Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2019/09/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]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 > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > -- Dr. Peter Dzwig