But my Irish grandmother used to blame them for everything! If something disappeared, something got broken, etc - it was the leprechaun that did it, Plus she used to swear they drank her Schoenling little kings ale!

 

The name leprechaun may have derived from the Irish leath bhrogan (shoemaker), although its origins may lie in luacharma'n (Irish for pygmy). These apparently aged, diminutive men are frequently to be found in an intoxicated state, caused by home-brew poteen. However they never become so drunk that the hand which holds the hammer becomes unsteady and their shoemaker's work affected.

Leprechauns have also become self-appointed guardians of ancient treasure (left by the Danes when they marauded through Ireland), burying it in crocks or pots. This may be one reason why leprechauns tend to avoid contact with humans whom they regard as foolish, flighty (and greedy?) creatures. If caught by a mortal, he will promise great wealth if allowed to go free. He carries two leather pouches. In one there is a silver shilling, a magical coin that returns to the purse each time it is paid out. In the other he carries a gold coin which he uses to try and bribe his way out of difficult situations. This coin usually turns to leaves or ashes once the leprechaun has parted with it.However, you must never take your eye off him, for he can vanish in an instant.

Sources: http://www.irelandseye.com/animation/explorer/leprechaun.html

There are a number of sources that say flatly, female leprechauns do not exist.  Lady Anna, who decended from the Irish at Tripod.com states flat out "female leprechauns do not exist."  Wisegeek notes "there are no female leprechauns noted in folklore, begging an obvious question. Then again, faeries don't follow the same rules as humankind.  Chiff.com wryly states, "There is no mention to be found of female leprechauns in traditional Irish legend, so as to how they came to be .. your guess is as good as mine."  I could go on, but you get the drift.

 

On the other hand, there are also sites that do describe female leprechauns.  Google claims that radiohead.com has a message stating, "Female leprechauns live in caves - ask a leprechaun 29th Mar 2008."  However, when I clicked on the link, it didn't go anywhere useful.  Answerbag jokes that female leprechauns are Leprechicks.  Interestingly, the avatar of the person with this answer, NoWayJose, looks a lot like one of our compatriots avatars:   

Kris Dueck, some blogger from somewhere, went on holiday to Ireland, with the express purpose of "fall[ing] in love with a female leprechaun." He later claims, "As my tour group stared at the magnificent Polna Brone Dolmen burial tomb, my eyes scanned the shadows in search of magical eyes. At first I wasn't sure it was a lady, but her red beard was silky soft, and freshly manicured. A word about female leprechauns; unattractive. I stuck my hand down the hole, and felt her long soft facial hair. Then she bit me. " 

The  St. Patrick's Day of Central Texas Parade & Festival rhetorically asks, "Did you know that all "real" female leprechauns are beautiful?"  Then they claim: "It's a fact!"

So, clearly, the sources are all over the place on this one.  That's the trouble with Google, as we all know. 

OK, so I'm a geek.  I work at a University.  I used JSTOR to find a scholarly article.  Blech!  In Fairies and the Folklore of Disability: Changelings, Hybrids and the Solitary Fairy, by Susan Schoon Eberly, published in Folklore, Vol. 99, No. 1 (1988), pp. 58-77, she seems to be saying that a possible origin for all these little critters (brownies, sprites, pixies, leprechauns, etc) is children with congenital diseases: cleft lips, downs syndrome, and many other things too awful to mention.  There are two pages of pictures of children with deformed heads.  Maybe these children were tossed out, and left to fend for themselves, and that's why people would put out milk and crusts at night, to assuage their guilt.  In different areas, people might make up different names, or maybe each different shape was given a different name. 

 

OK, so that's probably more than you wanted to know.  Suddenly, this isn't fun any more.  It was so sad, in the past, that deformed kids were tossed out, and seen as evil or worthless.

 

My opinion?  I think we can make it up however we want to.  These are magical, nonexistent creatures anyway.  You want a female leprechaun?   I give you one.  You think it's more intriguing that there are none?  I'll give you that.  It's your call.

From:  http://holidays.net/stpattys/rainbow.htm

 

 

A Pot of Gold
at the End of the Rainbow

Physics teaches that rainbows are created when the sunlight reflects off of raindrops, breaking up the light into different wavelengths of color. This atmospheric phenomenon is most likely to occur immediately after a rain shower, when the sun is shining again, but condensation still lingers in the air.

The rare and lovely appearance of rainbows makes them incredibly magical for children and adults alike. Perhaps this magic first inspired the notion of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Dating back to Old Europe, the legend of the pot of gold is claimed enthusiastically by the Irish. They'll tell you that fairies put the gold there and then the leprechauns guard it. This folklore has become part of the symbolism of St. Patrick's Day, a holiday that celebrates everything Irish � including the hope and luck it takes to find that elusive pot of gold.

If you don't want to spend (or waste) your time searching for treasure on St. Patrick's Day, you can instead try this fun craft of making a rainbow and pot of gold at home with your kids. You'll need a paper plate, a toilet paper roll, a few cotton balls and some glue, paint and gold glitter.

Cut the toilet paper roll to about 2 inches in height and paint it black.

Cut the paper plate in half and then cut out an arc shape from the ridged edge of the plate. The end of the arc should be narrow enough to fit into the tissue roll. Paint the arc to look like a rainbow.

Once the paint dries, slip the end of the rainbow into the roll and glue in place. Paint the cotton balls gold and sprinkle them liberally with gold glitter. Let them dry and then stuff inside the remaining space of the roll. Glue into place as needed.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Rainbow

In Irish legend Leprechauns bury pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, but since a rainbow can only be seen at a distance, the gold is forever illusive. In Greek and Roman mythology, Iris the goddess of the rainbow was one of the messengers of the gods. A rainbow is a bridge used by soul boats in Indonesia. The Arabs and the Bantu people of Africa believe the rainbow to be a divine bow for firing arrows. In Christian tradition, the rainbow represents the throne of Christ.

 

From:  http://www.knowth.com/rainbow.htm

 

Sources: What I found on the net. (: Spatzie :)