Irish Folklore: The Blackthorn and fairies, fighting, and Harry Potter

Despite the mad weather, spring has truly sprung here in Ireland and the forests and hedgerows around the country are bursting into life. Amongst the buds and new growth, the Blackthorn tree with its beautiful five petaled flowers stands out despite its diminutive size.

Blackthorn's beautiful white blooms appear in March despite the rain, hail, and fierce wind, before any leaves, and while most trees in the woods are still dormant. Its sprays of delicate blooms stand in stark relief to its dark black branches and forbidding thorns and provide much needed nectar for hungry bees!

Trees were revered by our ancient ancestors, and in Irish folklore this harbinger of spring has several different associations and uses. This is perhaps reflected in the number of names it goes by including the Fairy tree, the Sloe, and the Mother of the Wood. Read on to discover what fairies, fighting, and even Harry Potter have to do with this small but mighty tree.

The Blackthorn: A Fairy Tree

In Irish folklore, Blackthorn is considered a special tree and is often referred to as a fairy tree along with its slightly less prickly cousin, the Hawthorn. There are several stories in the National Folklore Collection documenting the misfortune visited on anyone who interfered with a Bile rátha, a Sacred tree of the fort.

A story from Co. Louth tells of a man whose “horses were killed because he cut the blackthorn bushes and ploughed the mound,” while an entry from Co. Sligo confirms “It is considered unlucky to cut a hazel tree or a blackthorn.”

Even today children are often warned not to pick the flowers or break branches from these trees. Of course these days the warning is more likely due to the risk of injury. As the name suggests, Blackthorn is well armed, with long and sharp spines that can break off in a wound causing a painful injury.

The Blackthorn: For Fighting

With this fearsome reputation then it is hardly surprising that the Blackthorn also has an ancient association with aggression and protection. Blackthorn wood is naturally strong with exceedingly hard bark once cured, making a surprisingly deadly weapon known as a cudgel or shillelagh.

This was an Irish weapon of choice for hundreds and possibly thousands of years with mention of Blackthorn sticks in the ancient legends of the Fianna Cycle. The Fianna, fierce warriors led by the great Fionn MacCumhaill, armed themselves with Blackthorn sticks among other things. And it seems a smart move to carry a Blackthorn stick. It not only protected you from human attackers, but warded off otherworldly assailants like fairies and wolf-walkers too if a story recorded by Lady Jane Wilde is anything to go on.

Blackthorn:Healing and Nutrition

But despite this fearsome reputation, the Blackthorn has a softer side too. Its bark can be used to make a light blue dye or ink. It provides food for hungry bees in spring, and in autumn this relative of the almond and the plum produces berries that feed native Irish birds.

They are a little too astringent to be very tasty for us unfortunately. But they can be used to make jams, jellies, and for those who enjoy a drink, sloe gin. Leave them soaking in gin with a bit of sugar and they make a tasty drink come Christmas time!

You could even argue that this is medicinal (if not magical) as an entry in the National Folklore Collection from Co. Cork documents how “For colic or cramp a decoction made from sloes the fruit of the blackthorn was the cure”.

Blackthorn and Harry Potter

But perhaps the magical associations have come full circle these days. Ask any erudite youngster what Blackthorn is used for and they may tell you a wand! Apparently Harry Potter used a Blackthorn wand for a spell after his own had broken. Something to ponder if you spot this curious little tree while out walking.