The small, bearded creature from Irish folklore known for making shoes and hiding a pot of gold is the leprechaun.
A leprechaun is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, often classed as a solitary fairy. Older traditions portray leprechauns as mischievous household or nature spirits, while later popular images emphasize their beards, coats, hats, and solitary work as shoemakers.
The familiar pot of gold at the end of a rainbow is largely a later folkloric development rather than a complete description of the earliest Irish stories. Leprechauns are also associated with trickery: a person who catches one may try to force it to reveal hidden treasure, but the creature commonly escapes through clever wordplay or distraction.
They are often confused with banshees, which are female spirits associated with death omens, and with broader Irish fairy beings known as the Aos Sí. The green clothing now linked with leprechauns became especially prominent in modern commercial and holiday imagery.