Tradition / Region: Irish mythology
Alternate Names: Clúrachán, Clobhair-ceann, Cluracan, Cluracaun, Cluricaun, Cluricaune
Category: Gnome, Fairy
The Myth
The clurichaun is a solitary fairy who loves drink above all else. He haunts breweries, pubs, wine cellars, and any place where alcohol is stored, and once he chooses a household or cellar, he is extremely difficult to get rid of.
He appears as a tiny old man, often no taller than a foot, with a red and weathered face, twinkling eyes, and a nose stained purple from constant drinking. He usually wears red—most often a red nightcap—along with fine little shoes fastened by silver buckles. Though small, his presence is loud and unmistakable: laughter, singing, banging, and drunken mischief echo wherever he settles.
At night, the clurichaun drinks whatever he can find. He rides atop wine casks like a king on a throne, draining barrels and singing merrily to himself. Servants who are careless suffer his wrath. If a tap is left running, he may wedge his own body into the barrel to stop the flow, waiting patiently until someone comes. But if he is neglected, insulted, or denied food or drink, his temper turns vicious. He pulls people from their beds, throws them down stairs, or beats them black and blue in fits of drunken fury.
Despite this, the clurichaun is not purely malicious. If treated well, he becomes fiercely loyal. He guards the cellar, protects the household’s property, and punishes dishonest servants who steal wine. Many families learned to leave him food and drink each night, fearing his anger more than his appetite.
Some tales say the clurichaun can slip through keyholes, ride through the air on reeds like a witch on a broom, or turn bog rushes into horses for midnight journeys. Others tell of unlucky men who refused to pay him for a drink and were forced into years of service, freed only by calling upon divine blessing.
Like his close cousin the leprechaun, the clurichaun is bound to place rather than people. If a household tries to flee him by moving away, he simply comes along, laughing from inside the new cellar. Once he chooses his haunt, he stays—drinking, singing, guarding, and tormenting—until the wine runs dry or the house falls to ruin.
The clurichaun is thus remembered as a spirit of excess and contradiction: drunken and dangerous, yet protective; cruel when offended, yet loyal when respected—a reminder that hospitality, once given to the unseen, must never be withdrawn.
Gallery
Sources
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Clurichaun. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clurichaun
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Clurichaun