One of the most popular themes for stories was the spirit world. Ireland was widely known to be inhabited by all manner of fairies. The fairies were notoriously mischievous, and a vast array of stories described the mysterious tricks they played on unsuspecting mortals.

The Leprechaun

The leprechaun is perhaps the most famous of Ireland's little people. In one story, a man came down from his fields one day and he went to look after his old mare, who had served him well for many years. When he approached the stable, he heard a loud hammering sound. He peeked in through a window and spotted a funny little man sitting under his mare, hammering away at some shoes and whistling the prettiest tune you ever heard. The man realized what he had in his stable — a leprechaun.

A leprechaun

Leprechauns are famous for their shoemaking abilities, but they're even more famous for their gold. The man knew this, so he snuck in the backdoor and tiptoed up behind the little man. The leprechaun was so busy making his shoes that he didn't notice the man until the man had caught the leprechaun fast. “I have you now,” the man said, “and I won't let you go until I have your gold!”

“Stop, you're squeezing too hard!” said the leprechaun. “Let me go for a moment and I'll get you the gold.” Eager for the gold, the man released the leprechaun, who, quick as a wink, ran out the door. All the man had left was the little shoe that the leprechaun had been making. The man didn't get any gold, but his wife said that it was the prettiest shoe she'd ever seen.

The Coin That Came Back

Some fairies were thought to be helpful, in their own mysterious ways. One story tells of a man who started feeling faint while in church. He walked outside to clear his head, and a gentleman approached to ask if he was all right. The man explained that he was feeling faint. The gentleman handed him a florin (a valuable coin) and told him to go have a whiskey at the local pub (Irish whiskey, of course, has amazing curative powers). The man thanked him and walked to the pub.

He paid for his drink with the florin, took the change, and drank down the whiskey. In no time at all he was feeling better. The man went home thinking nothing of it.

The next day he was going fishing, so he went to the store to buy some tobacco for his trip. When he reached into his pocket to get some money, he was surprised to find that the same florin was in his pocket. He paid with the florin, took the change, and walked away smoking, wondering what had happened. On the way home after fishing, he stopped by the bakery for some bread. He discovered that the same florin was in his pocket again.

The man continued in this way for some time, paying for everything with the florin and always finding it back in his pocket. He was happy with his good fortune, but something about the strange coin never seemed right to him. One day he went into the pub where he'd bought the first glass of whiskey. He threw the florin down on the counter and yelled, “May the devil go with you!”

He never saw the coin again. To the end of his days, he always said that it was a fairy man who had given it to him.