In Irish folklore, the solitary fairy known for drinking and guarding wine cellars is the clurichaun.
The clurichaun is a mischievous Irish fairy closely related to the leprechaun. Folklore places him in breweries, pubs, and wine cellars, where he drinks heavily and may protect a household’s supplies when treated respectfully. Unlike trooping fairies, he is typically encountered alone.
Thomas Crofton Croker’s 1825 tale “The Haunted Cellar” features Naggeneen, a tiny clurichaun who drinks in an Irish lord’s cellar and frightens the servants. Another tradition describes Little Wildbean stopping an unattended beer barrel by wedging himself into it. These stories show the creature’s contradictory nature: helpful guardian, household nuisance, and dangerous trickster.
The clurichaun is often confused with the leprechaun because both are solitary fairies and may be linked with hidden treasure. However, drinking and cellar-haunting are especially characteristic of the clurichaun. Alternate spellings include cluricaun and cluracan.