Trees are one of Ireland's most precious pieces of
heritage, remarkable for many reasons such as their age,
size, location in the landscape, botanical attributes,
aesthetic appeal, and historical and folklore
connections. Ireland has a rich but threatened heritage
of such trees, found in our native woodlands, historic
parklands and estates, along roadsides and in hedgerows,
agricultural fields and occasionally in housing estates
and development sites.150 of these remarkable tress are
presented here: rag trees, hanging trees, trees at holy
wells, those of exceptional size or age, trees
associated with historical/military events, and trees
important to the community. Well-known examples are the
'Hungry' Tree at King's Inns, Dublin, a London plane
that appears to be consuming a bench; Lady Gregory's
'Autograph' Tree at Coole Park, Galway - it is a copper
beech signed by WB Yeats, his brother Jack, George
Bernard Shaw, the poet John Masefield, Sean O'Casey and
other famous people. Ireland's oldest native tree is the
Silken Thomas Yew tree in the grounds of St Patrick's
College in Maynooth. It has a girth of 14 metres and is
700-800 years old. As for Ireland's tallest native tree,
it is a 40-metres high ash tree growing in the grounds
of Marlfield House, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. The Muckross
Friary Yew in Killarney stands in the centre of the
cloisters of the ruined Muckross Friary, one of the most
famous trees in Ireland. Not all heritage trees are so
dramatic and some can be quite unremarkable in
appearance. For example, a lone hawthorn tree marks the
summit of Freestone Hill, Co. Kilkenny and folklore
prevents its removal. So, illustrated with fine
photography, these pages present a fascinating world of
trees unique to Ireland with connections dating back
over thousands of years.
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