Ask people who have visited
Ireland what they remember about the country and you will
invariably hear mention of how green it is. Which is
surprising, considering that Ireland is now the most treeless
land in Europe.
Ireland's native forests were
effectively wiped out during a four century orgy, removing from the
face of the land trees that had first emerged in the aftermath of
the last great ice age 10,000 years ago. When the last glaciers
retreated from Ireland the first trees to rise again were those
tolerant of cold conditions - birch, willow and juniper. They were
followed by species less tolerant of cold. Broadleaved forests of
oak, elm, alder and ash covered the lowlands. Native pines (such as
Scots pine) rose in the highlands and in the poorer soil of the
west. There was so much growth that by the time the first farmers
began to cultivate the land between five and six thousand years ago
Ireland was covered with broadleaves and evergreens.
The economy of Ireland under the
Celts was that of the forests. This great resource was the provider
of raw materials, medicine, weapons, tools, charcoal, food (in the
form of berries, nuts, fungi, fruit, wild animals, insects and
grubs) as well as the basis for spirituality and wisdom. No other
country has as many place-names connected to the forest. As many as
40,000 still exist, which, without the woodlands and forests, mean
little to anyone who doesn't know the local history. There are many
family names associated with native broadleaf trees (McIvor is Son
of Yew, McCarthy is Son of Rowan, McColl is Son of Hazel amongst
many others).
When the Romans conquered most of
Britain, Ireland was said to be two-thirds mixed hardwood forest.
Despite the emergence of agriculture and the practices of invading
tribes, Gerald of Wales, a Norman who came to Ireland as part of
Henry II's war mongering entourage in the late 12th century,
described Ireland in 1185 as a country of 'many woods and marshes'
and 'here and there, some fine plains, but in comparison with the
woods they are indeed small'. Sweeney (from the 12th century story
Buile Suibhne) refers to the oak, hazel, alder, blackthorn,
sloe-bush, watercress, saxifrage, apple, rowan, bramble, ivy,
holly, ash, birch and aspen.
A few generations later Ireland's
rich forests were gone. Ireland's original farmers had started the
destruction, clearing woodlands for cultivation, and this practice
was continued by peasant subsistence farmers. The depletion
continued as people used wood as a source of fuel and for building
material. Then the colonizing English started to fell the woodlands
to deny the Irish hiding places in the early battles for the
land.
Similarly, but for different reasons,
while this island was once covered in dense forest, in today's
Manhattan, you may find Woods, a Ramble, or a Pinetum, but you
won't find a forest anymore. If you look at the puzzle below, you
may feel like you can't see the forest for the trees. Good
luck!
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.
FTF to 3TF prizes are $25, $20, and $15 bookstore gift cards.
Some suggestions: U2 "The Joshua Tree" CD; Frank McCourt, "Angela's
Ashes", which is not about trees, but still a good book; James
Joyce "Ulysses", Bloomsday is coming up in June, or Mel Brooks "The
Producers" DVD. What the latter has to do with Ireland, is for you
to figure out. Good luck!
Due to several mugglings, we had to replace the container with a
log-only bison tube. Please don't forget to bring a pen!