Leaf through new tree trail booklet in Limerick village

YOU WILL be able to see the wood for the trees in Castleconnell, thanks to a new tree trail.

Fr Brendan Kyne launched the Tidy Towns initiative on Sunday by untying a blue ribbon around an ole Sycamore tree.

The brainchild of local man John Hardiman has come to fruition after six months of hard work.

“Castleconnell is an area with a lot of natural beauty. In the 1800s and 1900s it would have been quite an affluent place and there would have been a lot of trees planted by the landed gentry and aristocracy.

“As part of the Tidy Towns we thought it would be a nice idea to celebrate some of these trees,” said Mr Hardiman.

John identified 24 unique trees in a walk around the village, riverbank and in some of the newer and established housing estates.

The oldest, at between 300 and 400 years old, is a yew tree in the church grounds in Stradbally.

The group produced a brochure with a guided map and put tri-lingual ID tags - English, Irish and Latin - at each tree. The free brochure is available from local shops, ACM centre, credit union and Castle Oaks.

The trees are numbered one to 24. “There is a European larch that is not that common. It is a native Irish tree but it the only conifer that loses its needles.

“We also have a London plane that you see in parks and cities but is not common in our area,” said Mr Hardiman. Others to feature are native trees – oak, birch, hawthorn, beech etc.

Mr Hardiman hopes the tree trail attracts more visitors to the picturesque village, which offers some of the best walks in the Mid-West. “It is nice to enjoy nature and this gives someone a way to do it. They can come out to Castleconnell and have a nice walk. Come and enjoy our lovely scenery,” said John.

And in these recessionary times, best of all is that it’s completely free!