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Excerpt from Leprechaun Companion |
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Leprechaun Companion is a 96-page, heavily illustrated collection of leprechaun folklore. It is intended to be charming and fanciful, to the point where I'm not sure how much of it is authentic legend and how much, if any, came from the author's imagination. The book includes several tales of human encounters with leprechauns.
One of these stories is presented as a folk tale from Ireland's Munster province. A young man named Billy accepts a glass of whiskey from a cluricaune (the local name for a leprechaun), only to learn afterwards that he must pay for it by being the cluricaune's servant for seven years and a day. Billy is dismayed at first but soon discovers that this is a wonderful job. Every night he meets his master and picks two rushes from a bog, which the cluricaune magically transforms into horses. Then they ride to the house of a rich person, enter through the keyhole using magic, and drink all the liquor they can hold.
One night the cluricaune conjures up three horses instead of the usual two. They arrive at the home of that night's chosen victim to find a celebration in progress. And then the story suddenly turns into a variation of Leprechaun 2:
'Billy,' said the cluricaune suddenly, 'I will be a thousand years old tomorrow, so I think it is full time I took myself a wife. That is why we have come, for in this house, this very night, is young Darby Riley going to be married to Bridget Rooney. And as she is a tall and comely girl, and has come of decent people, I intend to marry her myself, and take her away with me.''And what will Darby Riley say to that?' asked Billy.
'I did not bring you to ask questions,' replied the cluricaune, and began the words that spirited them through keyholes. In they went and, without any of the company noticing, perched high in the rafters above the feast. Below them were the priest and the piper, Darby Riley, Bridget Rooney and all their families - brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins and proud parents, and many others besides. And the table groaned with food and drink for twice the number.
After a while it happened that the bride sneezed, and no-one thought to say 'Bless you!' as they should, because of the priest and how he should really be the first to do this. But the priest's mouth was just then full of pork, and after a moment's pause the feast went on without the blessing being said.
'Ha!' said the cluricaune happily to Billy, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, 'I have the half of her now, surely. Let her sneeze but twice more, and she is mine, in spite of priest, massbook and Darby Riley.'
A little later the fair Bridget sneezed again, but so softly that few besides the cluricaune noticed, and again no-one said 'God bless' as they should.
Billy by now was feeling very sorry for the poor girl, thinking what a terrible thing it was that so pretty a girl of nineteen, with large blue eyes, transparent skin and dimpled cheeks, should be forced to marry his master, who was as ugly as he was close to being a thousand years old. And the leering way the cluricaune looked down at her made his blood run cold.
Just then Bridget sneezed a third time and without thinking what he was doing Billy roared out: 'God save us all!'
The little man sprang up, face shining with rage and disappointment, and shrieked like a cracked bagpipe: 'I discharge you from my service, Billy MacDaniel. Take that for your wages!' And he kicked Billy so hard he fell from the rafters and landed flat in the middle of the table below.
The astonishment of the company can be imagined, but when they heard Billy's tale he was soon forgiven. Father Cooney laid down his knife and fork and speedily married the couple before more harm could come to them, and Billy MacDaniel danced and drank his fill in the celebration that followed afterwards. And that was the last he ever saw of his master.
Leprechaun 2 was released in 1994 and Leprechaun Companion was published five years later, so the movie plot couldn't have been derived from the book. The book doesn't cite its sources, but apart from this one story there's nothing to indicate that the author got his information by watching movies. Apparently the Lep 2 writers took the time and trouble to do some research into actual Irish folklore and incorporated it into the movie, and later the book used a similar source. How cool is that?!
