THE
PEOPLE'S MILLENNIUM FORESTS : BACKGROUND
Ancient
Links To Native Irish Trees
Trees are the oldest, tallest, broadest and heaviest living things.
They have always been essential to mankind's existence; they help
to replenish the oxygen in the atmosphere, utilize toxic carbon
dioxide and make the earth habitable. Trees also provide an anchor
for soil to hold it in place, preventing it from being carried
off by wind and rain, thereby ensuring that we can grow food and
crops. In ancient times trees provided the shafts for spears and
arrows that made hunting easier and warfare deadlier.
Trees
provide shelter and wood to build homes and fuel fires. Most of
our furniture is made from wood - from functional to beautiful
objects. Trees also provide wood for making the instruments that
bring us music; harps, violins and flutes, and for several centuries
since the invention of wood-pulp, trees have sustained the vast
body of human knowledge in the form of paper.
Trees
were closely connected with the religion of Celtic peoples. Our
ancient Ogham alphabet was based on trees with each letter associated
with the name of a tree. Many place names in Ireland come from
the names of trees or words denoting trees or woodlands; over
1,600 townlands in Ireland contain the word doire or derry, meaning
oakwood. Codes of behaviour evolved to protect trees and under
the old Brehan Laws heavy fines were handed out for damaging or
felling a tree, especially a noble tree.
Under
the ancient laws, there were four categories of trees and shrubs
and each of these comprised seven plants. The four categories
were the 'nobles of the wood', the 'commoners of the wood', the
lower division of the wood' and the 'bushes of the wood'. Trees
in the noble category include: oak, hazel, holly, yew, ash, Scots
pine and crab apple. Commoners Include: alder, willow, hawthorn,
rowan, birch, elm and cherry.
Some
Native Irish Trees And Our Ancient Links To Them
Oak
The Sessile and, almost certainly, the Pedunculate Oak are native
Irish trees. The Sessile Oak is our Irish national tree. In ancient
Ireland the oak was a noble of the forest and the tree of Dagda,
Lord of Perfect Knowledge and father of the gods of Old Ireland.
The oak represents courage and endurance. The tree's noble presence
and nurturing habit reassured ancient peoples that, with the goodwill
of their gods, their leader and their warriors, they could prevail
against all odds.
Hazel
In ancient times, the Nine Hazels of Wisdom grew at the source
of the River Boyne. Hazel is the tree of knowledge and understanding.
It was also the poet's tree and our ancestors revered poetry as
the highest form of art and magic. Hazel rods were used to construct
walls and the nuts were an important seasonal food in Ireland.
Forked hazel wands were also used to divine water.
Ash
The ash was of great magical importance In ancient times. It is
said that five magical trees protected Ireland; three of these
were ash, one was an oak and the other a yew. St. Patrick is said
to have driven the snakes of out Ireland with the aid of an ash
stick. Ash is the time-honoured wood used for the manufacture
of the hurley.
Birch
The birch is known as the pioneer tree and was the first to colonize
Europe and North America. In ancient times the birch symbolized
a fresh start, love and our potential for change.
Yew
The Yew was one of the 'nobles of the forest' under the ancient
Brehon laws. This beautiful evergreen tree is said to have one
of the longest lifespan of all trees. Some yews are thousands
of years old. Yew wood is one of the most beautiful and was used
long ago to make long bows. It is still used in wood turning to
make bowls, in cabinet making and also for intricate inlaid furniture
and jewellery boxes.
Alder
The alder is a wetland tree and grows along rivers and lakes.
The alder enriches soil by adding nitrogen to it that it has captured
from the surrounding air. Its timber is very strong and resists
decay, even when submerged in water, hardening with time to the
toughness of stone. It was essential timber in ancient times and
was used for the construction of crannogs, the Celtic late dwellings.
Beautifully coloured dyes can be made from alder; a rich green
dye was made from the flowers, young shoots produced a cinnamon
colour and a bright red dye was made from the bark. Warriors shields
were made from alder and the wood was also made to make clogs
up until the mid-1950s.
Scots
pine
The Scots pine grew in Ireland 7,000 years ago but died out because
of climate changes and human activity. It has been reintroduced
Into the country over the past 150 years. Pine is the traditional
Christmas tree or the tree of the Nativity. The ancient Druids
made great fires from pine around the winter Solstice, this later
became the custom of burning the Yule log. Pines were decorated
during Yuletide to preserve the sacred life-giving light of the
sun god. Later the Christmas tree carried on this tradition in
celebration of the birth of Christ, whose birth was announced
by the appearance of a new star in the sky, and in whose memory
a star is placed at the top of the Christmas tree.
