May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine on your window pane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
A Wee Bit ‘O Leprechauns
The leprechaun is a solitary creature avoiding contact with mortals and other leprechauns–indeed the whole fairy tribe. He pours all of his passion into the concentration of carefully making shoes. A leprechaun can always be found with a shoe in one hand and a hammer in the other.
Most leprechauns are ugly, stunted creatures, not taller than boys of the age of ten or twelve. But they are broad and bulky, with faces like dried apples. They have a mischievous light in their eyes and their bodies, despite their stubbiness, usually move gracefully.
They possess all the earth’s treasures, but prefer to dress drab. Usually grey or green colored coats, a sturdy pocket-studded apron, and a hat—sometimes green or dusty red colored.
They have been know to be foul-mouthed and they smoke ill-smelling pipes calld ‘dudeens’ and they drink quite a bit of beer from ever handy jugs. But the other fairies endure them because they provide the much needed service of cobblery.
Leprechauns guard the fairies’ treasures. They must prevent it’s theft by mortals. They, alone, remember when the marauding Danes landed in Ireland and where they hid their treasure. Although, they hide the treasures well, the presence of a rainbow alerts mortals to the whereabouts of gold hordes. This causes the leprechauns great anxiety—for no matter how fast he moves his pot of gold, he never can get away from rainbows.
If a mortal catches a leprechaun and sternly demands his treasure, he will give it to the mortal. Rarely does this happen.
Occassionally, especially after a wee too much beer, he will offer a mortal not only a drink but some of his treasure.
Contentment Cottage 