The belief in leprechauns is traced back to Celtic pagan belief in fairies.  They were depicted as a loners, who liked to cause mischief.  In some stories, they were the shoe makers of the other fairies.

Leprechauns are usually shown as having a hidden treasure of gold.  Many of the stories deal with how to catch one and have him give you the gold.  Some said that they can be found by tracking the sound of their shoe makers’ hammers  while others said the pot of gold can be found at the end of the rainbow.  In one legend, a young man caught the leprechaun, and the leprechaun told him that the gold was buried under a plant in the field.  The young man tied a red ribbon around the plant and made the leprechaun promise not to remove the ribbon when he left to get a shovel.  The leprechaun kept his promise, however, he had tied a red ribbon on all the plants in the field. 

The visual image of the leprechaun has changed over the years as well.  Earlier descriptions have them wearing red clothes and a shoemakers apron. Most of the time, they are older and wearing glasses.  It wasn’t until more recently that their clothing became green because they were associated with Ireland.  The Disney movie “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” changed the image of the leprechaun a great deal.  “This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly evolved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland in general.”

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