The Clurichaun
A Meeting With The Leprechauns’ Surly Cousin
By Dikki-Jo Mullen
(many thanks to The Witches’ Almanac for their gracious permission to reprint the portions of this article which were first published in The Witches’ Almanac.)
The picture shows a pair of leprechauns. The figures are iron, heavy and very, very old. They have quite a history. In Antigo, Wisconsin many years ago there was a pub called The Green Parrot. It was across the road from the Inn that my family owned and where I lived as a child. The Green Parrot was owned by a cheerful lady named Marie Bartz. One day (in the 1960’s) she came over with the leprechaun twins. She said the statues were about a century old then and had been in the basement of her old building when she bought it. She had a feeling that I should have them. I was thrilled and they are with me to this day. They talk in my dreams sometimes and are wonderful story tellers. Here is one of the stories they have told.
“One night near Lammas, not so long ago at a pub in Ireland, one Felix O’ Driscoll had a wee bit too much to drink. He began to debate with a lady, a Ms. Fitzpatrick, about the fairies. She was shocked when O’Driscoll shouted aloud that he thought the Little People were a load of nonsense and stated that he especially didn’t believe in the Clurichaun (kloor -a-kawn). All the tales about them were the greatest load of foolishness, he added.
This attracted the attention of all the patrons in the pub. It is widely considered most unwise in Ireland to deny the existence of the fey folk. Everyone gathered around to hear how the conversation would go. The lady shouted back that there were certainly Clurichauns because her own father, an honest man if there ever was one, had met one. She offered this account of the event.
It was one fine evening in late summer when her father, Thomas Fitzpatrick, saw a tiny brown jug as he strolled near a hedge. Curious, he took a closer look and saw a little man perched on a stool, holding two more jugs, one in each hand. Without taking his eyes away, Thomas wished the Clurichaun good afternoon and asked what was in the jugs. The wee one answered civilly that it was a good beer made from heather tops, adding that the recipe had been taught to his great great grandparents by some visiting Danes and was kept a family secret ever since. As a pretext Thomas asked for a taste. He then grabbed the Clurichaun and asked where his gold was hidden. The wee one wriggled and made a face. He tried to tell Thomas that to be getting home as his cows had broken through the fence and were trampling the neighbor’s field. Thomas almost turned away, then he remembered how wily the Clurichauns were. He insisted upon being shown the gold. The two debated a while, but Thomas stood his ground and held on.
Finally the Clurichaun obliged. He led Thomas for a very long distance over rough country. At last they came to a vast field of ragwort plants. The Clurichaun pointed to one of the plants and said that all the gold Thomas could ever want was buried right there. Thomas was delighted, but said he had to go and get his shovel. The exhausted Clurichaun lit his tiny pipe and pleaded to could go, since Thomas no longer needed him. He was so tired, he added. Being a kind hearted gentleman, Thomas agreed as he tied a red scarf around the money plant. He then hurried home. When Thomas returned with the shovel the Clurichaun was no where to be seen. Every plant in the vast field had identical pieces of red cloth tied to it.
The Clurichaun are found mostly in County Cork. They are small, about two feet high, with grey wrinkled skin and red noses. Always drunk, their great loves are spirits, especially heather ale and whiskey, as well as tobacco. They enjoy riding during moonlit nights on the backs of sheep and dogs. The Clurichauns are solitary folk. They tend to wear old fashion tri-cornered or pointed hats (which they have been known to use as weapons), red swallow tailed evening coats with large silver buttons, red breeches, blue or grey stockings, and high heeled shoes with buckles. The more sociable Leprechauns, also called trooping fairies, tend to dress in green.
Some say the Clurichauns are merely Leprechauns on a drinking spree. It has also been rumored that Leprechauns, who diligently work all day as expert cobblers, change into Clurichauns after hours. This just isn’t true. The two types of wee folk are far too different to be one and the same. Although their names come from a common Middle Irish root word meaning a sprite or pigmy and both are expert con artists, the Clurichauns have completely different priorities and personalities than their more sober cousins.
The Leprechaun presents himself as a kind of jovial banker or cobbler. Industrious and prosperous, Leprechauns are usually seen working as fast as they can to finish a single shoe. Leprechauns are greedy for gold, and have been spotted carrying a pot full to hide at the end of the rainbow. The Clurichaun are also wealthy, but prefer to frequent wine cellars, acting as self appointed guardians of fine liquors, instead of laboring. The Clurichaun are rather manic depressive in character. One minute they will be singing and whistling like quite affable drunks. In an instant they might turn sullen and morose. They have been known to be helpful, attaching themselves to households to scare any dishonest servants who attempt to steal the wine.
The magic of the Clurichaun is at its most powerful when Lammas is celebrated. That’s when the ingredients for the various ales, wines and liquors are ready to harvest. The first potatoes are ready to dig, there are plenty of hops, heather blossoms, and the many fruits of autumn are sweet and fresh.
The sinister Fir Darrig of Donegal, who is a feared and macabre practical joker, the more provincial Loghery Man of Ulster, Lurigadaune of Tipperary and Luricane of Kerry are other cousins of the Clurichauns. It seems that no female members of this extended Leprechaun family have ever been observed.”
Here is a contemporary version of the potent heather ale recipe attributed to the Clurichaun.
Heather Ale
Origin: British Period: Traditional
Ingredients:
20l of unchlorinated water
1.8 kg pale malt extract
350g caramel malt
120g roasted barley
1 kg Maris Otter pale malt
250g Munich malt
30g Pacific Gem bittering hop
30g Kent Goldings finishing hops
30g Hallertaur Mittlefrueh finishing hops
250g fresh heather tips
Yeast (eg Wyeast 1318 London Ale III style or 1728 Scottish Ale)
For bottling add 200ml malt extract
Method:
Preparation
A basic listing of ingredients is given. For a specific brewing method please consult a step-by-step guide.
