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The Fairies Horses

Don’t call me a weed
Though a weed I may be
I’m the horse of the fairies
The Buachalan Bui.

Our folklore is not only intertwined with our archaeological heritage but also with the flora and fauna that inhabit the island. One example is the Ragwort plant, or fairy horse, a handsome and useful plant loved by pollinators, used as a cure in folk medicine, and hated by many farmers, and perhaps rightly so, which we will come to later.

Growing up in rural Ireland, Ragwort were called the fairies horses or more commonly Buachalans, (Pronounced Boo ka lawns) In some parts of the country Buachalan Bui (Bwee meaning yellow) We were warned not to touch them as they were the sacred horses of the fairies, and dire consequences would befall anyone who interfered with these handsome little plants.

In different parts of the country tales abound of night time abduction, waylaid travellers forced to ride fairy steeds for miles and miles with a fairy horde, all throughout the dark hours, only to awake next morning exhausted and clutching a buachalan in their fist.

There are also warnings against hitting a cow with a buachalan switch, as the fairies would steal it’s milk.

The following tale from Duchas.ie is from the late 1930’s.

“ In the downland of Geevagh there lived a man named Thomas Layden. One night when he was coming home from gamboling he took a short cut through the fields. By doing this he had to go through a field of "Buachalans". No sooner had he entered the field than he saw hundreds of fairies.

They all spoke to him and said "Céad míle fáilte Romhat." (A hundred thousand welcomes) Then each pulled a "Buachalan" in turn and instantly the plants were changed into white horses. They told Tomas to do the same and so he did.

They ordered him to follow them and not to speak a word. He did as they told him until he came to "Carraig ltí Ghealaigh," a huge rock near Kilronan. Here he swore on oath that he would be killed, and as he broke the fairies command, the horse disappeared and he fell to the ground.

There he was found the next morning by a passer-by.”

Ragwort contains toxic compounds that can pose a real danger to most livestock if consumed in large quantities in a short period or in small amounts over a longer period of time. Most livestock avoid the bitter tasting ragwort but unfortunately, overstocking and overgrazing can lead to desperate feeding, and also the plant retains it’s toxic element when dried in hay. Therefore the plant should be removed from the field before hay or silage making begins.

In Ireland, Ragwort (Buachalans) are classified as a noxious weed and their numbers must be controlled under the Noxious Weeds Act 1936. Landowners have been, and continue to be prosecuted for allowing these yellow flowering plants to thrive on their land. But saying that, it is a hugely beneficial plant for bees, butterflies, hoverflies and a whole array of little creatures.

With the decline in flowering plant diversity in the countryside, ragwort has assumed an increasing importance as a source of food for generalist nectar feeding insects in the late summer. Others use the plant as territory markers or as vantage points to find passing prey or mates. Some species prey on the other insect visitors to the flowers.

In Ireland it supports a wonderful array of wildlife, the most well-known probably being the handsome black and red cinnabar moth. It’s little striped black and yellow/orange caterpillar pictured above, feeds exclusively on Ragwort, absorbing the toxins from the plant without being poisoned, but becoming toxic and unpalatable to predators. Huge numbers of these caterpillars can be seen on a single Ragwort plant, where they devour the flowers and greenery which prevents the fairy horse seeds from sailing in the wind to neighbouring farm land. The Cinnabar moth has been introduced to countries where Ragwort is invasive to biologically control Ragwort numbers.

In late summer, if you take the time to look closely at a head of ragwort flowers, you will see it tremble and hear it buzz with the activity of the lives it is supporting.

Such an important source of insects is exploited by birds and mammals, benefitting the wider ecosystem.

I can only think when faced with enforcement of the Noxious Weeds Act legislation, some farmers must have faced a dilemma of who to get on the wrong side of, the law of the land, or the Fairy folk.

Many thanks to Lorna Louise-Elms for the Buachalan Bui poem she shared in comments on a previous article on Ragwort.

Cinnabar moth image from Moths Ireland available at: www.mothsireland.com/2069a/

Folklore tale from Crosshill County Roscommon by Mr Henry J. Mc Dermott, accessed from Duchas.ie available at: www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4758453/4745367

Caterpillar image accessed from: www.heartofenglandforest.com/news/riches-of-rag...