Calls for Leprechauns to be more inclusive

With St Patrick’s day rapidly approaching, there have been calls for leprechauns to be more inclusive and diverse and to reflect the new Ireland.

Dublin man Mwengwe Akinyemi has launched a campaign to have the traditional image of the white leprechaun with a ginger beard scrapped. He told us that he finds it frankly racist.

“I find it frankly racist.” he told us. “Legend has it that leprechauns are little people that nobody ever sees, so how do you know they’re white? Maybe they came here from Nigeria like me.”

Mwengwe called on all non-white people not to wear anything this St Patrick’s day that shows leprechauns as white. He also questioned the depiction of Saint Patrick as an old white man with a long grey beard.

“Apparently St Patrick came here from the UK. Well guess what? I was living over there for two years before I came to Ireland to claim asylum and let me tell you something, there’s millions of black people over there and loads of them are coming over here just like me and St Patrick did. Based on this evidence, St Patrick was more likely to have been a brother! From another Mother! Yeah, you know what I’m saying.”