Shun Q. Thomas created a painting depicting an image he saw in a tree in 2006. (Mike Brantley/AL.com).

With St. Patrick's Day on the horizon, we couldn't help but remember the Crichton leprechaun sighting of 2006 which gained national attention after a local TV stations broadcast went viral.

In case you're unfamiliar with the fiasco, about nine years ago crowds gathered on Le Cren Street near UMS-Wright in Mobile, with many claiming they could see a leprechaun in a tree. WPMI reporter Brian Johnson went to the scene after numerous reports of leprechaun sightings.

An "amateur sketch" of the leprechaun was produced, and was auctioned off on eBay with a winning bid of $1,100 by New York City resident Tye Miksis, Johnson told the Press-Register in April 2006. The proceeds were to benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, according to Johnson.

"I actually saw what was sketched on paper," he said in the interview, adding, "Certainly I don't believe it's a leprechaun."

Photographer Mike Brantley and I walked down Le Cren Street Monday, posing the simple question of "Do you remember the Crichton leprechaun?"

Some said yes. Some had heard of the incident but didn't live in the neighborhood at the time. And at the end of LeCren Street Shun Thomas said he's the one who discovered the leprechaun.

"Halfway through one beer, I'm looking through this tree here and I could see this image," Thomas said.

"I'm seeing this image, so I do several double takes and he's still there. So I finally mentioned it."

Thomas said he told his brother, cousin and friend who were with him to look at the tree. One by one they saw the image as well.

Thomas described the appearance as a "metamorphosis," with the mouth or nose appearing first, followed by the rest of the face.

"It just looked like a leprechaun to me. It was only an image from the chin to the top hat but that's what I thought about," Thomas said.

This event occurred every evening for about a week before news stations began showing up, as the discovery snowballed.

"For me, it became frustrating because of the reports. It was more like, the people of Crichton discovered this and it became a joke when it wasn't at all," Thomas said.

"No one ever came, like you did today, saying 'I want to get to the bottom of this.'"

The WPMI video quickly went viral and became a hot topic on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live and Tosh.0.

Thomas has created a painting of what he saw, and said the famous amateur sketch of the leprechaun was drawn by his sister.

"When you see something, seek the truth for yourself. Don't take some else's opinion or their interpretations. Learn for yourself, ask questions for yourself," Thomas said as he reflected on the event.

Since 2006 Thomas said he's seen the leprechaun on only one more occasion in 2010. He tweeted:

The Leprechaun in Alabama has been @ 70% visibility lately! — Shun Q Thomas (@shunsleprechaun) March 15, 2010

AL.com attempted to contact Johnson and Miksis with no response.