Heritage Trees of Ireland.

by Aubrey Fennel. ISBN: 9781848891593

Trees are a precious part of Ireland’s heritage, some remarkable for age or size, location or aesthetic appeal, historical or folklore connections. Such trees are found in our native woodlands, historic parklands, along roadsides, in hedgerows, fields and in housing estates.Presented here are 150 of these remarkable trees: rag trees, hanging trees, trees at holy wells, trees of exceptional size or age, trees associated with historic events, and trees important to the community. Well-known examples are the ‘Hungry’ Tree at King’s Inns, Dublin, that appears to be consuming a bench; Lady Gregory’s ‘Autograph’ Tree at Coole Park, Galway – a copper beech signed by W. B. Yeats, his brother Jack, George Bernard Shaw, John Masefield, Sean O’Casey and other famous people. Ireland’s oldest native tree is the Silken Thomas Yew tree at St Patrick’s College in Maynooth, with a girth of 14 metres and 700–800 years old. Ireland’s tallest native tree is a 40-metre-high ash tree in the grounds of Marlfield House, Clonmel, County Tipperary. The famous Muckross Friary Yew in Killarney stands in the centre of the ruined Muckross Friary. Not all heritage trees are so dramatic and some can be unremarkable in, such as a lone hawthorn tree at the summit of Freestone Hill, County Kilkenny. So, illustrated with fine photography, these pages present a fascinating world of trees unique to Ireland with connections dating back over thousands of years.

Above from Collins Press publications.