Catch a Leprechaun

Training to catch a leprechaun is a fun family activity near St. Patrick’s Day. You must first learn about Irish folklore, and then develop a plan to catch the Irish trickster with traps and games.

Steps

Making a Leprechaun Trap

1. Build a trap for a leprechaun. Because they are said to be little people, you could build a trap for a leprechaun out of a shoe box. Either way, choose something small.
   • Make a trap door in it. Or prop it up with a dowel that you glue to it.
   • In addition to a shoebox, you could use anything small, such as a clean can, a paper towel roll, a bag, a net, or an old shoe. You could also put honey inside the trap so the leprechaun will get stuck inside the trap.
   • Cut a hole in the top of the shoebox, and cover it with a small piece of felt. You will place your bait on top of the felt. When the leprechaun snatches it, the leprechaun will fall down the hole and into the box.
2. Make a trap out of a cylinder. You could use a cookie can or oatmeal cylindrical container instead, cover it in scrapbook paper, and prop a cardboard ladder up the side. If the leprechaun enters this vault, he won’t be able to get out.
   • Put two holes in either side of the cylinder at the top and put a toothpick or other small stick through each end.
   • Tape a perfect circle you make out of construction paper to the skewer. This will make a swinging trap door.
3. Make the trap shiny. Since leprechauns are drawn to shiny things, you could wrap the top of the leprechaun trap with tin foil.
   • You could also paint it gold. Sprinkle it with glitter and other shiny decorations that will appeal to a leprechaun.
   • Some people paint their leprechaun traps green in honor of the leprechauns' native Ireland. Decorate the trap with Irish symbols the leprechaun will like. Four-leaf clovers and rainbows may attract the leprechaun.
4. Put a trinket inside the trap to draw in the leprechaun. Since leprechauns are tied to gold, that’s a good choice for bait.
   • Try an earring. Gold coins are said to make good bait for leprechauns. You can buy gold foil covered chocolate coins at candy stores. As for food and drink, leprechauns like whiskey and dandelion tea. They live in the wild, so they eat nuts and mushrooms.
   • Put the box in a corner and wait for the leprechaun to take the bait. Time your trap right. Folklore holds that leprechauns are very active the night before St. Patrick's Day (March 17).
   • Go looking for secluded spots around the yard. Leprechauns like to use rocky places, caves, holes and other hidden areas to live and make their shoes.
5. Spot where the leprechaun has been there. How do you know if you trap snagged a curious leprechaun?
   • A trail of green or gold glitter may be spotted leading into and out of the trap. Perhaps a leprechaun would leave a trail of Lucky Charms cereal if you really want to get creative.
   • The leprechaun might turn a nearby cup of milk green with green food coloring or leave tiny footprints around.A leprechaun is no taller than {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} 6 inches (75cm),so his feet are smaller than most human footprints.

Playing a Catch the Leprechaun Game

1. Play “Catch the Leprechaun” with a group of kids. Make a boundary in which to play tag.
   • Give 3 to 5 kids a gold coin and a gold sash. Tell them they are the leprechauns. Name the other students “the Shamrocks.” Play tag, and when a leprechaun is tagged, he or she must give up the gold coin.
   • Whoever gets the most gold coins wins. Play again with new leprechauns to give everyone a chance to win.
2. Make a leprechaun scavenger hunt. Use the method for creating barefoot leprechaun prints with tempera paint.
   • Have your children follow the footprints to the next clue. Leave a leprechaun item, like a pipe, small hat, coin, rainbow or shoe at each station.
   • Place riddles at each station that they have to solve before moving on. Make a pot of gold filled with chocolate coins at the end as the treasure. Leave a note from the leprechaun teasing the kids to catch him next year.

Handling a Leprechaun after Catching One

1. Beware of the tricks leprechauns play. Captured leprechauns are said to give you three wishes and a gold coin. Leprechauns are tricksters. There are many Irish fables about people choosing wishes that backfire.
   • For example, there was a man named Seamus from County Mayo who wanted to be the richest man on a tropical island. But he found himself alone on the island and ended up using his third wish to return to Ireland.
   • Leprechauns will trick you by twisting the mind. They are smart and will try to confuse you into making the wrong wishes. Don’t trust them because they are devious.
2. Know what leprechauns stand for. Leprechauns are said to be part of a fairy world made up of little people and who are called the Luacharman. They are known as tiny shoemakers, cobblers for the fairy world. Sometimes they are called the "wee people."
   • Leprechauns are connected to gold. It’s believed they watch the golden treasure left by Danish people who invaded Ireland more than 1,000 years ago. So if you catch one, according to legend, the leprechaun will have to tell you where the gold is hidden because he is compelled to tell the truth by fairy law.
   • Look the leprechaun in the eye. According to Irish folklore, fairy law holds that Leprechauns must also be courteous. But if you look away from it, the leprechaun is freed from these rules and likely to vanish.
3. Figure out how leprechauns operate. This will help you catch them, and figure out what to do with them when you do. For one, leprechauns rarely travel in groups. They are solitary creatures.
   • Leprechauns are male. They are said to be friends of the robin. They like to drink alcohol, which is one reason some leprechauns are evil. But they are generally harmless, if a bit mischievous. There is nothing to fear.
   • They are old-fashioned and a bit shabby. They don't like conformity so if you catch one it will probably have something like a green jacket and red pants. They wear tall hats and have shoes with big buckles on them.

Finding a Leprechaun in Ireland

1. Go to the Thurles fairy ring. This ring is a large green circle located near the town of Thurles in County Tipperary, Ireland. It’s located in a meadow named the Glen of Cloongallon.
   • A large 600-year-old oak tree grows in this meadow and legend holds that leprechauns saved the oak from the English Tudors.
   • You can see this grove online, where a fairy watch webcam is trained on it at all times.
2. Look throughout the Irish countryside. Leprechauns are known to burrow underground in a secret network of caves throughout Ireland.
   • They love music and might be heard playing the fiddle or the Irish harp, especially at night.
   • The other sound they make is a "tap, tap" sound that occurs when they are working on shoes.
3. Know the geographic differences among leprechauns. Some people believe you won't find leprechauns in America. They are Irish (so, of course they have an Irish accent!)
   • Leinster leprechauns like honey and aren't dressed too flamboyantly. The Ulster leprechauns are poets and healers. They wear pointed shoes. The Munster leprechaun has legendary drinking habits.
   • The Meath leprechaun is known for his diplomacy.He is also known for his chattiness.The Connaught leprechaun is serious and industrious. They are the most secretive.
   • There is a small leprechaun garden in Portland, Oregon in the United States.

Video

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Things You'll Need

• Green paint
• Gold coins
• Shoe box
• Tissue paper
• Glue
• Glitter
• Green felt/construction paper
• Chocolate coins

Related Articles

• Hold a St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun Hunt
• Make Leprechaun Footprints
• Build a Leprechaun Trap
• Make a Leprechaun Hat

Sources and Citations

See also

• Say Happy St. Patrick's Day in Gaelic
• Say Cheers in Irish
• Count to 100 in Irish
• Say I Love You in Irish