Bandon went leprechaun crazy - wins the battle of the Leprechauns to enter Guinness Book of Records

Cork town beats Glenties in Donegal as over 1,200 little people gather

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Leprechauns fill the streets of Bandon in Cork

Photo by Journal.ie/Declan Fitzgerald

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A County Cork town has won Ireland’s Leprechaun shoot-out and entered the Guinness Book of Records.

Bandon in West Cork edged out the village of Glenties in Donegal to set a new world record for gathering the most people dressed as leprechauns in one place.

The Cork town recorded 1,263 Leprechauns, 163 more than the group gathered almost 200 miles north in Donegal.

Bandon even had a three week old Leprechaun with ages ranging to the 80s.

“We thought if we could get 300 people we’d be doing well, but it snowballed in the last two weeks and everyone in Bandon came on board,” said leprechaun-a-ton organiser Ger Fitzgerald.

“Bandon went leprechaun crazy. Everyone wanted to be one. People around the town were still wearing the stuff yesterday evening. It was like a badge of honour,” Ger told TheJournal.ie.

“People I never thought would put on a leprechaun costume came along. We’ve had a lot of negative press so it’s nice to put forward a positive image of Bandon.”

Both the Irish Leprechaun events in Cork and Donegal beat the previous world record. That was set by students last year at Cowan House preparatory school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

They gathered 414 leprechauns in a tribute to a retiring Irish teacher.

Another Donegal town is attempting to enter the Guinness book of records for gathering the most St Patricks in one place.

Ardara organisers attracted 229 ‘Saints’ to their event on Saturday and hope they will be the first such record holders in the Guinness book.

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