Once upon a time there dwelt a powerful family named Conmac. In Irish "Connemara" means "Seaside of the Conmacs," for it was this wild and rocky shore that was used by these ancient royal people as their seaside.
Connemara is called the Congested District of Ireland. The word "congested" means "overcrowded." But in this case it does not mean that the country is overcrowded with people. For the people are few here in this wild land.
But the barren soil does not yield enough for those few people. And there is much poverty in Connemara.
But there also are lakes of great beauty, and valuable marble, known as Connemara marble. And there are fairies! Well do the fairies love Connemara!
In Connemara there is a village, and in that village lived a boy named Shaun O'Day.
Do you know the why of that name Shaun? It is the same as the name John. But it is an Irish name. It is spelled "Sean" in Irish and pronounced "hwan."
It is Jean in French, and Giovanni in Italian, and Hans in German, and Ivan in Russian. It is Juan in Spanish, Jock in Scotch, and Johnny in American.
It is a Hebrew word and has a very beautiful meaning: "Gift of God." Do you wonder that so many boys all over the world are given the name John?
Here we have the why and the wonder of the land of Shaun O'Day. So now we shall hear of the strange things that befell this lad, who lived in the Emerald Isle.
CHAPTER II SHAUNEEN AND THE LEPRECHAUN
The fairies are divided into tribes just the way Ireland itself is divided into many districts, counties, and provinces.
There are many tribes of fairies, and these tribes are all quite different from one another.
There are those who dress like the flowers; and those that change themselves into various shapes. There are evil fairies and solitary fairies.
You must always call them the "Good People," for they are
easily offended.
But if you believe in them and leave a bit of milk for them upon the window sill, they will bring luck and happiness to you.
Now the fairy that we are going to meet in this story is called the leprechaun, or fairy shoemaker. We are going to meet him, because if it had not been for him, there would be no story at all.
The fairy shoemaker sits under a toadstool making tiny shoes. The word "leprechaun" comes from two Irish words meaning "one shoe." The reason he bears this name is because he is always working upon one shoe.
The leprechaun is quick and mysterious. He is also mischievous. And one of his great pranks is stealing wee boys away.
He steals wee Irish boys away from their homes because they do work so well. He makes them work for himself this mischief-making fairy!
He will not bother with wee girls.
"Wee girls are not so strong as wee boys," says he.
So when you meet Shaun O'Day, you must not be surprised to find him wearing a petticoat! You must not be surprised, because it is the fault of the leprechaun.
You see, Shaun O'Day lived in a very western part of Ireland, in Connemara, where fairies abound.
And in the village where he lived, the boys were all dressed in red petticoats! They were dressed in red flannel petticoats until they reached a tall and manly age.
This was many years ago. And though they would not tell you why they wore those petticoats, I am telling you 'twas because of the leprechauns.
Every wee boy's mother feared the leprechaun. And so she dressed her boy in the dress of the girl to trick that sly creature.
Boys were needed badly by the human folk. Why should the fairy folk be taking them away?
Shaun had a good, kind father. He was a fisherman. Shaun's mother was dead.
But Shaun and his father lived happily enough until one day Shaun's father married again.
He married a woman who had four sons. Grown-up boys they were, and lazy.
Like the Queen in the story of Conn-eda, this woman was unkind. Little love had she for Shaun, and she made him work hard.
Poor little lad! He was very young when he had to labor like a full grown man, while the sons of his stepmother rested or played.
Shaun was always called Shauneen by his father, who loved him dearly. "Shauneen" means "little Shaun." "Een" is the Irish for "little."
"Oh, Shauneen, lad," said the father, one night after his return from sea, "'tis tired you look, and worn. Faith! Can the school work be so hard?"
Shaun did not tell his father that the wicked stepmother had kept him from school that day. He did not tell his father that she had made him walk upon an errand, miles and miles away. He did not say that she had beaten him when he returned.
Shaun was often tempted to tell these things to his good, kind father. But he feared to cause the poor man sorrow.
"Sure, and 'twould be a pity to cause him grief, and he so good," the lad had often thought to himself. "And I can bear it all, for have I not himself to love me?"