I’m not Irish but Eirinn Go Brach!
Posted on 04/18/2024 7:42:50 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Irish folklore has many mythical characters such as the banshees or Tir na nOg, but according to one man Leprechauns are 100 per cent real.
Kevin Woods, recognised as Ireland’s one and only leprechaun whisperer, recently shared astonishing claims on Ireland AM.
During the broadcast, Woods, who comes from Carlingford, County Louth and affectionately known as McCoillte, shared some of the secrets involving leprechauns and their long history which has become intertwined with human spirits.
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According to woods’ official website: ‘He talks to the 236 leprechauns that still exist there. They are affectionately known in Carlingford as “Carlichauns.”‘
Leprechaun population under threat ‘There are 236 left, there were millions of them,’ McCoillte revealed during the interview with Alan Hughes and Muireann O’Connell.
He went on to explain how leprechaun spirits began to bond with human souls centuries ago, a time when Vikings first invaded Ireland. This attachment, he claimed, was a kindly act to help the Irish people during the brutal Viking occupation.
Survival efforts and skepticism As the spokesperson for these mystical beings, McCoillte has taken it upon himself to ensure the survival of this species, dwindling in numbers as belief in their existence wanes.
‘They all died. There were millions of them, as you know, all over Ireland. The leprechaun spirit attached itself to the human spirit, and it didn’t do that until the Vikings came to Ireland, say around 802. They were so cruel,’ he commented.
Addressing viewers’ doubts, he added, ‘If I said to some people about God, people tell me that’s a lot of nonsense or if they tell me that Simon Harris is the new Taoiseach, and whatever and he’s going to be useless… 50 per cent — I may think he’s wonderful, but others may think he’ll be useless!’
Cultural impact and leprechaun legacy The decline in leprechaun numbers is not just a matter of supernatural concern but reflects a broader cultural shift as Irish emigration surged post-famine, reducing the believers who fuelled their existence.
Despite his family’s disinterest in inheriting his unique role, McCoillte remains committed. He encourages psychic visitors to the leprechaun’s cavern beneath Slieve Foye mountain, where the remaining Irish elves reside, to embrace this mystical gift.
Damn you, climate change!
They’re always after their lucky charms.
I’m not Irish but Eirinn Go Brach!
Eating unhealthy cereals is why there are only 236 left.
gods, and spiritual creatures lose their power as beliefs waver, and the number of believers plumet.
Many past gods we know as names only, many more have been forgotten altogether. That is the only way an immortal spirit can cease to exist.
But like the Highlander movie:
In the end there can only be One.
Punchline of very old joke: “Aren’t you a wee bit old to be believin’ in leprechauns?”
“They’re always after their lucky charms.”
So they all died of Diabeetus?
Mystical? Nah, doubtful, but secretive and other-social and all that might go with the size disadvantage, sure. Think of dogs, cats, horses even, which exist in a wide variety of sizes. If I were a quarter the size (or less) of most humans, I might avoid them, make up protective tales, try the occasional alliance, and perhaps duck out of sight the moment they look away.
Bfl
So the Irish were not cruel to the Romans before the Vikings arrived. Sounds like romatic BS to me.
So, what does he think contributes to the decline, disbelief in them? So, if more people believe then the wee people will increase in numbers? Didn’t I read this in a book by Barrie?
As for the Vikings being cruel; about as cruel as the Saxons, Normans (Frenchified Vikings), Vandals, Goths, Visigoths, and all the other humpty-dumpties that came along. In ancient Ireland one of the great pastimes was the raiding for cattle and wives. Our family takes it’s name from the Viking Hrothrekr. We’re as Irish as they come. We stole cattle and women from the Gaels and they from us. It wasn’t long until the bloodlines were so mixed that the only Viking left was in some root words and names. Our family was deposed by William of Orange after the Battle of the Boyne. Our land and wealth forfeit but not our titles or honors. And so it was, defeated by an English come Dutch king. It is the history of the world. Families, peoples, nations raise and fall. Bloodlines mix. None of us are really what we quite romantically envision. I think I’ll have some more of that liquid sunshine and get off my soapbox.
My favorite little people https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIT_ov0lOXo with a pot of gold thrown in.
Thanks nickcarraway.
Yes; the teenager who would eventually become Saint Patrick was actually a British adolescent fishing on the shores of Cornwall, from whence he was kidnapped and enslaved by Irish pirates in the 800's A.D.
There has since ancient days been small boating, fishing and shipping businesses in Louth, including at Annagassan, which during the Potato Famine years, ferried many starving Irish who were destined for the ports of New York, Philadelphia, Havre de Grace and Baltimore. I do not know if boats sailed transatlantically from Annagassan, or merely connected to the presumably larger nearby deportation docks of Dundalk.
Now, for much of the year, Annagassan is mostly a couple of pubs, some village houses, fishing works and sheep farms, but it holds an occasional Viking Festival (recently interrupted by the plandemic) and a Viking 10K Coastal Run.
If you are in that area of Ireland, it's not a far drive either from Louth or from Dublin over to County Meath and Sláine (Saint Patrick's Hill), and nearby, the ancient pagan Hill of Tara.
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