[Leica] IMGs: Yew tree at Muckross

[Nathan Wajsman]

Interesting! Thanks for educating me with the text and the nice pics. It makes sense for Christianity to coopt pagan habits in this way. After all, this is also why Christmas is at winter solstice etc.

Cheers,
Nathan

Nathan Wajsman

Alicante, Spain
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> On 30 Sep 2019, at 13:42, Douglas Barry <imra at iol.ie> wrote:
> 
> In the courtyard surrounded by the cloisters of Muckross Abbey, this ancient yew tree still holds its head up to the light. While the current ruined Franciscan abbey is dated to only 44 years before Columbus "discovered" the Americas, and assumptions are that the tree was planted by the Franciscans at the time, making it over 571 years of age, it's highly likely that it's the wrong story. Fake news, I'm afraid! Far more likely is that the abbey itself was built around the tree that was already mature and well-established, making this tree much more ancient.
> 
> This was a common Christian practice in that the site of an abbey or religious building would be built on a particular site just because an old yew tree grew there. In Brexitannia, there are very old churches from anglo-saxon times where archaeological evidence has shown that the yew tree was there long before the church was built. Some churches are up to 1,200 years old and the yews are still healthy. From folklore, and the mythology of old pagan times, yews were venerated being often associated with pagan gatherings and rituals. Yew clearings are ideal for ceremonies as the shade the tree casts, together with its poisonous roots, kill off competing vegetation. The yew was also used in Christian ceremonies, and may still be. In fact, growing up, I was always given a sprig of yew on Palm Sunday: palms were somewhat limited in their availability at 53 degrees north in temperate Ireland.
> 
> Anyway, here are two images of the tree as I couldn't get it all in the frame in one go.
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/Yew+Tree+Muckross+Abbey.jpg.html
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/Yew+Tree+Muckross+Abbey2.jpg.html
> 
> Sony A7ii with Samyang 35/2.8. Can be seen LARGE
> 
> Douglas
> 
> 
> 
> 
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