile of tiny shoes, each shoe no bigger than Paddy’s thumb. The little man sat upon a little wooden stool, tapping away at one of those tiny shoes. He was dressed in green as bright and fresh as the spring grass, with a leathery apron and a bright red cap.

Paddy couldn’t believe his eyes or his luck. It was a leprechaun! He hardly dared blink for he knew if he took his eyes off that wee man the leprechaun would disappear and, with him, Paddy’s chances of ever finding the faery’s crock of gold.

Quietly, Paddy crept around the side of the hedge, over the stile and into the field. Slowly, he moved through the long grass until he was standing right behind the leprechaun. He stretched out his arm and snatched the leprechaun off his wee stool and held him by the scruff of his shirt.

The little man kicked and hollered: ‘Put me down, you great lug.’

‘I’ll put you down quick enough, once you’ve told me where you’ve hidden your gold,’ replied Paddy.

‘Gold,’ spluttered the leprechaun, ‘do you see any gold?’

‘Well, of course not,’ snorted Paddy. ‘You wouldn’t just leave it lying about, would you? Now tell where you’ve hidden it.’

‘I haven’t got any gold, you great thug. Now put me down!’ shouted the leprechaun as he dangled in mid-air.

‘What do you take me for?’ growled Paddy. ‘A fool? I know you’ve got gold and I won’t let you go until you tell me where it is.’ Paddy gave the little man a shake and the little man let out a squeal.

‘All right, I’ll tell you,’ he said, ‘but you’ll have to put me down so I can show you where it is.’

‘You’re a cunning wee fellow,’ laughed Paddy. ‘If I put you down, you’ll run away. So I tell you what, I’ll hold on to this until you keep your promise.’ And with that Paddy snatched the red cap off the leprechaun’s head and lowered him to the ground.

So the two of them set off. Across the field, and then across another, through a small thicket of trees, up and down ditches, over a boggy marsh and across a small stream they went. Paddy’s boots were wet and his legs were beginning to ache with tiredness and his stomach to grumble with hunger. At last they came to a field covered with thistles.

‘There,’ the leprechaun pointed to a large thistle plant that stood among hundreds of others. ‘If you dig under that one, you’ll be finding the gold that you want.’

Paddy grinned from ear to ear. Gold! He was going to be a rich man. Then he remembered he hadn’t got a spade with him to dig up the treasure. Suddenly he had an idea. He pulled off his sock and tied it to the plant so that he would recognize it again.

‘Promise me, he said to the leprechaun, ‘that you will not untie that sock.’

‘Now why would I want to be touching your smelly old sock?’ said the leprechaun.
‘My hat please.’ The leprechaun stretched out his hand towards Paddy.

Paddy took the cap from his top pocket and tossed it to the wee man. The leprechaun caught it, pulled it tightly on to his head. ‘Enjoy your gold,’ he laughed gleefully and then in a wink and a blink, he was gone.

Paddy hurried home and fetched a spade. Then back across the fields he ran, through the tress, up and over the ditches, across the marshland. With a leap he cleared the stream. As he ran, he thought of all the things he would do with the faery gold!

The sun was just beginning to set and the field itself was doused in a rich golden glow. He looked out across that field and gave a cry of dismay. Every thistle bush as far as his eye could see was tied with a sock exactly the same as his own. Poor Paddy! Heaving the spade back upon his shoulder, Paddy trudged home, without even so much as a penny.

Paddy never saw that leprechaun again, though sometimes, when he was out in the fields working, he felt sure he could hear a mischievous chuckle coming from the hedge. And whenever he pulled on his socks in the morning, Paddy would remember just how close he had come to finding the leprechaun’s gold.

St Patrick's Day

The boys made up their leprechaun traps the day before St Patrick's Day.  For the first trap, they dug a deep pit and placed enticing gems at the bottom with a tricky broken thin plank over the top.  For the second, they tied a complicated noose to a bush with a peg in the ground to set off the noose. 

 They dashed out early in the morning to check their traps but they hadn't caught any wee little men, but they found magic golden seeds sprinkled near each trap. 

On St Patrick's Day we wore green and ate colcannon and Irish Soda bread and the boys planted those magic seeds.

The next morning, as the sun was just rising over the trees,

 they woke and rushed out to check on their seeds and what did they find?

 Magic mushrooms and other sweet treats that had sprung up overnight!  Well, it isn't every day such funny magic happens and the boys are sure to remember all the fun for some time.

This is FourLeaf, our St Patrick's Day gnome.

 

Jediah having a chat with FourLeaf.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

"Like the gold of the sun, like the light of the day, may the luck of the Irish shine bright on your way. Like the glow of a star, and the lilt of a song, may these be your joys all your life long." - an Irish blessing

We are reading 'The King of Ireland's Son' at the moment - fantastic! Here is a story I tell the boys each year on this day.

Leprechaun Gold
One warm evening Paddy was making his way home when all of a sudden he heard a tap-tap-tapping sound coming from the hedge at the side of the road. Paddy stopped and listened. Well, it wasn’t a bird, nor did it sound like any other creature that might live in the hedgerow. Paddy quietly pushed the thick leafy tangle to one side and peered through the gap. And what did he see but a little man sitting in the field and alongside him was a small pile of tiny shoes, each shoe no bigger than Paddy’s thumb. The little man sat upon a little wooden stool, tapping away at one of those tiny shoes. He was dressed in green as bright and fresh as the spring grass, with a leathery apron and a bright red cap.

Paddy couldn’t believe his eyes or his luck. It was a leprechaun! He hardly dared blink for he knew if he took his eyes off that wee man the leprechaun would disappear and, with him, Paddy’s chances of ever finding the faery’s crock of gold.

Quietly, Paddy crept around the side of the hedge, over the stile and into the field. Slowly, he moved through the long grass until he was standing right behind the leprechaun. He stretched out his arm and snatched the leprechaun off his wee stool and held him by the scruff of his shirt.

The little man kicked and hollered: ‘Put me down, you great lug.’

‘I’ll put you down quick enough, once you’ve told me where you’ve hidden your gold,’ replied Paddy.

‘Gold,’ spluttered the leprechaun, ‘do you see any gold?’

‘Well, of course not,’ snorted Paddy. ‘You wouldn’t just leave it lying about, would you? Now tell where you’ve hidden it.’

‘I haven’t got any gold, you great thug. Now put me down!’ shouted the leprechaun as he dangled in mid-air.

‘What do you take me for?’ growled Paddy. ‘A fool? I know you’ve got gold and I won’t let you go until you tell me where it is.’ Paddy gave the little man a shake and the little man let out a squeal.

‘All right, I’ll tell you,’ he said, ‘but you’ll have to put me down so I can show you where it is.’

‘You’re a cunning wee fellow,’ laughed Paddy. ‘If I put you down, you’ll run away. So I tell you what, I’ll hold on to this until you keep your promise.’ And with that Paddy snatched the red cap off the leprechaun’s head and lowered him to the ground.

So the two of them set off. Across the field, and then across another, through a small thicket of trees, up and down ditches, over a boggy marsh and across a small stream they went. Paddy’s boots were wet and his legs were beginning to ache with tiredness and his stomach to grumble with hunger. At last they came to a field covered with thistles.

‘There,’ the leprechaun pointed to a large thistle plant that stood among hundreds of others. ‘If you dig under that one, you’ll be finding the gold that you want.’

Paddy grinned from ear to ear. Gold! He was going to be a rich man. Then he remembered he hadn’t got a spade with him to dig up the treasure. Suddenly he had an idea. He pulled off his sock and tied it to the plant so that he would recognize it again.

‘Promise me, he said to the leprechaun, ‘that you will not untie that sock.’

‘Now why would I want to be touching your smelly old sock?’ said the leprechaun.
‘My hat please.’ The leprechaun stretched out his hand towards Paddy.

Paddy took the cap from his top pocket and tossed it to the wee man. The leprechaun caught it, pulled it tightly on to his head. ‘Enjoy your gold,’ he laughed gleefully and then in a wink and a blink, he was gone.

Paddy hurried home and fetched a spade. Then back across the fields he ran, through the tress, up and over the ditches, across the marshland. With a leap he cleared the stream. As he ran, he thought of all the things he would do with the faery gold!

The sun was just beginning to set and the field itself was doused in a rich golden glow. He looked out across that field and gave a cry of dismay. Every thistle bush as far as his eye could see was tied with a sock exactly the same as his own. Poor Paddy! Heaving the spade back upon his shoulder, Paddy trudged home, without even so much as a penny.

Paddy never saw that leprechaun again, though sometimes, when he was out in the fields working, he felt sure he could hear a mischievous chuckle coming from the hedge. And whenever he pulled on his socks in the morning, Paddy would remember just how close he had come to finding the leprechaun’s gold.

* * *
We are dressed in green and full of plans for the day. Watch out leprahuans!

St Patrick's Day

This has to be one of the most fun festivals. How we love celebrating festivals here. The boys had their leprechaun trap all set up since almost a week ago. It was rather an elaborate design this year. Last year, they dug a hole and this year they wanted to tempt a wee man to follow their trail of jewels, climb up a string to the shiny white jewel nestled at the centre of the canes. They greased the canes with Vaseline to prevent him escaping. Well, they didn't manage to trap a leprechaun, but he did leave them a very small bag of magic seeds which they have planted. What treasure will sprout from those magic seeds?...


We've read lots of magical stories, listened to traditional Irish music. We've feasted on colcannon for lunch and this afternoon made Irish soda bread in the shape of a four leaf clover. And we've all worn green today.


A trio of green mischief!


The mother ship!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

"Like the gold of the sun, like the light of the day, may the luck of the Irish shine bright on your way. Like the glow of a star, and the lilt of a song, may these be your joys all your life long." - an Irish blessing

Irish Blessings

May love and laughter light your days,
And warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
Wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
With joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
Bring the best to you and yours.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today, we made Irish Soda bread in a four leafed clover shape.

Sol set up his leprechaun trap.

He set a trail of jewels as bait to entice a leprechaun.

He dug a deep hole under the big tree in our garden.  Deep and steep sided enough so the wee man won't be able to clamber out.  He wanted to line the walls with vaseline to make them slippery too.  He added more jewels at the bottom of the hole to further entice him.  Then covered the hole with lots of green foliage to attract him with the green and so the leprechaun won't see the hole and fall into the trap.  He also added a bit of sheep's wool at the bottom of the hole to soften the fall.

While there is no guarantee he will manage to trap a leprechaun, hopefully tomorrow morning he should find a trail of glitter as evidence of leprechaun presence and perhaps a small item dropped or snagged when the little chap makes his escape.  Last year, Sol found a tiny green top hat stuck in the noose he had set up and a sprinkle of gold! 

Leprechaun story - St Patrick's Day

Tomorrow is St Patrick's Day.  We love to celebrate this festival!  My father's side of the family originate from Wexford in southern Ireland.  A beautiful place!   This day gives me a good excuse to dust off the photo albums and show the children pictures of our travels around Ireland and to tell them family stories relating to Ireland.  One of them being how two brothers  (one of them being my great grandfather) and their cousins, eager for adventure and far off shores, joined the army to fight in the Boer war in South Africa a century and so ago.  Some of them dyed their greying beards black to pass for younger men!  And that is how my father's side of the family came to reside in southern Africa.  

Sol and Leo are in the process of planning designs for a leprechaun trap they are going to make in the garden today.  Tomorrow, we shall bake Irish Soda Bread and I have a special treasure for each child made by my friend Linda....

Here's our favourite story.

Leprechaun Gold

One warm evening Paddy was making his way home when all of a sudden he heard a tap-tap-tapping sound coming from the hedge at the side of the road. Paddy stopped and listened. Well, it wasn’t a bird, nor did it sound like any other creature that might live in the hedgerow. Paddy quietly pushed the thick leafy tangle to one side and peered through the gap. And what did he see but a little man sitting in the field and alongside him was a small pile of tiny shoes, each shoe no bigger than Paddy’s thumb. The little man sat upon a little wooden stool, tapping away at one of those tiny shoes. He was dressed in green as bright and fresh as the spring grass, with a leathery apron and a bright red cap.

Paddy couldn’t believe his eyes or his luck. It was a leprechaun! He hardly dared blink for he knew if he took his eyes off that wee man the leprechaun would disappear and, with him, Paddy’s chances of ever finding the faery’s crock of gold.

Quietly, Paddy crept around the side of the hedge, over the stile and into the field. Slowly, he moved through the long grass until he was standing right behind the leprechaun. He stretched out his arm and snatched the leprechaun off his wee stool and held him by the scruff of his shirt.

The little man kicked and hollered: ‘Put me down, you great lug.’

‘I’ll put you down quick enough, once you’ve told me where you’ve hidden your gold,’ replied Paddy.

‘Gold,’ spluttered the leprechaun, ‘do you see any gold?’

‘Well, of course not,’ snorted Paddy. ‘You wouldn’t just leave it lying about, would you? Now tell where you’ve hidden it.’

‘I haven’t got any gold, you great thug. Now put me down!’ shouted the leprechaun as he dangled in mid-air.

‘What do you take me for?’ growled Paddy. ‘A fool? I know you’ve got gold and I won’t let you go until you tell me where it is.’ Paddy gave the little man a shake and the little man let out a squeal.

‘All right, I’ll tell you,’ he said, ‘but you’ll have to put me down so I can show you where it is.’

‘You’re a cunning wee fellow,’ laughed Paddy. ‘If I put you down, you’ll run away. So I tell you what, I’ll hold on to this until you keep your promise.’ And with that Paddy snatched the red cap off the leprechaun’s head and lowered him to the ground.

So the two of them set off. Across the field, and then across another, through a small thicket of trees, up and down ditches, over a boggy marsh and across a small stream they went. Paddy’s boots were wet and his legs were beginning to ache with tiredness and his stomach to grumble with hunger. At last they came to a field covered with thistles.

‘There,’ the leprechaun pointed to a large thistle plant that stood among hundreds of others. ‘If you dig under that one, you’ll be finding the gold that you want.’

Paddy grinned from ear to ear. Gold! He was going to be a rich man. Then he remembered he hadn’t got a spade with him to dig up the treasure. Suddenly he had an idea. He pulled off his sock and tied it to the plant so that he would recognize it again. 
 
‘Promise me, he said to the leprechaun, ‘that you will not untie that sock.’
 
‘Now why would I want to be touching your smelly old sock?’ said the leprechaun.  
‘My hat please.’ The leprechaun stretched out his hand towards Paddy.

Paddy took the cap from his top pocket and tossed it to the wee man. The leprechaun caught it, pulled it tightly on to his head. ‘Enjoy your gold,’ he laughed gleefully and then in a wink and a blink, he was gone.

Paddy hurried home and fetched a spade. Then back across the fields he ran, through the tress, up and over the ditches, across the marshland. With a leap he cleared the stream. As he ran, he thought of all the things he would do with the faery gold!

The sun was just beginning to set and the field itself was doused in a rich golden glow. He looked out across that field and gave a cry of dismay. Every thistle bush as far as his eye could see was tied with a sock exactly the same as his own. Poor Paddy! Heaving the spade back upon his shoulder, Paddy trudged home, without even so much as a penny.

Paddy never saw that leprechaun again, though sometimes, when he was out in the fields working, he felt sure he could hear a mischievous chuckle coming from the hedge. And whenever he pulled on his socks in the morning, Paddy would remember just how close he had come to finding the leprechaun’s gold.