The following is a tale from lower, we Helicon for the yellow
book of lacan, it was written between 1391 and 1401.
Although the tails are called within are far, far, older from
a time before the written word could Taxidermy human life.
It concerns fintan make bakra said to be the oldest man in
Ireland. A Seer who wanders, the land
outside of the shackles and comfort of time.
The story in question is about a giant who appeared on the hill
of Tara or rather above the hill of Tara.
The beans name was Trevor wounded, three acre.
The upholder of the triple keys. Fintan looked up at this Titan
kind, but wholly powerful taller than a forest with a shining
Crystal Veil line across his back.
His sandals made of some mysterious material unknown to
all the wise folk that stood at Tara In his right hand, he
carried a branch. From this Branch grew three
fruits, his nuts apples, and acorns he arrived in Ireland on
his way back from a journey. The mission to meet the Setting
Sun along the western Sky, he was passing the rugged shores of
Ireland on his way East words. At the point of the sun's
Rising. The reason for this Mission and
the Giants intent was to investigate.
Why the death of a man in the East now, players known as
Jerusalem had stopped at the Sun's shining for a whole day.
Upon hearing this fintan and the others who gathered at Tara knew
that he was not of this world and must somehow be involved in
interstellar Affairs. Yes, he also seemed aware of
Earthly issues, the people of Taro welcome.
This other world guests but they were concerned.
How could they fulfill their roles as hosts and feed such a
Colossus for? He could fit the entire Sky
beneath them within his legs. However, the giant assured them
that his fruity and Branch would provide all the food he needed
for, it was Everlasting. No food was not his concern.
Instead he gazed upon the Strange Land that he stood above
and I asked fintan, it's easier about the island of Ireland.
How was it? / was a ruled Vinton explain to
him. That Ireland comprised of
several dynasties contained within provinces, monster
conduct Ulster and Leinster for which a fifth Province, resided
known as meath. The seat of the king where
fintan Hood at this very moment, he included an attribute or a
spirit that resided in each province, knowledge to the West
battle to the north prosperity, to the east music, to the South
and at the center kingship The giant stare down at the land
before his feet and assessment and then brought his eyes back
with barely an effort to fintan The Seer.
He agreed, he concluded that these traits would be bound to
these corners of Ireland forever, as long as it lasted,
he gave fintan some berries, nuts and acorns from his
Enchanted branch and entrusted him to plant them in the parts
of Ireland, where they would grow best.
These seeds became the five sacred trees of our country,
considered the guardians or representations of our five
provinces. The Forest of us and US Forest
people. Hello, it's been a long time.
That's our standard intro now. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry,
sorry. But Aaron, I'll be back in the
next episode, just be here today.
And this is quite a quite a bit informative episode.
Anyway, so me and and we'll have a great amount of fun talking.
Once again, about forests the same as this episode, but more
from a fun perspective, going into the suit of fairy Stories.
The little Twee suit of stories will laugh.
Well, cry will fall in love. It will be amazing.
But for this episode, we're traveling through time through,
I was very interested in the idea that Ireland, was once a
temperate rainforest, no more than our cousins over there in
New Zealand and looking about it at now, I'm like, oh, this isn't
a rainforest and this got me interested.
So today you're going if you'd like to you haven't balls
already to come back in time with me to journey to an iron
and Untouched by our Proto ancestors.
And so we'll walk through a rainforest then on into the celt
to venerated trees and then onwards from that it's kind of a
downhill spiral as you could suggest, but I think we're on
the upturn and hopefully, after this episode, you'll gain an
appreciation for ourselves and our Origins, as far as people,
You've heard some sounds of trees and birds and swishing
already and that's actually from a virus, just behind my house.
So enjoy knowing that all the audio from this episode has been
sourced locally. Hell yeah, far as people is what
we are, and of course, internationally and even
nationally we describe ourselves as Irish today, but of course,
Irish is a N-word and it's an English word and Gail's is the
more appropriate definition of who we are and Gail's directly
translates to Wild men or indeed, Forest people.
So we came from the forests we came from as mankind, began
says, in the Irish Times article, Ireland's rainforest
hiding in plain sight and we came from dank thickets of
woodlands and those Woodlands used to cover at three quarters.
Of this island. And so Ireland naturally is a
rainforest climate and naturally we as indigenous people are
fairest. People were wild men and and of
course the language is changed to reflect reality and of course
the language is changed to reflect the reality of the
situation and when you look at your bedroom window now, whether
you're in a city or even in the country, if you're in the
country, you'll see. The patchwork quilts of feel
sort of higgledy-piggledy, strong together, and maybe sewn
together by lines of ditches and, and trees.
And, and even if you're lucky enough to look out of the forest
and what are you really looking at?
What's your definition of a forest, we're gonna get very
philosophical and in this episode, I am.
Are you looking at a forestry will those trees be cut down in
the next 14 years? 15 years.
If you look at a far as the isn't intended to be cut down
and And is it, is it made up of native trees?
Is it? A monoculture of the one type of
tree? This is essentially what today's
episode is about. It's about our relationship to
forests over time and Ireland's history as a rainforest country,
and, and our use of language in relationship to the Natural
World, which might sound like a bit of a leap.
And but bear with us. So yes, just like fintan McRae
in. Our first story, we are going to
be The Observers and of this nation and no matter where you
are, whether you're in an apartment, whether you're in
your home, whether you're sitting in the middle of some
forestry, maybe you're sitting in a public park or something.
We want to close our eyes, we're gonna dial the clock back before
a single filthy Proto Irish tow it set foot on our land.
And we're going to imagine. And as far as people, I land the
land from which we came a thriving rainforest, Something
to keep in mind though, before we travel back in time is the
relationship between words and trees and how human language and
communication. It was once inspired by Nature's
design. We can look into a home and
script and when we think of this he will talk about it further as
the episode goes along. But you know, ohm and are those
sort of standing columns stones that have one line slit up
vertically And then little horizontal lines on either side
it to do note letters. And ohm as a language, is based
on nature, it's based on trees. And so there's a lot of
speculation and evidence to suggest and that our ancestors
who will put under the broad stroke of Celts and there's some
debate as to who the Celts War, but we'll get to that as well
plenty of time. And, but yes, it's easy to
imagine our early ancestors. Stirs looking out at trees
seeing the branches, the suit of tall, vertical beans, with
branches hanging out either side and you climb own just like you
would a tree and you start at the bottom and you work your way
up so we can see how something that a human creation.
Like language has been inspired by the natural realm around us
but it's funny as we go on, it will see how language rather
than being based on nature. Actually becomes the surge of
synthetic thing that's used to pull the wool, over the eyes of
the public, or to sweeten public perception within forestry
industry, and the Republic of Ireland lies at the bottom of
the European Forest, cover index, it would less than 11% of
its total land area. Under forests cover, Northern
Ireland, doing a bit better with about 7 percent coverage and
it's often included with the rest of the United Kingdom way
with 13% as far as cover over there.
But it's interesting how we relate to trees.
There's sort of relatable things.
It's interesting how Parts was like our lungs veins arteries
and lymphatic system and even our brains can all mirror up and
with the makeup of a tree's roots and branches or how even
our learning can be inspired by trees in a very intuitive way.
You might think of mind maps and how they almost have this tree
like shit, but I relationship to trees is much larger than some
sort of poetic metaphor quotes from writers such as nylon
MacArthur who wrote Ireland's trees, considers the perhaps we
personalize and relate. Trees as large life-forms, it
would struggle, cooperate and thriving communities, and
compete for space, just like us and trees are interpreters
charismatic megafauna Aura, which play an important role
invoking, feelings of GOP as he, the term was coined by JK rice
in 1947 and GOP D denotes the sense of piety felt by humans in
relation to both the natural world and the geographical space
surrounding them. And Ireland, feelings of GOP is
easy as well. As Regional and national
identity of often evolved around trees such as the oak, Hazel
Holly and Ash and white torn, of course a which carry strong
cultural implications jumping on from that in Celtic culture,
every tree mountain and rock and spring.
Possesses its own spirit and known as a Newman which has the
power to boat faster and Destroy living things.
But we'll go a further into the Celtic Tree veneration later in
the episode. Every that's of Ireland.
Such as the Emerald Isle are well-known.
And I still make sense today, when we look at all at the
Patrick through fields that daughter landscape but iron and
also was once known as the I love would allegedly.
And as of course, as I mentioned, Gail means M finest
people. So the memory of Ireland's
Woodlands remain crystallized in our words and and of course our
place names, which is definitely something you've come across if
you read anything by a the wonderful man calm again.
So you probably have heard that most notably Dairy is taken from
the word, diarrhea, which signifies an Oak Grove at the
prefix kill, commonly an Irish players names that can be Ki LL.
K IL C, IL, they all drive from the Irish word call and meaning
a wood. So common killed are killed.
Kenny, if your name is Mike will or I'm a Carson, you are the son
of Hazel or the son of Rowan, if you're a Mac a bear and your son
of you and McQuillan, you're the son of ha Ali and these are all
examples of how trees, not only are related to the places we
come from but the people we are in total 13,000 of the 60,000
townlands in our country are named after trees.
So obviously trees, they're pretty important.
Guys are, it's the pretty pretty heard of them so taking into
consideration is early culture of tree veneration.
It's worth asking how exactly the Environment became almost
entirely denuded of tree cover by the end of the 19th century.
That's not that long ago in the grand scheme of things.
And, as I said, now, we lie at the bottom of the European
Forest cover index. I think it's very easy.
Just based off culture. And this idea of Ireland is the
Emerald Isle and it makes us feel because we have a history
of being very easy to Natural Earthly people that somewhere
where these bastions of the environment, And but you have to
put that and history into practice, you know, and just
because we're a nation known for our hospitality and it doesn't
mean we can go check it out. Anyway.
I couldn't be arsed to be your host.
This is when some of the negative aspects of similar
krayem, come in and similar krayem, a denotes an image or
representation of something, but often times, It's an
unsatisfactory imitation or substitute.
So sometimes symbols are very helpful in Austin you know
they're kind of like memes. They spread very rapidly but
often times like with memes the origin or the meaning gets lost.
And I think sometimes I respect and love for nature including
with myself. I have to say can come across a
bit superficially and maybe we don't put into best practice and
what we We I wouldn't even say preach what we paint and rightly
so that we relate to trees, given that we are essentially
each other's codependent housemates, you know, and they
take our CO2, we've known this since we were babies and, and
they give us oxygen, but perhaps more over than housemates were
in a kind of marriage and ask yourself.
If we are in a marriage were trees, do you think it's an
equal? Do you think that we give to
trees and forests as much as they give back to us?
A In the same sort of angle, if we are in a Loveless marriage
with trees and kind of makes complete sense that do that our
world is falling apart. At the moment, are given that we
haven't been taking care of our partners human domination over
trees. Clearly doesn't work if we need
them and but also a careful Planning by humans of literal
nature. Also doesn't seem like too
realistic of approach. Ouch.
It can something carefully planned by anything, but nature,
be nature or natural so if we relate to trees ask yourself,
this question and is nature a group of trees, we plant and is
a group of trees, always a genuine functional Forest.
I think to answer that question, we look back at ourselves and
say, is a group of humans. Always a genuine happy.
Functioning Society. Is it a family or work place or
a prison under the same pretense?
A Up of trees is not always a forest and this is where
language, it's a bit blurry. What does it truly mean to make
space for nature human or otherwise?
So what is a forest f? It says a really simple question
and but the definition of forest is actually quite nebulous and
it's easy to get it tangled in the weeds of it.
And there's a pliable Nature's the word of the forest are the
can have disastrous effects where by you or I or someone
else can all look at the same patch of land or close their
eyes and think of the word fires and imagine very different
things. And without further Ado, don't,
let's clamor up now. Going to get into my magical
growth, we're going to become like fintan makrooh and we're
not going to worry, I'm not gonna worry the time.
It's it's it's it's button object.
We're going to tie our clocks back and I closed her eyes.
We're gonna let up whatever walls or fences.
I don't know where you are. Toilet, cubicles, Melt Away,
watch the road. Become indistinct, keep your eye
though and on your speed and let the feels ignite into Woodland
song. I sort of ruined that all
metaphor there by telling you sick, they pay attention on the
road, but please do is you're driving, but otherwise, if
you're not just close your eyes and become become the
rainforest, So before my sweaty little mouth ever started
speaking, and before I don't know, Brian boru was running
around or Michael Collins or anybody before this land was
tainted by an Irish brogue or any English matter.
What did Ireland look like, in 7,000 BC Ireland was untouched.
This would be just around the time that our Mesolithic
ancestors and arrived and obviously in research history,
keeps changing around. Understanding of it but 7000 BCE
is what will take it as at the moment and so stepping out of
our time traveling growth and we emerge into a dense Thicket of
Woodland. It's a bustling world of tree
life in the area are standing in his lucky enough to quite rich
soil. So the forest is thriving with
Oak and Elm trees. Our hands are brushing against
the ferns and our feet. Meeting a tapestry of liverworts
and masses of countless varieties as we exit the The
bird song is like nothing you could ever hear now.
And it is literally life theming everywhere we leave the comfort
of the Grove and enter Winding Valley.
The soil is soft and plush here. It's also less nutrient rich,
but the trail is still nonetheless vibrant and Native
Pines make their home here and guide our way along a small
stream and there's no path. So we plot Barefoot on the tall
on cut grass, the crunches against their souls and the
Bracken against are ankles. The whole Forest is a sea of
purple Ling, Heather thrives. When the Scotch pine branches,
give way to sunlight as the forest.
Begins to open up, weird region by the Rowan tree.
This is a gorgeous part of the forest opening.
The fire has kind of, be providing a well-needed break,
where were met by the compact domes of the white beam, as well
as the red berries, and shiny leaves of the Holly Ivy, and
honeysuckle. Now, these would be all
considered Trees, you know, the Roe on the IV, the Holly the
white beam and the honeysuckle, but according to Magner, and one
of our sources. And there are a few non-native
trees that were introduced very at a later date by humans that
are now also native non-native trees, I supposed to become
naturalized to Ireland over centuries of growing.
These would include the beach, the Sycamore and the sweet
Chestnut. If you're if you're looking
that's something you always wondered.
If the sweet Chestnut was Really a native, you know, it's kind of
one of those things more Irish than the Irish themselves, as
they say, at present in 7000 BCE, the fires home to a whole
host of animals. And the big gorgeous brown bear
is looking at me now, and I'm peeing.
Myself, a wolf is gnawing at my leg.
Yeah, Boris attempting to break my back.
They're all extinct now. But at the moment they're
tearing me apart. Limb from limb, the animals
which still survive today that have been native to Ireland.
Has long been Because 7000 BCE would include the fox stoat and
the pine marten mad to think they still survive today.
Save the pine marten. So these early, Mesolithic,
settlers that would have arrived Ireland.
They would have met small clearings into the Woodland, but
they didn't need large expanses of open land and they won't
really Farmers yet. They didn't so crops, and or
keep domestic animals. As early as people were primary
fishermen hunters and gatherers Timber was used to make both
boats and houses is so they would chop down trees for that
purpose and but there wasn't this sort of large a scale
agricultural approach and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers left
almost no impact on Ireland's forests and the country's
densely wooded landscape began disappearing about 6,000 years
ago upon the arrival of the early Neolithic, settlers So let
us I've escaped him. I've escaped all those them,
brown bears and such. Let's hop back into the Grove
and see what the early Neolithic life looked like.
So yeah, the Mesolithic hunter-gatherer is it nearly not
know they were here at all and they left almost no impact on
Ireland's forests. The landscape and woodland
landscape. Really didn't start changing in
Ireland or disappearing until about six thousand years ago
from 2023. So the early Neolithic period
and what were these little bastards at that they started
getting rid of our forests. Well, the two major series
accounting for the initial disappearance of Irish virus
involved the growth of blanket box.
So that would involve draining land and Forest clearance.
So these ads are showing our are leasers of history and culture
as Farmers because we are a nation of farmers, the
development of blanket, Borg resulted in the are aliased
clearance of virus which mostly affected the west and also, the
Midlands, So the evidence of this around 4,000 BCE
newly-arrived Neolithic Farmers, made a considerable impact on
the environment. They were ripping and tearing
through the forests and pollen analysis, conducted at Valley.
NE Gilly reveals, how in approximately three thousand
900, BCE a shift occurred from Elm and pine pollen to pollen
from grasses and Syria, it's amazing, the pollen analysis can
do this. This shift indicates that the
clearing of forests and the planting of grasses, most Bubbly
for cattle rearing and also the cultivation of crops.
When we see that cereal and pollen was present there,
Neolithic inhabitants were probably also responsible for
bringing domesticated cattle sheep, and goats to Ireland by
around 3000 BCE. And obviously the likes of sheep
and goats and cattle one day need space as so far as have to
clear and also, they do have a pile of mansion those animals.
If you've ever seen them, if you ever seen them, you ever see one
of those chapei. my pronunciation is gotten even
worse, cutout shape and the got To put into context a human
development around 3000 BCE because I don't know about you,
I find it really hard to place, you know, things in time.
Jesus. I know Jesus was around as the
same time as Michael Collins, as far as I'm concerned.
So, why am IA eunuch Ste fuck asked?
You may say, well that's why I chose folklore and but no to put
this into context and the nihilistic Society present in
Des Moines Valley, a were organized enough to build
passage Graves of noth do that and also Newgrange.
So These boyos as well as farming.
I know, I joked around and I call them little Credence or
whatever. Farming isn't the worst thing in
the world at all as long as we just?
You know, are controlled about it and in our marriage with the
land and little is known of the culture or religion of these
people at the time and and Kelly explains that.
These sophisticated cultural monuments point to a high level
of farm organization and social structure.
Somatic academic research, this time round.
And yeah, for all you Scholars at their, I could just be
throwing names around. Bingley said that in 50 billion
DC DC. So yeah, it's amazing to think
that little is known about the culture and religion of
Neolithic people since they're involved in the construction of
the likes of Newgrange, perhaps at some of the stories related
to our earliest mythology. Passed down on more of the
orally it to the stories. We know today.
Maybe they had very different stories, who knows?
She and on the Hazel tree and the origin of the River,
Shannon. She and Anne was the
granddaughter of Lear, the ocean, and the daughter of man
and on Mac lir chignon was intelligent gifted and generous,
but he lacked confidence. She known went on a spiritual
journey, traveling deep under the ocean.
She had heard tell of carnal as well as Supernatural spring,
which birthed six rivers of intelligence.
The journey she took was perilous.
She was warned against it, but she knew it would surely a
sister in her quest for enlightenment, the powers of
this. Well, were given to her by nine
Hazel trees, which grew all around.
These hazel, tree nuts, dropped from the tree and fall into
carnal as well. Turn it into a cauldron of
inspiration with the surface of the well froth in with wisdom.
The salmon of knowledge is said to have eaten.
One of these hazelnuts and is said to still dwell in one of
the six rivers that were birthed from Connors, well, she and on
reaching the, well, imbibes in these bubbles, the froth up
after our hazelnut falls into the well and immediately becomes
enlightened more creative imagination and enthusiasm flows
to her than she ever could have hoped, however, as she turns to
head home, the well Rises up against her and Answer.
And from this drowning rides, the River Shannon and Shannon's
name. So that brings us onto the celt,
the Celts. The Celts have a funny one for
me researching and in all of the articles that I focused on I
believe one of them's called dispirited virus.
That's by marja. Chicago key.
Then Ireland's fires fallacy by a ruby Harris.
Gavin and the Celts are used as a sort of catch-all term and I
think it's very handy to consider them just as the Celts.
But I also would just like to point out that we don't know a
whole lot. What about the council?
The comparison I can think of for how to do the Celts I
suppose is the same as I would use to view the Apache in Native
American tribes. So when the Americans came over
and shunted a pile of natives off their land and they kind of
pull them all together. Is that these guys dressed the
same, they look the same. They seem to act, the same diff
different goals than us. They're all Apache.
They're called the Apache. That's the stiff.
And they shunt these Switch. They called Apache off their
land and to go over to your other tribes.
There's plenty of land around here but these other tribes as
well as possibly being their enemies.
May have had never had a contact with each other at all.
Now, from an outsider's perspective, it looks like
they're all a part of the same faith and culture and everything
else, and they're definitely more connected to each other
than they would be to these colonizers and Invaders.
But I think the same can be said of the Celts.
A lot of what we know about the Celts in the continent or in
Ireland, or in Britain. It comes from Roman writings
because you know our ancestors, what we call the Celts and those
before them, they didn't write anything down.
And so we kind of have to go off the information given to us by,
you know, people who fought against the cats.
And so I think I'm going to use the term the Celts and it
definitely, you know, you'll get the bright picture.
But I think it's just helpful to remember what we call the Celts
could have been a whole host of of different groups and tribes
and cultures that actually didn't consider themselves
connected at all. And but I think that's helpful
to, those know, going forward. So with the Advent of the Bronze
Age around 2400, BC e and the emergence of iron tools then
between 600 and 500 BC and the concurrent arrival of the Celts
Jour in this Iron Age farming techniques became far more
advanced with the harvesting of more Woodlands as an inevitable
consequence of this farming so Celtic tribes respect to this is
to have arrived in Ireland. Let's say around 800 BCE.
So obviously human development had led to iron tools increased
farming practices and obviously getting more to grips with a
farming techniques. You would figure that a lot of
Forestry would be lost. But what's interesting?
Studying pollen profiles at the time in Ireland, indicates more
and more trees were getting cut down.
It often coincided with the recovery of forests.
This would align with certain similar practices in the soil
profiles in the Amazon and how tribes there would sort of
manage I suppose. Called today far as management.
There's rich soil in the armor. Amazon that wouldn't normally be
present there and signs of charcoal.
And so, the natives were burning trees in such a way that they
weren't completely destroying them.
So, benefiting and fertilizing the soil by burning down trees,
but only doing it away, that maintained and life in the
forest and made sure that not too many trees were cut down or
burned, and it seems that the Celts were doing something
similar here and maybe not to the charcoal burning down effect
but death Friendly sort of a practice that we're trying to
reinstate now, we're as many trees that are getting cut down
are getting recovered by a effective planting processes.
It should also be noted that the virus at this time could have
been just robust enough to withstand some minor losses.
And that of course the settlers and didn't have maybe the tools
or technology to take huge clearings of forests at the
time. So maybe this sort of practice
of cutting as much as plant was planted was almost by accident
and by proxy of maybe ignorance on the Celts are part but I
think there's enough evidence to suggest even from what we know.
Through the Romans about Celts. The trees were incredibly
important to them and they did warship them, or I suppose the
spirit, the Newman within them could have just been limitations
at the time for the calcium. That's the reason that as many
trees were planted as cut, but I do think three veneration has a
part to play. So keeping tree veneration in
mind, let's return to the tail at the top of our episode, on
the five, sacred trees of Ireland, and from the yellow
book. The can it was exactly and where
were they and funnily enough. They're not each in their
respective Province. They were all planted in our
around at the fifth Province or once fifth province of meath.
That's why provinces actually are called cougar and could
obviously meaning five Australians bad at Irish as I
am. So these trees were believed to
represent transition points. Are axial line between this land
on the Realms beneath us the other world.
That's why I It's interesting that when they talk about the
Giant and the upholder of the triple key and and how he is
interested, in other worldly Affairs, as he is in human
Affairs. I think this is a perfect, he's
almost a representation of the tree and maybe its roots
communicating with the other world and its upper half and
communicating with us. So these trees would have had
Guardians to protect them. And just as you would see at
temples or Lee Wells even today. The most important tree was
called Billy. Ooh, snack and was planted on
the navel of Ireland. I do schnook.
Where its roots reach down into the underworld, a, what its
branches soy and out in the heavens.
Unite in all Dimensions through its broad trunk.
This can even be related to the yogic Traditions.
You can imagine with the folded knees and then the spine
upright. And then the hands out, the
category of Kernan has is always is shown in this pose with knees
and Back straight. And then the hands out and it
can vaguely look like the shape of a tree.
Below whose neck was said to be an oak or possibly an ash tree
in Kill there, stood a Omega or the you of Magna although some
accounts claim that was actually an oak instead of a u i don't
I'd imagine it was you if that's its name it was one of the five
trees capable of bearing the tree fruits of its progenitor.
So of the Giants are Branch so it could produce apples acorns
as well as hazelnuts It produced.
All Three crops annually. The third sacred tree was the
are Rouge, which grew by the river Barrow in County Carlow.
It was also mostly described as a yew tree, but occasion, it was
described as an oak. And when it was felled in the
7th Century, Saint melash was said to have distributed its
Timber amongst the Irish Saints day, but this was probably just
an attempt to christianize and already important Pagan symbol.
And as we have mentioned before, that's the process of seeing
criticism. So the final two trees were made
of a I craved a, he stood at fire Bell County West made and
billiards Thornton was at Art, Bracken, near Navin and came to
meet the latter tree was so big that it was said to be able to
shelter all the people of the region beneath its branches
during times of danger. Though, it's hard to believe
based upon other accounts. It was quite as big as a oh,
Noona, do you tree of Kildare a which record into a palm, and
the Jinn shank is, could shelter, 3040 people.
So within brand law and which was practiced by what we know as
the Celts, there was a pecking order of trees fires were held
in such a high regard by the early Irish people that the
surviving 7th and 8th Century law, text on farming.
But I had a comic Asia list, 28 trees and shrubs of significance
arranged in order of their economic value.
The trees are arranged into four classes.
And so, Eric Fado Nobles of the wood and that would include the
oak. No surprises there.
Ah, ha. They do.
Those are the commoners of the wood pole Affair, though, lower
divisions of the wood and last the phaedo bushes of the wood.
So the oak is listed in the noble class indicating its high
status Then followed by the Hazel, Holly you Ash Scots pine,
the wild Apple Evidence of the cultural significance of these
trees also appears in law's dedicated to their damage.
So harming, another person's tree led to a penalty or fine
and a compensation fee in accordance with the severity of
the damage. And, of course, the nobility of
the tree to the higher, the class of the tree, the greater
the fine and compensation Fergus Kelly a of trees in early
Ireland. Notes that a tree status, may
make it a target for enemy attack which is often recorded
such as the time when the men of Ulster at chopped.
Down at the sacred tree. At the Royal inauguration site
of Canaan, A Logan chain lock in the year 1111.
SE e AK, Nan, Neo and being in modern-day in a show and in
County Donegal. And before we move on to the Big
Daddy of Celtic trees the oak, we should have a look at the
Hawthorne and the Hawthorn is of course the fairy treats known as
a symbol of both love and protection.
My office is symbol of protection is because they can
grow in such inhabitable nooks and crannies.
The lecturer in ohm associated with the Hawthorne.
He's Hua, which is thought to mean fear often, we see single
Hawthorn tree standing alone and feels or around old ring forts
on Just by local farmers. So the whole turn tree would
have actually flowered. It's called, its flowering would
have coincided with around May 1st, which is, of course, the
Irish Festival of be out now, which just happened and it would
grow red berries. Around eHow know, Halloween is
so, would have had red berries for the beginning of winter.
Therefore, this tree sort of changed, how it looked on two of
the more important festivals in the Irish and Celtic calendar.
So, as a result of the blooming of the Hawthorn tree aligning,
and with these two Irish festivals, of course, it would
have been considered important. But why is it all thorn trees
associated with fairies, or why the farmers not cut them down,
or or why do they think that something awful would befall
them if they cut down these bushes and some suspect that the
answer to this lies? In the unexpected on flower lie,
smell of Hawthorne flowers, Hawthorne flowers, a developed
to miss a particular smell to attract mainly care.
And insects as such as flies to pollinate them.
So this smell the emission comes from a chemical known as Tri
ethyl amine and as a sort of still smell it, that's
reminiscent of gangrene or even decomposing dead bodies to the
smell is probably quite familiar to people long ago and in the
days before modern embalming techniques.
People often laid out their own dead relatives or neighbors, you
know, as we do now Jordan wakes and and also am considering that
Ireland would have had a myriad of War wars going on a long ago
in the past as well as a famine that is, you know, not so far
away in our recent history. People would have been quite
aware of this smell of decomposition and so as a result
it would have been something to fear.
And then as a result, maybe this tree is something to avoid.
And that's probably why I gained and this relationship with fear
sort of paradoxically this 3, ethylamine, the fluid that the
Hawthorn develops it also gave them A Musky fragrance to the
flower that can be Associated human sexual bodily fluids.
These connotations of both death and sex and those life peer and
within the lore surrounding at the Hawthorn tree.
So as a result, maybe that's why stories could have been
developed to say it kids or to indeed adults, don't cut down
that tree. Don't Go Near that tree and it
smells of death and also a little bit like my genitals.
For the river and the other trees in our personalities and
folklore urgent that we could cover.
But we'd be here all day, we must move on and the Big Daddy
of Celtic Tree veneration. And that is, of course, the oak.
The oak is a tree of most significant as sacred importance
to the Celtic people and indeed the Irish.
But it's also of great real life importance.
Why you may ask? Because the oak firing away
shelters. More insects and Legend and then
any other tree which is insane. So you might have heard the word
Billy. And when we mentioned Billy
Oceanic and previously there below and means sacred tree are
tribes throughout Ireland and a territories had a billion.
Which for them was the physical embodiment of the surrounding
area. It's local people and the center
of its Essence. It is embodied in the history of
living. So tribes would carry a branch
with their Billy are leading and the raid.
Of arrival area, the defending territory would try their
hardest to try and capture and Destroy This Branch.
This would have been a precursor to the concept of wounds Battle
Flag a, which is quite interesting is, if you fast
forward into the American Civil War and many Irish people fought
on either side. A, a harrowing victory for a
tribe, would be destroying arrival settlements Bollea in a
sense, it would be more of a victory at than killing the King
himself as destroying the area. Sacred tree undid, a symbol of
Sure he's of human history and prosperity, these Billy over the
location at which sovereignty and Leadership would be passed
from one generation to the next and the likes.
So a king it would pass on his leadership to his son, perhaps
or to it the next worthy candidate.
So the fact that they picked these billiard to do this shows
how important they wore in terms, not only of our religious
outlet but also intertwined with royalty itself.
It's hard to imagine what destroying one of these trees
would be like today it would be Going in and destroying, maybe
someones place of worship and their archives and their
political Center and a photo album all at the same time, it
was everything to these people old manuscripts, a record, a
historic destructions of Billy. It was just a plural of billion
such as the one we mentioned in, do Nicolas, up above and place
names like, Billy a, and Claire Billy and Billy and Antrim are
all areas named after Billy, I probably bananas those terribly
ballyhoos billion. Vashta and biliary and more real
and more evil. A are all other examples are we
see the word till I come up? So why is the oak ranked?
The highest in the order of three nobility.
As we've said already there the home of so many insects also
Legend but much like the lion is the king of the savanna at the
symbol of the oak as king. The trees is almost so
universally understood that it isn't really discussed.
And but here are some factors as to why it's considered the King
of the trees. So the oak grows the largest,
it's the slowest and it's used in a range of from construction
to the tanning of leather using its tree bark.
It also be the tallest tree around, so it's very likely that
lightning would have hit it back in the day adding to its Allure.
And its Mystique, for example, in Norse mythology, Zeus, Zeus,
it was related to the Oak Pliny. The Elder, the famous a
geographer suggested that the oak was the holiest to the
Celtic Druids, and that Drew stemmed from the word Oak.
Several, Roman and Greek historians such as Pliny as well
as strabo as suggested, the Celtic civilization worshipped
at Groves called namita Pliny and described a festival on the
sixth day of the moon, were Drew word to climb an oak tree
cutter. Bio of mistletoe and sacrificed
to whiteboard. This is part of a fertility Rite
and it's worthy knowing as we said already that this was
coming from Greek and Roman historians maybe with a certain
tilt. So it's hard to know where fact
and fiction merge their body. I'm sure there's some truth to
it. Maybe the specifics of the of
the of the process wasn't two white balls that would be
amazing. Anyway, the old Irish word in a
maid and means sacred or consecrated place in big but I
had our laws of beekeeping a tree is referred to as an Ahmed
and that it grows on the land of animated person or a sacred
person. This is a sort of an aside but
it's funny to think of a trees canopy.
If you've ever looked at it, it's gorgeous.
And sometimes I look at the trees canopy and I think that it
looks like the interior ceiling of a church but it's funny to
think it's kind of the other way around.
It's very likely that this sort of architecture.
We associate that spine that you see inside churches may very
well be based on trees. I know that a lot of
architectural practices and the golden rule of course stems from
trees, excuse the pun. I feel like there's a lot of
accidental puns in this episode. But it also gets even weirder
when we consider that many of the churches in Ireland, they
reside on, what would have been a sacred ebullient?
Such examples include column kills religious site in Derry
St. Brigid's in Kildare and column
kill site Enduro. So we've mentioned it a few
times already, but I think it's time to dip it properly into
homes script. Every letter of the alphabet is
associated with a tree that begins with the sound that the
letter depicts out of the olm. Alphabet grew the Celtic Tree
calendar which consists of 13 months instead of 12, Each of,
which is symbolized by a three and its own letter.
A, the roots of the calendar, lie within ancient Celtic,
folklore, why don't we just go down through all of these
letters, a lie? So, there's a lot to go through
and I'm not the best as pronunciation.
So I'll fly through them and and stop.
And I think that's very interesting.
So first when Becca is related to the birch tree Louis, is
related to Rowan, Fern is related to the elder tree sale
is related to the willow tree, neon has released the ash tree
Hua is related to the White Horse torn and also the words
horror or fear Doyle Is obviously comes from Dora and I
mean, Tok chinna is related to strangely to English, you know,
a bar of metal. But also to the holly tree, Carl
is related to the Hazel tree and carrot is related to The Apple
Tree. No one drives from the vine tree
and it also means the neck and the upper part of the back the
course, is related to word field and garden also.
And it's related to Ivy - oh - the hero has a meaning of
killing or slain and it's related to the firm as strength
comes from the old Irish 3F. Which also means sulfur and it's
related to The Blackthorn. Hrubesch means read or redness
and it's related to the elder tree.
Alum is of Uncertain and meaning, but possibly of piney
tree and so they think that it's related to the Or the Pine Tree
on his from the old Irish on and means ash tree.
But I can also just mean first order a relates to Earth, clay,
and soil, and it's related to the heath Bush.
Either either is related to the aspen tree and either is related
finally to the. You are just like, you know, the
13 months of the Celtic Tree calendar come out of the olm
alphabet. So the club I was wondering
myself there. There was this thing down,
Isaac. This is Far more than 13 it's
called you. So as we mentioned earlier, it's
thought that the association with trees played a huge role in
Gaelic language, education just like runes, each arm symbol, has
a name, the letter B is called Behavior as we've said and the
letter c called for hazel. Bartok students would learn
these basic names and use the arm sequence to create a list
for memorization and indeed, three seemed to be an integral
part of the human psyche, psyche, given that, this whole
alphabet was inspired by their own.
Quite delightfully, is one of the few alphabets written and
read vertically from the bottom up and this is just like
climbing a tree. So, almost appeared on
Monumental inscriptions dating from the 4th to the 6th Century
ad. And even in manuscript stating
from the 6th to the 9th century though, it's widely understood
that this alphabet was probably created, there's Something that
maybe, for instance, own could have been carved into trees or
into wood but obviously that's gone to decompose fire faster
and not stay around like the stone, it counterparts that we
see around today. So it's very hard to know.
James Carney suggest that its origin could be with in the
first century BC. Although the use of classical
ohm, and stone inscription seems to have flourished in the fifth
and sixth Century, but as we said, it's impossible to know
how long it's really. Assisted if it was inscribed
into things that would have decayed over time.
So there's 20 letters in the old own language that we listed
through there and they're called fader, which literally means
trees. And so it's not just an
assumption here that this whole Malarkey, is based out of trees.
This isn't just some fun. I just know, I'm not just making
this stuff up here. You know, this is, this is very
important, pay attention other grouped into for me.
Families are tribes of five letters.
Each, each letter is simply a cluster of 125 straight lines
scratched along the usually vertical edge of a stone in
relation to the use of. Oh, man dr.
Connor Quinn explained in his interview on Gaelic, Taco that
all, we know at the moment is that it was definitely used in
writing personal names in the possessor form.
So, like so-and-so's land, I suppose, so and so's blank, so
and so's Cottage. So once those Old on the edges
of standing stones in the like a.
It could have also been used as a memorial or possibly a
territory boundary. And but references in Old Irish
and later literature also have characters writing Oman sticks
to send messages or to record information in even to do magic.
And so, yeah, I find that quite interesting to imagine carving
Oman to a little baton baton and running with it, you know, the
path that we message. I think that's quite sweet.
Oh Mi always been quite confusing to me.
I remember learning to bed at a very young age but yeah I only
really do about it as like a boundary marker.
I wrote my name in it and that was about it.
It's quite fun to think of it as a suit of fledgling language
that we were actually using practically in the country.
So there are roughly about 400 surviving ohm, inscriptions on
Stone monuments, trout, Ireland, Scotland, and Western Britain is
the largest number of ohm stones and descriptions.
Are in pembrokeshire Wales, there you go.
Hey, there is a particularly interesting examples of Standing
Stones. Reveal further, the complexity
of human history in Ireland. And in Britain, in Shetland, a
ohm has been found representing Norse words as such as dr.
Which means daughter and krusk, which means cross.
And in killaloe can declare a, particularly fascinating Stone
as a commemoration, from the year 1100 dead.
Located to a Scandinavian. Stettler tour, Graham and it's
written in Norse runes and was then replicated in home as so.
Yeah, there was a commemoration to ask Andy, settlor, in County
Clare there. I wonder if it's still about if
anyone could let me know from the lovely County, Clare.
So briefly getting into the mythical origins of ohm.
There's I feel like there's two theories, surrounded, if not
more, a medical theories for the origin of all my peers, and text
from the 11th to the 15th century, the 11th century, a
labora Kabbalah Aaron book of invasions, in which we've done a
whole episode on. I'm sure we didn't cover
everything because I don't remember talking about all.
But, yeah, the book of invasion stated that Oma's invented soon
after the fall All of the Tower of Babel, of course.
As does the 15th century already has a patent on NS text by the
legendary skillion King, Phineas far, sir, according to the audio
cept, a Phineas journeyed from Cydia together with go GL,
MacArthur earmark, nimah and a retinue of 72 Scholars.
They came to the plain of shinar to study this confused languages
at nimrods Tower. Otherwise Known as the Tower of
Babel Nimrod and this all sounds weird.
I don't know, take of that. What you will.
I suppose I'm not here to your curium and the own tracked
credits Og man with the scripts invention.
I like this argh, man. I think he's like the god
associate with skill speed in speech and poetry, which would
make sense to me that and his name's Rich glioma.
Ugh, man. So yeah, I would say that he
might have invented. Get it home.
Yeah, he's credited with creating this system for the
learn it and to the exclusion of rustics and fools.
So already there was a, you know, a learning, you know, as
sort of an exclusively form, a separate the separate.
The men from the boys as it were, the first message written
in home was seven bees on a perch sent as a warning to Luke,
meaning your wife will be carried away seven times to the
other world unless the Birch protects her now personally I
wouldn't know what that message means but other than that, but I
hope that Lou understood particularly since the language
was just created, you think that would be the confusing for poor
Luke. But look at for this reason the
letter is B is said to be the named after the Birch and a
libero. Mmm.
It goes on to tell the tradition that all letters were named
after trees. Acclaim, also referenced by the
orea cept, as an alternative to the naming after phineas's
disciples and the same track Toma is All the father of the
ohm. Alphabet, and his knife or hand
is it mother, the brains, the father of language and the hand
is. Mummy a, the same tract.
Also says that sound was a father of own and matter is it
mother? Speaking of ugh, neuroma is the
god of language and speech, and poetry not much on them, but
there actually is a bronze carving of them in the Library
of Congress in America. So that's quite cool and I'll
make sure to throw that up on a our Instagram picture.
Jokes podcast there. Finally, the book of Bali mode
includes 92, recorded, secret modes of writing home, written
are between 13, 1913 91, Cee, so very exciting.
It's another. We briefly went through all my
let's return back to our Celts as so, the calcium have a better
handle and respect of trees, true three veneration.
And thus, we reward may be in a sorry situation as we are in
now, it'll also be argued that whilst they were farming and
they were using tools. Maybe didn't have his incredible
of Technology as we do now, when I say maybe.
I mean definitely, so that could be another reason and that trees
were able to regenerate Generate a healthy race, but the biggest
thing to remember is that, of course, the Cal's did use, would
you do me? And it is respected it.
And the answer even today, it isn't stop cutting down the
trees. I don't want, I don't like
paper. I don't like I'm mama.
I don't like Furniture. That's not, that's not what it
is. It's just about respecting us,
you know? It's the same as look.
I could I could eat all the food in the world in my home, but at
the end of the day, I got to go back to the shop.
And I got a I got a resupply it my mama ain't going to do that
for me. So the same goes for trees.
That same goes for forestry and the Celts used wood but they
just respected it. And so in the same period sector
is increasingly used timber in the construction of Roads
Bridges and other technological advances in infrastructure.
Kelly discusses the archaeological discovery of a
cause were built at to allow thusly more highway to cross a
bog and correlate. A county Longford.
So there's yeah there's discovery of a sort of
maintained, a wooden roadway through a ball gag, your Speedos
all over the place. I believe there's a really well,
M maintained one in the UK, it's called the sweet track.
Yeah, these roadways are, would have been made, and are yeah.
Yeah, one was made in County Longford in.
Corley around 150, BCE. It was made of logs of Oak.
Lay it on top of Brushwood and would have been capable of
supporting wheeled Vehicles. The oak logs used were huge.
Resembled, railroad ties suggesting the organized and
communal effort needed to assemble and build them.
And so of course Timber had been used since the Neolithic period
for housing and for other aspects of domestic life, such
as simple paths over damp ground and overs for boats as evidenced
by the late Bronze Age settlement at clown fin lock in
County, Offaly beyond the use of Timber.
A central part of all early Irish life, revolved around a
gathering, wild plants and using Woodland.
Has you know the woods were like your Pharmacy for want of a
better word? Even now at the moment, there's
a theory that the Amazon because it generates M so many different
types of Flora that. They think that the Cure, you
know, there's theories that the cure for every element on.
The earth can be found in these sort of large testing grounds
that are rainforest a Kelly points at the significance of
trees to the early Irish economy through supplying nuts and For
human consumption and food stock are for their animals.
The first so-called destruction phase of Irish Woodland began a
much later in around 300 CE e--. And when major road construction
occurred, at this point, prior the roads were talking about
here sort of minor, a wooden sort of Pathways Kelly finds
evidence of such destruction in our language itself.
The common Irish word for road, which leha, which literally
means hacking are clearing, So definitely if you're familiar
with any of mankind and the Gans books looking at language and
how we speak about things, as a great way to figure out the
minds and hearts of the people that spoke those words at the
time. But I love it.
We can really look at language in this episode to see how are
changing sort of relationship with trees from and from
developing a whole language based off trees and nature to
then slowly washing as Our words reflect hide in a relationship,
it would landscape socially her. Meaning Road literally
translates to hacking or Cleary. Another Irish word for road is
Bohemian or boring, and it translates, roughly to cow track
and for cattle pastures to be maintained, the clearing of
Woodland became essential and as the quantity of livestock Guru.
Now, one sort of sacred ground was the deer on it was of
practical importance. These were the many forests
Borges and man, Actions that could not be cultivated for
farming. So were those considered common
land. It is 0, otherwise known as
undivided land as so this land would be open to anybody to use
and to not overuse as it was everyone's and nobody's at the
same time, although certain restrictions were mandated on
the use of common land. Generally each free man of the
region was entitled to a share in its use.
Such shared uses involved the grace and have Capital the
collection of wood Turf as well as her herbs and berries.
Remedies. So, yeah, I think it's a big
shame that we don't have common land today.
I do think it's a shame that there was something you would
tell a tear in about the idea of common land.
So, in his book on Irish trees, and I'll McCoy sure who have met
referenced already speaks in relation to the First Nation
tribes in the US and their treatment of Buffalo, and we
consider the gills are Celts. And I relationship with latrese.
And the Buffalo was sacred it because of its important
practical use not, despite them when we think of Something
that's sacred. And I know we, we think of
something that's not tampered with and I think it's
interesting as Faith developed how more and more things that
are considered sacred or sort of very abstract or man-made, you
know, the first thing I think of just giving my own upbringing,
when I think of sacred is to do them, what's the term relics?
And idols, and assertive, the goal that particular going up as
a Catholic, this little goal chalices and things, you might
see, but I like this idea that sake, You coming out of
function. This is something that we were
missing today. If something is valuable, we are
almost annoyed and sick reality in which is world.
I've only discovered the eye to the Hopi security.
A whereas the sacredness was set in place for the exact reason it
over to use. Say credit, he was applied to
the Buffalo, and indeed are two trees in Ireland, it to avoid
wanton consumption. It's exactly, because we have a
use of it, that it is sacred, and we shouldn't overuse it a.
I think, at the moment, you know, if we discover Something
as a human species today, I, we want to use it.
We want to say it's abundant, you know, that's that's our
hope, but that's not reality. If something's useful, we need
to be prepared to rationale that and a to treated as sacred.
It doesn't mean we have to power down on our knees and worship it
as such a. But I think that it's there's
something there's something helpful, there's a secret sauce
and security that we need to or sacrality a that we need to
apply today. If we want to really respect,
they are our flora and are fauna.
So what we trees as sacred remains abundant, what we assume
is, abundant becomes exhausted, it brings to mind some of the
imagery. We hold of his idols of Irish
spiritualism, generally, things that no longer exist here, the
wolf, the elk, the bear, and this is where I brought up at
the start of simulacrum, which I can't pronounce it all as
symbols. And and when symbols and become
stronger than what they were meant, to represent the image of
the aisle. A of the Irish Warfare, the
great elk, and the bear and they sometimes are used as sort of
symbols for a natural Ireland but they don't exist anymore
because because of us and so do they really represent us as
symbols are all well and good as long as we stand by them.
And and and if we consider these symbols important, you know,
it's no good if we don't consider their Origins important
or don't treat them as sacred or is important.
At the time, when these animals such as the wolf, the elk and
the bear were alive, they were truly sacred and truly
respected. They weren't some imaginary
thing or an overwrought symbol of nature.
They just wore in essence nature.
Imagine a world where trees would only exist in memories and
song or someone's chain or tattoo the way, the wolf, the
elk and the bear do in Ireland at the moment that world,
unfortunately, or perhaps thankfully would not exist a but
it's very likely that if we don't put our I don't want to
say money where our mouth is, but put our actions where this
is and, and not Studio of not serious.
Just stay in the optimistic realm of symbols and, and
drawings, and stories, you know, there is a real possibility that
will look out at the world and it won't reflect who we believe
we are. And at the moment, that's the
truth. I think having the term the
Emerald Isle and makes us feel that were some sort of bastions
of of natural goodness. But the reality is, we're not
and we're actually failing miserably and I'm not trying to
be negative about it here. I do think we have here L at
this episode. So far, we come from a nation of
people who really care about the natural landscape.
And I think we really care about it presently.
I think it's just figuring out how to make actionable change
that our reality aligns with the symbols that we use to define.
Ourselves. So yes, thankfully and yet
unfortunately, what we would not exist in a world where trees
only existed as symbols and as memories we would all be dead
along with them and we certainly wouldn't be around to see it and
if technology permitted it somehow is that really a world.
You want to exist in. That's just existence.
That's not living world without nature at least, in my opinion.
And I'm not trying to be substituted.
If you have that, is I just don't, I don't know, I don't
want robot trees. So when did Ireland officially
break up with its trees? So Brian loss system of
personalizing and creating a social order for trees according
to their size using fruit type and species is in strong
contrast to the impending Norman virus laws which are give
absolute ownership to an individual.
So there was an awareness and Brandon law even though people
did old land that the land was not, you know, exclusively
yours, it was his own autonomous thing.
NG very much, the norm and forests laws changed a lot of
that. Hey ideology.
Instead land was owned by the individual.
It Woodland laws, the Irish legal system were part of the
common laws. Were one piece of land with its
natural resources was allocated to an individual of a high rank
and Trust to be transferred to the next Patron who is not
necessarily a direct inheritor. So it could just be passed down
to River. You saw fit it before, the
Norman conquest of Gaelic Ireland, it was made up of
several Well over kingdoms, which each comprising, then of
several lesser Kingdoms at the top was the high King who
received tribute from the other kings, but did not rule Ireland.
As a unitary state, this is a, the system, we had a place in
Gaelic Ireland, under a brand law though, it had a common
culture and legal system, all the same a the five Port Towns
of Dublin Wexford, Waterford Cork and Limerick are inhabited
by the north Irish and had their own rulers at but they were all
ruled under brand law. A communal ownership gave way to
the rise of feudalism. After the Norman Conquest in
1161 a the commoners independence, decreased in both
Norman and Gaelic control areas, then after the Norman Conquest.
So everything became less free as well as the land sort of
being caught up and divided more strictly a you as an individual.
Now, saw standing post and Norman Conquest, we were you To
be able to serve more than one Lord, or even transfer from one
lordship to the other. Now, we would be considered
unfree, tenants bound to the land and to that individual.
So a cocktail is starting to happen of this new medieval
style ownership alongside the continued development of
blanket, Borg and farming as tools, get better as populations
get larger and as new as skills are developed in agriculture and
this mixed with this new, Devo sort of legislative policy of
ownership is contributing to the loss of Forestry and indeed the
lack of perspective and veneration.
It result in what could be regarded as the first major
period of deforestation in Ireland?
This took place during the 12th and 13th centuries.
So this felling of Ferris in the change of land, use accelerated
then further in the 16th century, when Ireland officially
became a British colony, So we'll go into the further and
often times deforestation is very politicized and you know,
and the British stole our trees. And I definitely think that's
the case. But I also think and this
episode so far I hope has shown there's a lot more nuanced than
just point out a very dubious about just pointing the finger
at the British for everything, just because we have faults in
our own forests system, doesn't take away.
The fact that Never the bridges players to come in and take
anything of ours at the Industrial Development of the
fuel hungry British. I'll the growing demand for
cheap Timber used for shipbuilding purposes and the
inefficient and corrupt system of forest Administration in
Tudor England, but the pressure on Ireland as a suitable Target
for Invasion but strategically and economically Advanced
clearance of fires for agricultural purposes.
Continue during the plantation period systematic Plantation
occurred on a vast scale from 1556 to 16:9 Auntie by the
English Welsh and Scottish landlords in Ireland, and they
conquered and subdued the inhabitants, whose defense
capabilities were dependent on the forest as a shelter against
ambushes. So, sort of the clearing of
forests tree as will see, Way by British colonists War to phone
for a lot of the laypeople. The fairest acted in this common
land, acted as a protection and somewhere, they knew this
definitely feels like the early seeds of even the are the
Guerrilla War. Xander M of the flying columns,
you know, the land better than the oppressor.
So then obviously clearing the trees in these sort of, forested
areas was of benefit to British colonizers and law enforcers
because and they could, there was the endless places for a
rebellious sorts hide. But then, on top of that, these
trees could also then be used for shipbuilding and for
smelting and the likes. And so it was kind of a win-win
for the British and a a loser loser for the Irish at the 17th
century Plantation, which had started in the southern Midlands
spread throughout the entire country.
Leaving 1.5 million out of two million.
Acres of Irish, landscape under Plantation, 1.5 million out of
two million Acres. So, there you go.
After the tutors deforestation continued during the Stewart and
Commonwealth periods, decreasing Wildlife, biodiversity, and
gradually alienating the Irish who had earlier alive.
Down the woods as shelter and dwelling and a source of their
livelihood, as well as in certain cases as their place of
worship and less than 100 years, the social environmental effects
of deforestation were already visible in Ireland.
Native species such as wolves Eagles, Birds of Prey, and
Wildcats dwindled, as a result of losing so much natural
habitat. The Irish people on the
underhand, underwent immense pressure from the British
colonizers who had not only bereft them of their shelter and
source of income, but also gradually a Alienated them from
their own dwellings in proximity of the woods think of how much
your life would change. And and and the way you
considered yourself I always think the biggest awful thing
about colonizing. If you can pin it down to one
thing is how someone comes in with a certain way of life and
looks at your way of life. And says stupid, do you have my
way other you know I'd prefer to have my way.
Thank you. So this pressure From the
British colonizers and the Irish worsened in the aftermath of the
act of Union, it is 1800, and the consequences of absentee
landlordism, it would severely affected.
The countryside already hit by the increasing demand for food
and shelter. As a result of population growth
as well, between 1700 and 1840. So nature, which had still
remained a source of livelihood, as well as spirituality for
Centuries with the Irish, had gradually, became an
awe-inspiring and threatening presence.
There's this shift in Attitude within the IRS.
Age population is apparent in the reaction to the are leery
firestation schemes, the plan to improve the rapidly.
Dwindling, Irish Fires at the 18th century reforestation.
Start in 1765 at the hands of the Gentry who are direct
descendants of the Planters of the Scottish English, and Welsh
Planters, Elder schemes were insufficient and clearly elitist
and not paying the least attention to the local
population at all, and the negative impact of colonization
in these. Poor rural areas the Irish would
already regarded landowners as Grabbers?
Foreigners are direct quotes become more hostile towards both
the owners as well as the land. So, they started to see this re
fire station by by landlords and absentee, landlords, and
landowners, as abusive, as you're using my land, and I
suppose, the reality was that the Irish didn't feel this
relationship to their land anymore and wasn't when they
looked out. They didn't see themselves
anymore, because it wasn't Theirs to own.
It was just some where they sat on, This hostility continued and
persisted for well, over a century in the shape of
mutilating cutting trees as a sign of political protest
against landlords, it the reefer station scheme continued until
about 1845, regardless of the famine-stricken farmers, who
were all denied, a source of income, during the minor periods
of famine in the 19th century, ultimately on gorta Mor are the
great hunger. It resulted in the death of more
than 1 million, Irish people and the emigration of another
million from 1845 to 1852. Prove the indifference of the
formerly benign nature to the suffering of millions of poor
farmers who only means of survival was the Irish
landscape. There's a lot of I know in the
latest mankind book, listen to the lime speak, he speaks on
how, you know, the Irish would have had a Reliance and hope in
the land and and respected that it would provide for us.
So even though it wasn't the lands fault, it's not the lands
fault and it would have felt like the land filled.
You, you know, this huge interested in her to provide for
you. And, and, and it seemed to just
Just spit back in your face. So there's this sort of respect
and reverence of the land was completely destroyed and about
the unfortunate thing about that is it wasn't it wasn't us that
one day, the landscape decided effect.
He anyway. Oh yeah.
And as we all know, and there was plenty of food being grown
in Ireland at the time of good. Great hunger.
And I think em wasn't out of fact that during the greatest
year of emigration of Ireland. Of people even more cattle were
shipped to Britain. Then Irish people immigrating
from Ireland at the time. So there was food there, lest we
forget, there was food. The last but not least major
cause of deforestation definitely not least after the
egg, Great Famine or the great hunger.
It was The Land Act 1881 so this was implemented for the purpose
of transferring land ownership back to Farmers.
So farmers are bereft of a major source of income for and profit
for a long time. So 19th century, landlords
cleared, vast areas of forest just to compensate for this loss
of previously owned land furthermore Farmers exploited
the remaining woodlands in search of tillage and grazing.
So they needed increase their profits.
They looked around where we can. We do that?
Jesus. There's a forest over there on
land that I own. Clear away that let's put down
some, I wish there were a few cows when State forestry began
replanting trees in 1903. Only 69 thousand hectares of
Ireland's aged and long-established fires were
left, IE 1 to 1.5 percent of the total land area State forestry,
stop during the decades that led to the independence of Ireland,
a from Britain, The newly independent state had other
priorities on the agenda. A tree fire station disappeared
in the background for some time. First thing we were thinking I
wasn't wasn't very first in Ireland, once we got our country
back, unfortunately, but I understand that it increased
demand for fuel and Timber during World War.
One had led to a further reduction of Ireland's first and
WWII, also hindered state. If our station to a considerable
extent, until the first react, it was set up in 1946, which
accelerated the process of planting trees.
By up to 10,000 acres per annum, furthermore Ireland's entry in
the European economic Community. Now, call the EU in 1973 true,
the privatization of Ireland's forestry.
I don't know if that was a good thing by 1979, at least Ireland
had the largest and most rapidly expanding Forest Area per capita
in any of Europe, yet. This acceleration was to be
hindered. Once again, as the country
entered, a new phase of economic Prosperity during a period.
We now know as the infamous Celtic tiger.
Among other factors. The growth of urban sprawl led
to an increased demand for building roads, that connected
the countryside, with to the cities, particularly Dublin,
which at times required vast. Clearances of Woodland regions,
the popularity of Ireland is a tourist destination since last
decade of the 20th century had also, a double-sided impact on
the landscape. While cultural tourism had led
to the privatization of certain areas such as luck, killing
County, Sligo or could park and go away the increased human
interference with this landscape as a result result of
insufficient management. Frequent visits.
It and road construction and pollution had had adverse
effects on environment. So people wanting to visit
natural areas. Unfortunately, was actually
destroying the Natural Area and obviously a tremendous amount of
our deforestation is owed to Britain, subjugating us to a
different mode of living at first glance.
Of course, economic gain seems to be the primary motivation
behind the exploitation of forests in Ireland, as well as
the cultivation of land, and of building towns and developing
Society more a In to the British way of living, unlike the native
girls who didn't show much interest in landscaping and
farming or at least if they did, it wasn't developed to maybe the
Proto industrious scale that colonization would lead us into
at the Norman and English settlers had an eye for the
hidden profits, in the development of an agricultural
system here in Ireland. Given a are dense forests that
were encoding Remarks on developed the development of an
agricultural system as well as using Ireland's identifiers.
In the form of a Timber Reservoir, it would be of great
benefit to Britain as a superpower in 1183.
A, our good friend, Gerald of Wales and a, a travel to
Ireland. As we know, as a part of the
Norman Conquest, Gerald related, Ireland, lack of interest in
expanding our farming and husbandry, as a sign of our
barbarity. But our from what we know, in
previous eras, Loads of Gerald of Wales.
He didn't look at us to kindly anywhere in the 10th chapter of
typography, a high burn occur. He describes the character
customs and habits of the Irish people as both barbarous and
slothful to quote him. Directly, the Irish are a rude
people subsisting on the produce of their cattle only and living
themselves. Like beasts.
A people that has not yet departed from the Primitive
habits of pastoral life. Their pastures are short of
Herbert, The cultivation is very rare and there's scarcely, any
lands owned the whole habit of the people are contrary to
agricultural. Pursuits.
So this derogatory portrayal of the Irish people became a common
sort of referenced a in the later, Colonial period.
So the English found those, they wish to colonize as the perfect
foil. It set off their virtues.
There was sort of a double-edged sword in M80, depletion of Irish
forests, and we can see this Edmund, spenser's description of
Irish people in his Rising, a view of the present state of
Ireland. And that that dropped in 1596 it
attributes characteristics. Such as wildness barbarity and
slot, as well as disorder it to the native inhabitants of
Ireland. And you see this sort of
approach whereby a lot of English writers saying that it's
twofold that there's a pile of trees to be and and prayer and
resources at to be stripped from Ireland and by doing so, Don't
we don't have to feel bad by doing.
So we're actually helping and civilizing.
These people in the dialogue between the English base.
He Ducks, has and Irene he's apologies.
If I said those names and correctly at the latter who had
recently returned from a recent trip to Ireland pierced appears
to be an expert on Irish matters.
I read this explains that Irish approach to law, religion, and
Customs is why it's good lie and commodious soil has not been
turned to good use. And if it was turned to good use
it would it would better the And civility of this Savage Nation.
The term Savage that the use is spelled sa L VAR GE.
It's a narrow an obsolete term for Savage, but it derives from
the word Silva which is the Latin for would it is further
explains the association of the natives, with the wooded
landscape. They came from a but from of
inherently negative perspective, as long as these people are not
removed their Woodlands or the woodlands are not removed from
them, they will remain uncivilized, they will remain.
Main Paris people, they will remain Gales.
So what we see in all these narratives, whether it's from
Gerald of Wales, whether it's from Edmund, Spenser, or indeed
a from Irene. He's and is this colonial point
of view that ultimately justifies the exploitation of
another country. They obviously want this reserve
of Woodlands, but in proper English colonizing fashion, they
also have to validate it as actually being sort of them
coming in and saving us. It can't just it be a case that
they are fulfilling their desire for wanton greed and expansion.
Cultivating lad would not only be putting the soil to good use
but would bring the so-called Savage Nation under control and
and teach them how to be civilized while describing the
local brand laws Irene is explains that English rule had
not yet tamed. The natives Irene is reduced,
the Irish people to animals left on their own in need of a
bridle. In other words, he described the
Irish, as sheep purely in need of a Shepherd, that Shepherd,
being English rule, So this whole sort of world view, shows
a sea change in ideology whereby and it's separated and from
nature. This was already happening
during the Renaissance and then it was further during the
Enlightenment and I turned into a sort of antagonistic view
which is known as physio phobia. And that's an alienated and
hostile reaction to the Natural World.
This view posits man, as above nature.
And man, as Above Beast. It, we're not animals, were
separate all together, and this is even tied up with religion.
The idea that man was created in God's image.
It's quite an egotistical review.
It separates man, as being above everything in the natural world.
So you create this sort of a hierarchy where man is the
master of the universe is second only to God and then placed at
the uppermost level of the great chain of being.
So this sort of You pairs perfectly with a colonizer vs.
Colonized view is the idea that Jesus we need to save these
humans. They don't realize they're at
the top of this great Jane. It's funny that language comes
back into play here that when we use words like be steel and
undeveloped and Savage. It turns this idea of man in
tandem with nature as a sort of disgusting or primitive thing,
whereas we could equally today, use negative words at this, Rid
of egotistic. Separation of man from nature.
Whereby we stand on top of a concrete Tower and watch has
everything around us melts. So I think the perfect metaphor
to use for the transformation of Ireland, from the time of the
Celtic civilization, to who we are now is to look at language
and its relationship to our trees.
We've already done looked at so far with own then looking at
words that boring which literally mean cattle track to
show how we went from a people venerated trees who sort of then
respected but wart having an effect on the landscape to now,
which is sort of that. We're just absolutely crippling
our native Cape in the past. We based system of communication
on the silhouette of the tree ohm a language based on nature.
Now we have turned man-made words against our own fires
through tactically, vague definitions, that's Q public
perception. So this is what is known as the
forest fallacy and we can see that organizations such as
culture as well as the da FM and the Irish free state often have
used language to sort of MV. L how dire of a situation?
We are with regards. Our native forests and natural,
landscape culture being Ireland's leading, forestry
company lump. The few remaining native
Woodlands together with our Conifer plantations under the
singular term fairest. This vague understanding of the
word virus might just seem like a, you know, a silly little
mistake and I'm sure people don't do it intentionally and
but it has a real world impact where someone might tell you,
hey, I I planted however, 50 forests this year, and you got,
that's amazing. And then you discover, it's a
monoculture of just sick disproves lined up in rows to be
cut down in the next. However, many 10, 20 30 years
time. It that doesn't really benefit
the landscape. And when we spoke at the start
of the episode about this Irish rain forest, that has a whole
host of trees and lichens and woodland, animals running
around, that doesn't exist in Irish.
And so be very dubious. When you hear how much forests
in quotation marks has been planted in Ireland and ask
yourself. Is that forestry?
Is that something made for human production as something in line
more. So, with the ideology that we
developed from colonization and from farming practices, or are
we talking about forests, in the very real world sense, is
something more akin to our old, natural rainforest, a society of
trees made up of many different breed AIDs that can accommodate
many different animals isn't Just A Wasteland with whose sole
purpose is for production, despite quilter and da.
FM's insistent that it plants a forests across Ireland.
Such cultivation. Might better be termed the
cultivation of Conifer crops since these trees are planted
and harvested as low-cost commercial produce, these aren't
forests that are intended to last the test of time a healthy
for Irish fires, as we now know, includes a rich array of And
shrub species such as Oak Birch. Holly Hazel Ash Willow and Rowan
that can support of diverse, tapestry of animals and wild
flowers that are native to here to Ireland.
It's not a balanced and of one or two exotic tree species, such
a manipulation of language, underscores a rhetorical,
fairest fallacy, 2016, study titled, when is the fairest of
fairest describes, the problem of classifications and
definitions used in Forest management.
It doesn't adequately distinguish between natural and
planted forests. This is a huge problem in
Ireland today, using the world Forest as an umbrella term, to
describe both native Woodlands, as well as Conifer, plantations
undermines actual conservation measures in Ireland and clouds
public perception of what is being planted.
I'm not saying the culture and dfm a are some big bad evil
villain sitting in Towers rubbing cat going out.
They don't thank God for the vague as you've far as the
definition and but they do benefit from these ambiguous
terms. A you can see the word forest
all over clutches website and this is causing the public to
fall prey to the forest fallacy as it's known.
Hey also these trees are planted too close together for Annie,
Wildlife, or plant life to really survive or make a home
under them. The reason they've landed so
close together is because these forests are considering a
productivity on a monetary level first and foremost, how many
trees can I squeeze into this? Land is so that I can make the
most profit off of it. It's not some sort of
goody-goody act, that they're doing of.
I want the squirrels and the I was what did the monkeys I want?
The squirrels and the Badgers and everyone to come in and
leaving my lovely Forest. No.
I want to clamp plant as many trees as possible, and at the
end of the day, I'm going to chop them down.
So I hope, I hope that we section should have highlighted
how. Yes, English colonization
deplorable, things for Irish forestry but also how we didn't
help our own case and post colonization this, my episode
might so far seem like a bit of a steady decline, but that's
just the reality of where we're at as a nation currently.
If Ireland is as a nation a marriage between its people and
its landscape, unfortunately, a We're being a very bad husband
and a very, or a very bad wife, and but it's not too late.
And I think rather than curly the football and having a cold
shower and say no though people so beat Ireland.
I didn't meet, I only arrived here, I'm sorry.
And we've lost that we can still do and it's not him.
It's not over till it's over baby.
So we owe it to the land to give it back some of its personnel.
Ality agency and identity and in turn will regain some of our
identity as well, rather than it just being this sort of false
symbol that we're some sort of bastions of of a natural
resources. It's time, we practiced tree
veneration in, whatever we can and in a more modern and
functional way. I'm not telling us told us grow
our hair out real long and start wearing torques and I don't
know, I don't know what sacrificing cattle, but we can a
start to love. He's properly again and a
healthy way. If we do that, we can be
assured. That the landscape will mind us
like it always has done. And this is the hard truth here.
It's not enough to just say we love nature or to go on whatever
fire-roasted walks that had that have been given to us or hug and
kiss trees, that stuff's all nice but actually doesn't help
them. But if we love something, we
really need to care of it. And we need, we need to really
pay attention to the public organizations, that claim it to
be looking out for our Forestry. I'd imagine if the trees were
people that they aren't mad at us out of, but I imagine they're
fairly disappointed with us at this point.
Let's apply our love for trees in a more actionable Way by
supporting movements and Charities that are reintroduced
in Forest. The generally considered the
land around it and support our biodiversity.
Let's support movements that plan on forestry that will be
around for generations to come. And what should be a home.
A to our native species and Native flowers and Native
shrubs, not something that's just going to be gone within, I
don't know 50 years. We owe it to ourselves as the
general public to scrutinize and examine the statements made by
our public officials and organizations maintain.
I hope this episode is that when you hear the word fire roast, or
you hear that, we've hit certain targets with forestry or you
passed a group of trees in your local area.
Or if you're traveling around Ireland, that you be a bit more
critical with what exactly that is.
Because I know myself, I haven't been and if we do that, at least
a will have a little bit more of an awareness and the world,
Won't be pulled over our eyes. So that being said, let's look
at some of the ingenious and beautiful initiatives that are
happening across Ireland. That maybe you could take part
in yourself or research or maybe apply to your own local
community, who knows? And even if you can't take apart
in these initiatives, maybe have a garden or something like that.
Maybe you could be possible to plant a native tree or
something. I don't know.
That won't change the world, but it's just a small steps of
something we can do. The tiny Forest initiative is
one such initiative. I've found it's a part of the
Toka River Project and the community and clients and
supporters of a real Rehabilitation Center in
moderate in Dublin. It turned up in huge numbers to
embrace nature and plant the first so-called tiny forest in
Ireland, the tiny fires concept was pioneered by a Japanese
botanist known as Kira. Miyawaki a and has now spread
all over the world. And now, thankfully at, there's
a tiny Forest on the Toka River there.
The idea involves The careful preparation of soil by utilizing
a key. Ramiro Aki's practice.
It one can fit, six hundred native Irish trees into an area,
only the size of a tennis court. This special method of planting
and Grand preparation can be used to grow an urban forests.
In a short span of only 20 to 30 years at this is 10 times faster
than a typical fire switch. Would usually take 200 300 years
to grow. The research shows that these
tiny forests are remarkable and they do work.
They are fire dancer than a normal Forest so that their 30
times better at absorbing Being carbon dioxide and the attract a
huge abundance of wildlife in a really short period of time.
And we can already look at Wars a similar initiatives that have
happened across a Europe and Daniel here, how it was a part
of earthwatch Europe said that their oldest tiny forest in the
UK is now only three years old yet.
It's already 4 meters tall. So it proves that this works
really fast. I think the idea of the tiny
Forest would be great for urban areas in which there isn't much
available land in. And it is mad to me to think
that any much Wildlife could live out of a forest, the size
of a tennis court, but it seems to definitely hold a huge amount
of carbon and it grows very fast.
So I think if we could Implement a such projects in our urban
areas such as like Dublin and Galway, Limerick, Etc.
I think carving out as many green spaces as possible in our
Urban centers and it'll just benefit our overall happiness,
as well. Aside from that if you want to
see, what Ireland would have looked like as an untouched
Irish rainforest, you can head to the barrier rainforest, the
barrier, rainforest overlooks, the Atlantic with a view out to
seven islands. Including scarf the niche in his
front yard and the famous skelux.
The setting is spectacular and changes continually with the
infinitely, very moods of the sea and it's managed by Owen
Dalton who I believe we're back, maybe a year ago, two years ago
really Opened my eyes anyway, to sort of the decrepit state of
Irish forestry. I knew we had way too many,
convers growing, but I didn't realize how much of a dead
space, these plantations actually are, and how little
they benefit our our biodiversity, it Owen has spent
more than 12 Years, A caring for the 70 Acres of species-rich,
Atlantic Forest, on the barrier Peninsula and I do urge you if
you're on Twitter check him out at Irish rainforest, there's
lots to be gained from Information that I want post and
and he's no, he's not afraid of discourse either.
Lots of people. Ask him questions about
rewilding. For example, here's a great bit
of advice that Owen gives rewilding can happen on small
plots of land as well as on large tracts, it looked
different in different situations, allowing your lawn
to become a meadow that's rewilding in bigger areas.
You could allow some trees to grow.
Neighbors. Who are similarly interested in
rewilding, could work together, to create a rewind.
It space. Oh, and also touches on the The
main problem with our current approach to the environment as
he puts it as we race around asking how we might change
technology or tax structures, the change that might save us,
goes unspoken what we need to change is ourselves.
He also touches on the criticism, some people's
criticism of rewilding is that we should just look after what
we have left. And I completely understand that
but as Owen points out himself and nature is a system and with
crucial components missing it will continue to fade away.
So, unfortunately, we've reached a point where it is impossible
for us to just look after what's left as there, isn't enough left
to look after us. Another great.
We quote, from Owen, there when asked why should Farmers be
subsidized for rewilding? Because they're already
subsidized to farm. So widening their options to
include rewilding cost, the taxpayer nothing extra and
because if we don't nature will continue to die and continuing
on from Owens point, if nature continues to die, there'll be
nothing to farm left. But I think the best example in
Ireland, we could look at at the moment with regards rewilding
and improving. Our biodiversity is home-tree am
sure. Most of you are already aware of
home-tree and their work and but if you're not I think they're
the best thing to focus on towards the end of our episode.
Because I think it'll fill us with a bit with a bit of
optimism as well. As may be giving me ideas how to
improve biodiversity in your own communities or maybe you'd like
to To reach out to home-tree ourselves and donate or take
part in some of their volunteer work.
So home tree began in a small community garden project in the
winter of 2014 on tree is planted.
Well over 150,000 a Pioneer trees and they've worked with
200 businesses from small startups to multinational
organizations. What began as a tree planting.
Charity is grown into a project that Endeavors to deeply connect
people with nature and facilitated a wide variety of
fundamental projects to address Ireland's.
In biodiversity and unfolding climate Challenge.
And I like that seeing it as a climate challenge, rather than a
climate crisis, have it still brings on the way that
something's wrong but at least it puts us at the Forefront, we
calls the problem. So we can solve it.
So home trees vision is a restoration of Ireland's,
ancient Wildwood true conservation, a fire station and
education. They aim to create a landscape
which people and fires flourish together.
And this to me sounds very in line with a modern version of
trees and duration it. We're word in tandem with the
land is actually saw an Eco either home-tree work in
collaboration with Farmers. So in a lot of sort of a hilly
or mountainous areas with the land isn't as a good for a
production farming or animal grazing as it could be.
It is a lot of waste land up there that just purely separates
one group of sheep from another group of sheep.
And so home-tree will actually work along with Farmers to turn
that sort of scrub land into a little sort of paths and seems
of No diversity. So, as well as benefiting the
farmer a by better dividing up their land.
It's also creating a real areas where biodiversity can flourish
on these small tracts and rather than it just being a dead space
is. So these are examples of sort of
intelligent ways of tackling rewilding it a benefit but the
farmer as well as the natural landscape.
And I think if we think of more ingenious ideas such as this, if
more farmers get involved, And more people donate and volunteer
to organizations such as home tree.
Then we're going to be in a good position.
A I think this quote I found on home trees website by a
co-founder, Matt Smith it sums up that we could return to a
place that resembles the rainforests of 7000 BCE before
our people had ever called it is Island Home.
Matt Smith quotes here. Directly hundreds of the trees
we planted in the beginning are now over three meters tall.
I've seen birds flying through them and balancing on their
branches. Other animals, eating, and
finding shelter, and Building Homes beneath them.
And this is just in the first few years.
We look forward to witnessing the Journey of saplings into
adolescence at home tree. We know that we might not see
many if any of our trees reach maturity, but it was a blast
planting them and it's been such a pleasure to work beside so
many passionate people in the simple task of planting trees
and I think that's a gorgeous thing.
It sounds like they have a lot of fun doing it and actually
does sound like a lot of fun and it's in stark contrast to the
idea of aggressive production whereby, if I don't see the
benefits in my lifetime, it's not worthwhile.
I think the most generous thing we can do in our lifetimes is to
make the world a better place for the people that come after
us. And unfortunately, maybe it
means that we won't see that change ourselves.
I think, by definition, Nation. That's the most generous thing
one could do by doing good. Was also knowing that it won't
benefit yourself in the future, it will benefit the people, the
country, and the landscape that we love so much.
No, not episode, get more depressing as time went on.
Hey I had so much content to get through today's episode that the
really weren't as many stories. I would have liked that you'll
get another episode very soon, there will be myself and Aaron
shooting the shy fan. Talking about more fun and sort
of folk Glory stories about forests and Forest, people and
fairies and ohm stones, and the like, and Now that you have this
sort of Base knowledge of all the depressing, a reality of our
current biodiversity. There's not much more to say on
that because I've been speaking for second hours we've literally
talk from 7000 BCE to 2023. So if you here at the end very
well, don't you? I don't know.
I don't know if this was an enjoyable episode here at all or
just a big lesson but thanks for listening if Want to send on any
information are we any stories that they read any future topics
do, email us at picture of podcast at gmail.com, we answer
any emails we get, otherwise do DM us and Pete.
Rose podcast on Instagram, you'll find us there and do
check that out. I'm sure I'll have posted.
Lots of different interesting pictures related to the episode
today. Such as a joke, man had the god
of ohm in the National Library. National Congress library in the
U.s. there everyone I'd say without further Ado, I go
downstairs. I'll ask your dad if you can
plant a tree and yeah, if yes. See a Hawthorn tree stay well
away from the only smells the death and Dirty Deeds by Bye.
Bye. Bye.