Frequently Asked Questions
These questions are answered in good faith on the basis of the traditional record, the archive's own material, and twenty-seven years of correspondence. Where a question cannot be answered responsibly, we say so. A question is added to this page when it has been asked at least twice. Please read this page in full before writing in; in our experience it resolves most enquiries.
General
Are leprechauns real?
This archive documents that accounts exist. People have reported leprechauns, searched for leprechauns, printed newspaper articles about leprechauns and, on at least one occasion, closed a municipal park because of leprechauns. Those are historical facts, and they are recorded here with their sources. Whether any of those accounts had a leprechaun at the bottom of them is a separate question, on which the archive maintains no corporate position. Individual volunteers hold a range of views.
Are there leprechauns in the United Kingdom?
The leprechaun belongs to Irish tradition, and the strongest material comes from Ireland, which is a separate country; see our International Reference Cases. However, reports described by the witnesses as leprechauns have been made in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, most notably the Liverpool events of 1964. This archive documents such reports without asserting that the description was correct.
Does Irish ancestry make a sighting more likely?
We are asked this regularly, usually from North America. The traditional record offers no support for the idea, and the archive classifies reports without reference to the witness's ancestry.
What is the difference between a leprechaun and a clurichaun?
In the traditional sources the clurichaun is a related solitary figure with a pronounced attachment to cellars and drink. Some writers treat him as the same creature at a later stage of the evening. The archive follows Yeats in listing them separately, while acknowledging that the sources themselves are not consistent on the point.
Reports and evidence
I believe I have seen a leprechaun. What should I do?
First consult the identification guide, paying particular attention to the section on common false identifications. Note the date, time, location, weather, distance, duration, and what the figure was wearing, at the time and in writing. Do not approach, detain, or bargain with the figure. Report intake is currently suspended, but records made contemporaneously retain their value.
Do you pay for photographs?
No.
Can a leprechaun legally refuse to disclose the location of gold?
This is asked more often than you might expect, usually in the week after St Patrick's Day. We cannot give legal advice. We would note that in the traditional accounts, information obtained from a leprechaun under pressure is unreliable, and we would advise against acting on it.
My child wishes to build a leprechaun trap. Is this advisable?
The leprechaun trap is an American tradition, apparently dating from the 1990s and apparently from the schools; it has no British or Irish history, and the archive first heard of it by letter in 2008 (see the correspondence archive), and it has been asked about every March since. We do not recommend traps: the archive's standing guidance is against detaining any figure, and no trap of any design has ever, to our knowledge, been recorded as catching one. As a school craft project the matter is outside the archive's scope, except to say that the engineering is often admirable.
Can you pass a letter on to a leprechaun?
No. The archive has no means of forwarding correspondence to any leprechaun and does not know of anyone who has. Letters sent to us for forwarding are kept with the writer's other correspondence, unopened where that was clearly the writer's wish. Younger readers are directed to the sightings archive, which is suitable for school projects.
Where can I read the original newspaper reports?
Most are available through library newspaper archives and microfilm services. The sources section of each case file gives the titles and dates. Where an article is available online, a link is provided. Your local library can usually arrange access to the British Newspaper Archive or an inter-library loan.
May I use material from this site in a school or college project?
Yes, with attribution. Where possible, please cite the original sources given in each case file rather than this website, as they are the better authority.
This website
Is this website connected to the government?
No.
Do you sell anything? Is there a book?
No. The archive has no shop and no book. The reading list gives the books we use.
Why has my email not been answered?
Email is read in batches, a few times a year, and answered in the order received; see contact. Please do not resend a message because it has not been answered. It has been received, and duplicates are filed with the original.
Why was my report not included in the archive?
The most common reasons are: insufficient information; identification of the figure as a garden ornament, escaped pet, or man standing far away; the report describing a dream, however vivid; and the report being, on its own stated terms, a joke. Inclusion decisions are explained in the classification policy. Decisions are reviewed if new information arrives.