This is very similar to Helictotrichon pratense (Meadow oat-grass) and I find them growing in similar places too. The difference is that in H. pubescens the lower leaves and particularly the lower stem are distinctly hairy. It is a grassland species so even to see the lower stem means foraging in the undergrowth.

H. pubescens is a fairly common grass throughout the British Isles and Ireland.

The Great Orme, North Wales 26th May 2009

Added 30th September 2009, updated 6th April 2010