Clurichaun

A representation of a Clurichaun in T. C. Croker's Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland

The clurichaun (pronounced /ˈklʊərɨkɔːn/), or clobhair in O'Kearney, is an Irish fairy which resembles the leprechaun. Some folklorists describe the clurichaun as a night "form" of the leprechaun, who goes out to drink after finishing his daily chores.^[1] Others regard them as regional variations on the same creature.^[2]

Clurichauns are said to always be drunk. However, unlike their cousins, they are surly. Many fables conclude clurichauns enjoy riding sheep and dogs at night. If you treat them well they will protect your wine cellar, and if mistreated, they will wreak havoc on your home and spoil your wine stock. In some tales, they act as buttery spirits, plaguing drunkards or dishonest servants who steal wine; if the victim attempts to move away from their tormentor, the clurichaun will hop into a cask to accompany them.^[3]

In popular culture

• The clurichaun appears in the popular Irish folk ballad "The Little Skillet Pot" as recorded by The Black Family and others: "and you'd wander down the boreen where the clurichaun was seen, and you'd whisper loving phrases to your own dear sweet colleen".

• The clurichauns appear alongside leprechauns and banshees in the short story "Herself" by Diane Duane, which has been published in a collection of Irish fantasy short stories, Emerald Magic.

• The clurichauns appear in the popular children's book The Warlock: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott as one of the creatures planned to be loosed on the city of San Francisco by Niccolo Machiavelli and Billy the Kid.

• A clurichaun named Nageneen appears as a character in the Callahan's Crosstime Saloon novels "The Callahan Touch" and "Callahan's Legacy." On the opening night of Jake's bar "Mary's Place," the clurichaun drinks up every drop of booze in the bar by magically transporting the alcohol to his stomach. He's captured and three wishes are extorted from him. At first the crowd plans on using the last wish to get rid of him. In the end, they decide to let him stay by using the third wish to get him to legitimately pay for his drinks. As a result the amount of money coming into the bar is effectively tripled.

References

1. ^ W. B. Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, in A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend, and Folklore, p 80, ISBN 0-517-48904-X.
2. ^ Katharine Briggs, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures, "Leprechauns", p264. ISBN 0-394-73467-X.
3. ^ Katharine Briggs, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures, "Clurichaun", p77. ISBN 0-394-73467-X.