Did leprechauns come from Italy?

And other stories from the stranger side of life

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(Image credit: (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images))

Leprechauns originated in Italy rather than Ireland, according to new research. After a five-year study, researchers at Queen’s University Belfast and Cambridge University have concluded that the word “leprechaun” originated in Ancient Rome. According to their findings, the Irish “leipreachan” comes from the Latin “lupercus”, the name of a Roman god in charge of protecting flocks and also his cheeky male followers.

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