By Max Fisher
Thick accents, red hair, green clothes, and pots of gold. Leprechauns. What are they? Who are they? And Where are they from? The Current OC is here to solve the mystery of these little green men. The origin of the leprechaun has stemmed straight from the motherland of Ireland. The word “leprechaun” has been passed through generations and generations of families. The name leprechaun is derived from the Irish word leipreachán, defined by Patrick Dinneen as “a pigmy, a sprite, or leprechaun”. Another popular origin of the name comes from the Old Irish luchorpán, a compound of the roots lú which means small and corp which means body. The original story of the leprechaun is mentioned in the fable Adventure of Fergus son of Léti. In this story, the King of Ulster falls asleep on the beach and wakes to find himself being dragged into the sea by three leprechauns. The King captures his abductors, who grant him three wishes in exchange for release. These mystical creatures also play a part in politics. The Republic of Ireland relies on Leprechauns as a way to draw in tourists from foreign countries. The Current OC is here to search for one of these mysterious Leprechauns.
We traveled to the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary where there have been reports of leprechauns this time of year. We went through and tried to find any sings or evidence of leprechauns.