[Leica] IMGs: Yew tree at Muckross

[Peter Dzwig]

that's one enormous yew.

Peter

On 30/09/2019 12:42, Douglas Barry 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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-- 

Dr. Peter Dzwig