The Field of Boliauns: An Irish Folktale

The Field of Boliauns is an Irish tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in Celtic Fairy Tales. It follows Tom Fitzpatrick, a man who encounters a tiny leprechaun while walking through the countryside during harvest time. When Tom learns that the little stranger knows where a crock of gold lies buried, he believes his fortune is finally within reach. However, the leprechaun has a clever way of protecting his secret, and Tom soon discovers that finding treasure is not always as simple as it seems.

Tom Fitzpatrick Hears a Strange Sound

One fine day during the harvest season, Tom Fitzpatrick was taking a walk along the sunny side of a hedge. It was Lady Day in harvest, a holiday that people regarded as an important occasion.

As Tom walked, he heard a curious clacking noise coming from the hedge ahead of him. He wondered whether stone chats were making the sound so late in the season, so he moved quietly towards it, hoping to discover its source.

When the noise stopped, Tom peered carefully through the bushes. There, in a small nook in the hedge, stood a brown pitcher large enough to hold about a gallon and a half of liquid.

Beside it was a tiny old man. He wore a little cocked hat and a leather apron. Since the pitcher was too large for him to work comfortably beside, he pulled out a small wooden stool and stood on it. He dipped a little wooden vessel into the pitcher, filled it with beer, and set it beside him. Then he sat down and began repairing a shoe that was just the right size for his own feet.

Tom stared in amazement. He had often heard stories about leprechauns, but he had never truly believed in them. Now, however, he had found one with his own eyes.

Tom remembered what people said about these little creatures. A person who caught one must never take his eyes off it, or it might escape. If Tom could keep hold of the leprechaun, he thought, he might become a wealthy man.

The Leprechaun and His Beer

Tom crept closer, watching the little shoemaker as carefully as a cat watches a mouse.

When he reached him, Tom greeted him politely and wished him well with his work.

The leprechaun raised his head and thanked him.

Tom asked why he was working on a holiday. The little man replied that his work was his own business and had nothing to do with Tom.

Still curious, Tom asked what was inside the large pitcher.

The leprechaun answered that it was beer.

Tom was astonished. He asked where the beer had come from and what ingredients the little man had used to make it.

The leprechaun explained that he had brewed it from heath. He also claimed that the secret had remained in his family since the Danes had taught them how to make beer that way.

Tom laughed at the explanation, finding it difficult to believe. The leprechaun grew impatient with his questions and told him to stop wasting time. He warned Tom that his cows had broken into the oats and were trampling the corn.

For a moment, Tom was caught off guard. He almost turned away to check on his animals. Then he realised that the warning might be another trick designed to make him look elsewhere.

Determined not to lose his chance, Tom grabbed the leprechaun.

In his haste, however, he knocked over the pitcher and spilled all the beer. He could no longer taste it and discover whether the little man had told the truth about his unusual brew.

Tom was angry about the spill, but he was more interested in the treasure he believed the leprechaun could provide. He threatened to kill the little man unless he revealed where his money was hidden.

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The Promise of a Crock of Gold

The leprechaun was frightened by Tom’s threat. He quickly offered to take him to a place where a crock filled with gold could be found.

Tom agreed, but he kept the little man firmly in his hand and watched him throughout the journey. They crossed hedges and ditches and passed over a crooked stretch of bog before reaching a large field covered with boliauns.

The leprechaun pointed towards a particularly large boliaun and told Tom that the crock of gold lay buried beneath it. If Tom dug there, he would find the treasure filled with guineas.

Tom was delighted. He imagined the riches waiting underground and was eager to begin digging.

Unfortunately, he had not brought a spade with him. He would have to return home to fetch one.

Before leaving, Tom considered how he could find the exact spot again. The field was full of boliauns, and he knew that he might struggle to identify the right plant after returning.

He took off one of his red garters and tied it around the boliaun that marked the treasure’s location.

Tom then made the leprechaun swear that he would not remove the garter.

The little man agreed.

Satisfied that he had secured his prize, Tom asked whether he could now let the leprechaun go. The little man replied that he no longer seemed to have any need of him.

Tom released him and wished him good luck.

As the leprechaun departed, he called out to Tom Fitzpatrick and wished him joy of whatever he found.

Tom paid little attention to the remark. His thoughts were already fixed on the gold.

A Red Garter on Every Boliaun

Tom hurried home, collected a spade, and rushed back towards the field. He was eager to uncover the crock of guineas and claim his long-awaited fortune.

But when he reached the field, he stopped in disbelief.

Every boliaun had a red garter tied around it.

The leprechaun had kept his promise in a way Tom had never expected. He had not removed the original garter. Instead, he had placed matching red garters around all the other boliauns, leaving Tom unable to distinguish the plant marking the treasure.

Tom stared across the field. There were so many plants that digging beneath every one of them would be an impossible task. The field covered more than forty good Irish acres, far too much ground for him to search with his spade.

The crock of gold remained hidden, and Tom had no reliable way to find it.

At last, he returned home with the spade resting on his shoulder. He was much less excited than when he had left, and he cursed the leprechaun whenever he remembered the clever trick.

Tom had come close enough to the treasure to believe it was within his reach. Yet his haste and confidence had allowed the little man to outwit him.

The field remained full of boliauns, each marked with a red garter, while the promised gold stayed buried beneath the earth.

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Moral Lesson

Greed can cloud judgement, and cleverness does not always guarantee success. Tom’s desire for quick wealth made him underestimate the leprechaun, who used a simple trick to protect the treasure.

Knowledge Check

1. Who is the main character in The Field of Boliauns?

The main character is Tom Fitzpatrick, who encounters a leprechaun while walking near a hedge.

2. What was the leprechaun doing when Tom first saw him?

He was repairing a tiny shoe beside a large brown pitcher of beer.

3. What did the leprechaun say his beer was made from?

He said he had made it from heath and claimed that the secret had been passed down through his family.

4. How did Tom persuade the leprechaun to reveal the location of the gold?

Tom caught the leprechaun and threatened to kill him unless he showed him where the treasure was buried.

5. Why did Tom tie his red garter around one boliaun?

He wanted to recognise the exact plant beneath which the leprechaun said the crock of gold was buried.

6. How did the leprechaun prevent Tom from finding the treasure?

He tied matching red garters around every other boliaun in the field, making it impossible for Tom to identify the correct plant.

Source

Joseph Jacobs, compiler and editor. Celtic Fairy Tales, first published in 1892, Tale III, “The Field of Boliauns.” Jacobs identifies T. Crofton Croker’s Fairy Legends of the South of Ireland as his source.

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