What’s the Difference Between a Leprechaun and a Clurichaun?

At first glance, leprechauns and clurichauns are so similar, it’s hard not to wonder if these wondrous wee entities are not one and the same. 

Or, as W. B. Yeats phrased it in his 1888 book Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry:

“Are these one spirit in different moods and shapes?”

Both are short, solitary fairies renowned for their shoe-making and mischievousness. But while leprechauns live in secluded places and obsess over treasure-hoarding, clurichauns live in wine cellars and obsess over drinking all of the alcohol they can find.

Pssst. You can watch a video adaptation of this article right here:

As a result, “[s]ome suppose he [the clurichaun] is merely the Lepracaun on a spree,” to quote Yeats again.

Yes, the hypothesis is that the clurichaun is not a distinct being, but rather a migratory leprechaun, one who has left the comfort of his secluded home to go on an eternal bender in someone’s basement. 

Here’s how Nicholas O’Kearney explained the clurichaun’s tendency toward tippling in his 1855 work, The Festivities at The House of Conan of Ceann-Sleibhe:

“[H]e [the clurichaun] was a jolly, red-faced, drunken little fellow, and was ever found in the cellars of the debauchee, Bacchus-like, astride of the wine-butt with a brimful tankard in hand, drinking and singing away merrily. Any wine cellar known to be haunted by this sprite was doomed to bring its owner to speedy ruin.”

A native of Monaghan, the clurichaun (also: cluracan, cluracaun, cluricaun, and cluricaune) was virtually unknown in Connaught and the far north of Ireland, where the leprechaun and its other variants reigned. This according to Yeats.

W. Y. Evans-Wentz, meanwhile, referred to the “clúracaun” as “a Munster sprite” in his 1911 book The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries.

And this aligns with Thomas Keightley’s observation—published in his 1828 book The Fairy Mythology—that “in the county of Cork it would seem that the Cluricaun…used to enact the part of Nis or Boggart.” 

FYI: In English folklore, a Nis is a type of household spirit or hobgoblin, while a Boggart is a generic term for a spirit that frightens people.

Now, geography aside, the clurichaun certainly seems to have a distinct appearance and demeanor—a darker one—in comparison to its more popular cousin the leprechaun, lending credence to Keightley’s Nis/Boggart comparison.

Here, I’m going to share D. R. McAnally, Jr.’s description of the clurichaun from his 1888 book Irish Wonders:

The Cluricawne of Monaghan is a little dandy, being gorgeously arrayed in a swallow-tailed evening coat of red with green vest, white breeches, black stockings, and shoes that ‘fur the shine av ’em ‘ud shame a lookin’-glass.’ His hat is a long cone without a brim, and is usually set jauntily on one side of his curly head. When greatly provoked, he will sometimes take vengeance by suddenly ducking and poking the sharp point of his hat into the eye of the offender. Such conduct is, however, exceptional, as he commonly contents himself with soundly abusing those at whom he has taken offence, the objects of his anger hearing his voice but seeing nothing of his person.”

Yikes. 

So it turns out the clurichaun is not only short, but short-tempered. 

And appearance-wise, we finally get the signature green (so commonly associated with leprechauns) in the form of a vest. 

What does this all mean?

Does the basement-raiding and the bad attitude and the slightly different outfit make the clurichaun a distinct creature from the leprechaun?

I’ll let Thomas Crofton Croker, author of the 1844 book Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland, have the final word:

“The Cluricaune of the county of Cork, the Luricaune of Kerry, and the Lurigadaune of Tipperary, appear to be the same as the Leprechan or Leprochaune of Leinster, and the Logherry-man of Ulster; and these words are probably all provincialisms of the Irish for a pigmy.”

Indeed, the name clurichaun comes from the Irish clobhair-ceann, the most popular translation of which is “small, curved body,” although “chatter-head” and “clover-head” are other, funner alternatives.

As for the etymology and meaning of leprechaun—well, we’ll just have to tackle that next, now won’t we?

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for my next post: “The Etymology of Leprechaun.”

---

Ready to meet the real St. Patrick? Check out…

Saint Patrick in Your Pocket

---