In Irish folklore, where is a leprechaun traditionally said to hide a pot of gold?

In Irish folklore, a leprechaun is traditionally said to hide a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

The image comes from the wider body of Irish fairy folklore and became especially prominent in modern stories, illustrations, and popular culture. Leprechauns are commonly portrayed as small supernatural beings associated with craftsmanship, solitary work, mischief, and hidden wealth. The rainbow’s apparent endpoint provides the elusive destination for the treasure.

A rainbow does not have a fixed physical endpoint. It is an optical effect produced when sunlight interacts with water droplets, and its apparent position changes with the observer. That makes the traditional treasure hunt impossible to complete in the ordinary sense.

The pot of gold is not a universal feature of every early leprechaun story; it is a strongly established later popular image. Leprechauns also became linked with green clothing and St Patrick’s Day celebrations, although those associations developed differently over time.