When I think of Ireland, I imagine hedgerows of delicate primroses in spring.
I love to see these yellow blossoms in shady banks, damp woods, along the roadside, or peeping between the blocks of old stone walls. These beautiful wildflowers are some of the most beautiful blooms of spring.
I wasn't one bit surprised to learn this wildflower of Ireland was considered sacred by our Celtic ancestors who believed it held the keys to heaven.
Primroses color the Irish countryside from March until May. They're ery hardy little plants, that live happily in bog gardens and near ponds and streams. They arrive in spring and early summer to brighten our ays.
And so today I thought why not share some primrose photos, myths and lore.
Table of Contents
Meaning of the Primrose's Name
This simple flower is a perennial and its official botanical name is Primula Vulgaris. This name derives from two latin words meaning "first rose".
The primrose is also known as the English primrose. However, this beautiful spring flower is also native to the Emerald Isle.
In Irish it's name is sabhaircín (pronounced sour-keen).
Medicinal Uses For Primroses
This eye-catching flower and its supporting plant are edible and supposedly taste like lettuce. I've never actually nibbled on a primrose, but it's good to know they are safe for consumption, and good for garnishing spring dishes.
Primroses were prized plants for those in Ireland who brewed their own cures and concoctions in days gone by. Primroses were widely used as remedies for muscular aches and pains, rheumatism, paralysis and gout.
The leaves and flowers of the plant were used both fresh and dried. Roots were only used when dried, and a special infusion of the roots was used to treat headaches.
Evening primrose oil which we often hear of today, was not available in Ireland long ago, since it is derived from an American variety of the primrose plant, not the kind found in Ireland.
The Irish primrose was used to relieve painful toothaches. Those suffering would rub the aching tooth and gum with a primrose leaf for two minutes.
Primroses were also touted as a cure for jaundice - a yellow flower for those yellowed by jaundice.
Pig lard and primrose were combined to create a salve or ointment for burns. In Cork a tea made of primroses was used to treat insomnia.
And being a versatile herb, this little plant was used to cure both "man and beast." Horses with coughs received a nasal treatment of crushed dried primrose roots strained in milk.
Primroses and the Faeries
The primrose may be a small blossom, but in days gone by it was considered a symbol of safety and protection. Primroses placed on a doorstep were said to encourage the faeries to bless the house and all who lived there.
Another old superstition claimed if you ate the blossoms of a primrose you would see a fairy. My little girl would feast on primroses if she thought a fairy might appear before her very eyes.
Primroses are loved by the faeries. Letting these little flowers die is a terrible offense to our magical friends, so beware if you forget to water any primroses you might plant.
Ancient Celtic wisdom associates seeing a large patch of primroses with a gateway or portal into the faerie realms.
Cowslip and primrose flower juice were combined into an ointment for treating facial spots and wrinkles. Even in days gone by our ancestors were worried about retaining their youthful good looks.
Primroses And May Day
Primroses grow well in both England and Ireland. Whereas primroses were closely associated with Easter by our English neighbors, the Irish created deep connections between the flower and May Eve when it was widely used to protect against the faeries.
Traditionally primroses, together with yellow gorse shrubs, were used to decorate the door and threshold on May Day (Là Bealtaine).
"Guard the house with a string of primroses
on the first three days of May.
The fairies are said not to be able
to pass over or under this string."
~ From the National Folklore Collection,
University College Dublin. NFC S.455:237.
From Co Kerry.
In rural Ireland in days gone by the butter making season began in May. To promote good milk production in their cows, our farming forebears rubbed primroses on their cows' udders at Bealtaine (May Day).
Primroses scattered on the doorstep supposedly protected the butter from thieving faeries.
The Celtic Druids And The Primrose
The Druids often carried primroses during their Celtic rituals as a protection from evil.
Fragrant primrose oils were used to purify and anoint during these ancient rites of the Druids. This little yellow flower grew abundantly in Ireland and was easy for them to collect.
Primroses and Hens
In years gone by Irish folk often kept their pig and chickens inside their very own house, sharing their living quarters with their animals.
Primroses were never brought indoors if the hens were laying eggs or hatching indoors.
Primroses and Tír na nÓg
Oisín, the legendary son of Fionn MacCumhaill, made Tír na nÓg famous, when he followed his golden haired Niamh to this land of eternal youth.
Old Irish myths claim primroses bloomed in Tír na nÓg. Anyone who might return from this legendary land would always carry a bunch of primroses.
And so there you have it, a quick round up of Irish primrose superstitions and lore.
I hope if you ever visit Ireland in spring, you'll spot a few primroses peeping out of the hedgerows. And perhaps you'll smile, thinking of the faeries and other mythical visitors from Tír na nÓg, the Land of Eternal Youth.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
Here are some more ramblings you might enjoy:
Furze - The Yellow Flower of the Irish Landscape
Clare Fulletn
You certainly did your research and provided all with fascinating information. It's always so interesting to read how our ancestors lived: their faith, beliefs, and superstitions. Every time I read some such, I think, "Well of course, there's truth in this!" Any reverence towards the land and what grows therein along its usage makes sense to me! Thank you for this unique, wonderful read.
Irish American Mom
Claire - It's amazing how our ancestors utilized the plants and herbs around them to develop cures for their ailments. Their resourcefulness is truly admirable. When I started investigating this post, I thought I'll never find enough information about a simple flower to warrant a full post. It was lovely to discover the primrose was so important to our forebears.
Thanks for stopping by,
Mairéad
Cheryl Barker
What pretty flowers! I especially like the second photo where they are pictured with blue flowers. Gorgeous!
Irish American Mom
Cheryl - I love that shot too. I also love the one of primroses growing in a crack between two headstones.
All the best,
Mairéad
Sara
These primrose shots made my heart sing. I'd never seen one before until my first trip to Ireland in Feb 1990. And there they grew wild in the hedges & ditches as you said. Like golden jewels everywhere. I've been drawn to them ever since. I loved this article and especially that you included how to pronounce the word for primrose in Irish.
Sara
Irish American Mom
Sara - Images of wild primroses growing in hedgerows and dikes always remind me of Ireland. These little flowers amaze me, especially when they grow in the tightest of spaces, like the crevices between rocks on a stone wall. The colors of spring are very unique in Ireland, with yellow gorse and primroses predominating. Ireland is truly beautiful in spring.
All the best,
Mairéad
Claudia
I really enjoyed reading this post!! I love primroses: I live in northern Italy and here we have primroses from late January to April: seeing this beautiful flower in winter makes you feel spring closer!!! This used to make me feel happy 😀 thanks for sharing all of these interesting information on Irish culture: I love the green island 😉
Irish American Mom
Claudia - Primroses make me happy too. They are such simple, beautiful flowers. 🙂 I'm sure northern Italy is beautiful in spring. Enjoy all the blossoms of the season.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Maura
my Irish mom just asked me the other day if the primrose was blooming. After a terrible winter in Massachusetts things are starting to pop up out of the ground. But I don't have any primrose and wondered why she asked about that specifically! Now I know! Thanks!
Irish American Mom
Hi Maura - Spring is not spring without primroses in Ireland. No matter how long we might spend in the U.S. or any other country, we Irish still long for primroses once winter abates. I hope spring will take a strong hold of Massachusetts very soon, and you'll be admiring primroses and all the other beautiful blossoms of spring.
All the best,
Mairéad
Brighid O'Sullivan
Loved this post, Maread!. So much education you've provided us in Irish history. I always love to read the folklore and medicinal uses for plants especially. I would love to find a source with all the plants and flowers of Ireland and their Celtic history if you know of any?
Warmly, Brighid O'Sullivan @Celticthoughts.com
Irish American Mom
Hi Brighid - I too would love to find a book with all the Celtic lore about Ireland's plants and animals. I have a book on Irish flowers but it is written from a botanists perspective and does not include old wives' tales, and ancient cures and superstitions. What a wonderful book that would be.
All the best,
Mairéad
T.M. Johnson
Mairead, believe it or not, the primrose is the very first sign of spring here in the Pacific NW. Even before the first crocus blossoms to the the late winter sun, racks of primroses sprout outside garden and nursery businesses, storefronts that sell spring flower and vegie starts. These are hothouse primroses, no doubt--hybrids of all colors of the rainbow. Years ago I took a basket weaving class (yes, they really do exist) and wove a basket entirely from materials from our yard and garden. We call it the seasonal basket. During the Christmas season it holds three ruddy poinsettias, a tradition that boosts the Christmas spirit. The poinsettias make way for three primroses, multi-colored of course, in mid-February. Then an Easter display, and coming up soon, filled with spring flowers from the landscape, it will mysteriously appear on the doorstep May1.
By the way, I love the olde spelling of "faeries." Something magical (faerie-like) about it. Thanks, IAM, for leading us all down the primrose path. TMJ
Irish American Mom
Hi T.M. - I'm so glad you enjoyed this little trip down the primrose path. Your seasonal basket sounds wonderful. I hope spring blossoms are plentiful in the Northwest this yea,r so your basket will be overflowing with all the colors of the season.
I too love the olde spelling of "faeries". I try to use it whenever I write about the faeries in Ireland - there is mystical magic in that little letter combination.
All the best,
Mairéad
brian@irelandfavorites
Hi Mairead, perfect conditions for primrose in Ireland, here in the Northeast you will see pots and pots of primrose cultivated in greenhouses, blooms bursting, but, with little hope of a successful future. The poor fairies in the Boston area must be heartbroken to see the wilted flowerless pots discarded by the brown thumbed supermarket consumers. I'm sure this drives them back to the glens and brooks and hidden places through out Ireland, ensuring that Ireland stays magical.
All the best,
Brian.
Irish American Mom
Hi Brian - Ireland's wild primroses do create a sense of magic in the countryside every spring. I love how they sometimes grow in the most unlikely of places. They squeeze out between tiny cracks and crevices, catching the eye with a showy display of yellow. Riverbanks are dotted with yellow primroses too - a sure sign of the faeries. I took some of these photos at Glencar a few years ago. Yeats believe Glencar was home to many faeries, so maybe all the primroses there are simply proof his theories were correct.
All the best,
Mairéad
Patrick Fitzgerald
There is also a string centuries old tradition in Ireland of natural pollination breeding from old cultivated and wild forms. Our nursery has presented Irish Primrose twice to the White House as a gift from our Taoiseach in 2011 and 2013 continuing an old tradition of dividing and gifting these wonderful garden gems. We made some of these available in USA. http://Www.irishprimrose.com you can also find info on our website blog link
Irish American Mom
Hi Patrick - Thanks so much for letting us know about this old tradition of dividing and cultivating wild Irish primroses. It's lovely to know they have even been presented as gifts to the US President. Wishing you every success with this wonderful business.
All the best,
Mairéad