You could reasonably say that trees are firmly rooted in Irish culture. The ancient Celts revered them, with sacred trees located in the heart of their settlements, rooting them to their home.
In today’s post we’ll travel back through Irish history, through the lens of Trees in Ireland. From the time before the era of the Celts, through to today, with a look to Ireland’s forested future.
Image: Spectacular roots of a native Irish tree in Baltrath Woods Co. Meath
But before we get to all that, I am delighted to host a giveaway from the fabulous folks at My Irish Jeweler.
To celebrate their new initiative that will see them plant one Native Irish Tree in Ireland for every order on their site, they have given us a beautiful Sterling Silver Celtic Tree of life pendant for one lucky winner.
But before I share the details of how you can enter our giveaway and win this elegant pendant, let’s take a look back through the history of Trees in Ireland.
Ireland Green?
Driving through the beautiful rolling green hills of the Irish countryside today or even looking at stunning images of the stark and spectacular Irish coastline on Instagram, you could be forgiven for thinking that this was never a heavily forested country.
The beautiful patchwork quilt of green fields of every hue, that greets any visitor to Ireland as they come in to land in Dublin or Shannon, is a relatively late addition to the Emerald Isle.
Ireland was once blanketed in lush green woodland. With the exception of the craggiest corners of Donegal and Connemara, over 80% of this small island was forested.
And it was this wooded landscape filled with majestic species like the mighty oak, interspersed with elegant birch, ash, hazel, holly and rowan that greeted hunter gatherers in Ireland around 12,500 years ago.
Trees and the Celts:
And it largely remained unchanged through to the arrival of the Celts around 2500 years ago.
The Celts revered trees and placed huge value in the food, shelter, and materials that they provided. The Tree of Life, or the Crann Bethadh in Gaelic, could be found at the centre of Celtic settlements.
It was believed trees could act as a sort of doorway, a sacred connection to the gods, spirits and ancestors.
Tree branches reached up to the gods, while the trunk and roots grounded in the earth connected humanity with spirits below.
The English word door might even derive from the Gaelic word for the most revered of all trees in Celtic society, an dair, or ‘the oak’.
Deforesting Ireland:
It was only with the waning of a strong Celtic society between 1200 and 1300AD, that saw the rich Irish forests starting to give way.
A growing population and the agriculture and grazing needed to sustain it required more and more land to be cleared. And so Ireland’s ancient forests began to disappear.
Deforestation accelerated in the 1500’s. The Plantations of Ireland and their English settlers saw Irish woodland as a valuable source of timber. And Irish forest cover declined to around 12%
But it wasn’t until the 1800’s and industrialization that the deforestation of Ireland reached it’s peak. Only 1% of the island's forests remained.
It was a happy side-effect for the ruling English class that the eradication of Irish forests also got rid of many of the hiding places used by Irish rebels fighting crown rule.
And with that, in the span of a few hundred years, 79% of Irish forest, long respected, protected and revered, was lost.
Reforesting Ireland:
And it is largely the landscape of the 1800’s that we see in Ireland today.
However with careful management Irish forests have recovered. They are now close to 11%.
But compared to the 30%+ of forest and woodland cover in Canada, much of Europe, and the USA, Ireland lags far behind.
But that number is still climbing and many organizations in Ireland are working as never before to reforest the emerald Isle.
My Irish Jeweler and Reforesting Ireland:
And it was this focus that inspired the team at My Irish Jeweler to get involved in reforesting Ireland, returning native Irish trees to the Irish landscape.
Speaking to the founders of My Irish Jeweler, Peter and Ciaran, they explained that,
“All of us here at My Irish Jeweler are passionate about connecting people, wherever they are, to their Irish roots, their HOME. The word HOME even features in our Ogham logo!
So it seemed only natural that we would go that little bit further for our customers, helping them literally put down roots in Ireland with each order of our beautiful handcrafted Irish jewelry."
“Our customers have their own piece of Ireland in our 100% Irish jewelry. And now they can feel happy in the knowledge that they are helping us keep our lovely island green.
We are very excited about this new initiative! Since starting in July 2019 we have already got over 100 native Irish trees ready for planting. We hope to plant well over 1000 trees by next year!”
More About My Irish Jeweler:
This attention to detail and focus on the customer is a hallmark of My Irish Jeweler. They pride themselves on giving each customer the personal care and attention they might expect in a bricks and mortar store.
And a visit to their website will wow you. With their stunning photography, the quality and craft of their iconic Irish designs is clear for all to see.
Irish and Celtic designs like the Claddagh, Celtic crosses, Shamrocks, Trinity knots, and Irish Harps sit alongside striking hand engraved Ogham and Gaelic pieces making for a truly impressive collection with something to suit every taste.
Their designs take inspiration from ancient Irish art, landscape and architecture, including, the Ardagh Chalice, the Book of Kells, The Giant’s Causeway, Newgrange, and the Tara Brooch.
And fans of Irish mythology will not be disappointed as they have designs that reference the Children of Lir, or Danu, the Celtic goddess.
These designs are carefully crafted in Ireland in a variety of precious metal options, including platinum; yellow, white, and rose gold; sterling silver; and palladium.
The Irish rose gold used in several of their pieces is sourced from the hills of Co. Tyrone.
They also have designs set with diamonds; emeralds; sapphire; ruby; birthstones; pearls; and of course the “Irish Gemstone,” Connemara marble.
Their jewelry is handmade in Ireland and thus bears the Hibernian Hallmark of the Dublin Assay Office, guaranteeing the quality of the materials and their Irish origin.
Each piece is express shipped in a beautiful keepsake box with helpful guides, printed on recycled paper, and an Irish postcard.
And of course they have not just pendants, but rings, earrings and bracelets that draw their inspiration from the Celtic Tree of Life.
My Irish Jeweler Giveaway:
And if you would like to have your very own Celtic Tree of Life you can enter our giveaway.
Just leave a comment on this blog post by Sunday, October 13th 2019. If you are looking for inspiration you could tell us about a favorite tree? Or a treasured piece of Celtic jewelry that you own.
A winning comment will be chosen randomly on Sunday, October 13th 2019. You can check out the terms and conditions for all of our sweepstakes here if you would like to know more.
The lucky winner will also be announced on October 13th, 2019 on this blog post so do check back.
Do remember to submit your e-mail. Don’t worry your email won’t be published or shared, I'll just use it to contact our lucky winner.
More About My Irish Jeweler - A Business With Strong Roots:
Launched by Peter Gavin and Ciaran Vipond in 2005, My Irish Jeweler is the latest incarnation of a family jewelry business that stretches back to 1947, when Peter's grandfather opened a successful jewelry store in Dublin.
In 1963 it was Peter's father’s turn. He established College House Jewellers on Nassau St., overlooking historic Trinity College. And after completing his jewelers training, Peter joined the business a year later in 1964.
He ran College House Jewellers for over fifty years before joining forces with Ciaran in 2005 to move online with My Irish Jeweler.
Ciaran and Peter now have a small showroom for visitors seen by appointment at My Irish Jeweler in the foothills of the Dublin mountains. But the bulk of their business is online with an international audience. As Peter says,
“I always enjoyed doing ‘mail order’ for customers abroad. With My Irish Jeweler, I hoped to bring our beautiful designs to a global audience.”
Get 20% Off At My Irish Jeweler For Their Birthday:
Well Peter and the team certainly seem to be doing something right! On October 8th, 2019 My Irish Jeweler will be celebrating their 14th Birthday.
And to mark the date they are gifting their customers 20% off all jewelry.
Be sure to check out their site on October 8th or keep up with what they are up to by signing up to their weekly newsletter, or following them online on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.
Please do share this giveaway with your family and friends who might appreciate a chance to win a lovely Sterling Silver Tree of Life Pendant from Ireland.
Or perhaps you may know someone who would appreciate the 20% discount available on October 8th. It's a perfect time for some early Christmas shopping.
Thanks to everyone who enters this little giveaway by leaving a comment.
Wishing Ciaran, Peter and the team at My Irish Jeweler every success with their wonderful business and their admirable efforts to share Irish Culture while reforesting Ireland!
Update – Winner Chosen On October 13th, 2019:
Our lucky winner has been randomly chosen using the Pick Giveaway Winner Plug-in for WordPress.
And the lucky reader is ….
Robin Diebold
I'll send Robin an email to help coordinate mailing of her beautiful prize.
A big thank you to everyone for supporting this Irish American Mom giveaway by leaving comments. And many thanks to the good folks from My Irish Jeweler for sponsoring this prize.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom
P.S. Disclaimer Notice: I do not have a financial relationship with My Irish Jeweler. The links above are not affiliate links. I team up with Irish and Irish American craftspeople to help spread the word about their work, and to help promote ancient skills, culture and craft to keep our heritage alive and well.
I will always disclose to you if I have an affiliate relationship with a company, artist or craftsperson. Thanks as always for reading.
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Eileen McKenna Reeve
My aunt went to Ireland 3x researching our ancestry (before the internet). She brought me back earrings designed from the book of Kells. To this day everytime I wear them, I think of her & how I miss her. The ancestry tree is the Tree of Life & Love.
Irish American Mom
Hi Eileen - Your Book of Kells earrings are a lovely memento of Ireland and your aunt. It's lovely to hear you still have them and wear them.
All the best,
Mairéad
Carol M Brady
The Tree of Life emblem has become precious to my family. It reflects our roots in Celtic peoples as well as our love of family and our future generations. The opportunity to possibility have such a lovely piece of jewelry is wonderful!
Irish American Mom
What beautiful sentiments, Carol and a lovely way to describe your family's connection to the Tree of Life. Thanks so much for supporting this giveaway.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Pat Delaney
So beautiful.
Cindy Thomson
I love all trees but I’d love to have a sweet gum tree. They have such gorgeous fall color.
Irish American Mom
Hi Cindy - A sweet gum tree in your garden would be lovely. Thanks for stopping by,
Mairéad
Susan Rasmussen
So beautiful!
Christi Caughey
I love the Tree of Life!
Kara Comerford Jex
Lovely. My favorite piece of Irish jewelry is a ring brought back to me by my mother from her trip in 2007.
Maureen Koebel
Enjoyed this article very much. The Tree of Life necklace is beautiful; I'd love to win it!
Holly
Gorgeous tree designs! I've lived in the pacific northwest most of my life and the trees are one of my favorite things about the area.
Fiona
Green has always been my favorite color and green forests have very relaxing and soothing effects on those who meditate and contemplate on them. This lovely pendant is gorgeous and I would love to have the luck of the Irish and win it.
Kathleen Quinn-Farber
I love trees and what they represent. Im a huge fan of tree-hugging... literally. It slays makes me feel better.
Maureen o Hanlon
I would love this pendant its beautiful, thank you Mairead for running this giveaway. I love trees.
Regards
Maureen.
Danna Walters
Beautiful piece of art! I just came home from the Sequoia National Forest. I love trees and my ancestors are Irish. I’ll proudly wear this lovely necklace, should I win it.
Jessica K.
Thanks for the giveaway!!
My favourite tree is Maple. I love everything about them...the big beautiful leaves & their syrup!!
My favourite piece of jewelry is my great grandmother's cameo. She grew up in Tralee. It took me until my 40th birthday to get to Ireland to see the place she grew up.
Irish American Mom
Hi Jessica - Lovely to hear you made it to Ireland to see Tralee and County Kerry, the land of your ancestors. I hope you wore your great grandmother's cameo when you were there.
All the best,
Mairéad
Sue
I bought a Celtic cross when visiting Ireland earlier this year that I love but it’s my Claddagh ring I wear every day. Would love a Tree of Life pendant.
Mary Power
Trees give us life. We must be better stewards of our earth. The tree of life symbolizes my Irish roots that are as strong as the roots of a tree.
Jeannette Young
My favorite piece of Irish jewelry is my mother’s Claddagh ring. She got it on one of her trips there and it reminds me of her every time I wear it.
Colleen Williams
The Irish Tree of Life is just beautiful. We live on forested property and stream side we have a huge OAK affectionately named Ralph. He is our home's protector, shade and providing life fir the local wildlife w his acorns. We love 💕 Ralph! The Tree of Life pendant is truly that connects earth to heaven
Thank you for your offering
Irish American Mom
Hi Colleen - I love how you have named your beautiful oak tree, Ralph. I'm sure Ralph can sense your appreciation and grows stronger as a result.
All the best,
Mairéad
Jackie
Beautiful piece Thank you for the opportunity to win this. My favorite tree is the yew tree symbolizes rebirth and renew
Irish American Mom
Hi Jackie - In medieval times, yew trees were grown inside castle yards in Ireland and Great Britain. If the castle was under siege the branches of the yew tree could be used to make arrows. I believe that is where the name yeoman or yewman comes from.
All the best,
Mairéad
Dana Russell
My favorite piece of jewelry that I own is a fairly heavy claddagh ring made of sterling silver with diamonds around the heart and crown. I wear it as my wedding ring (when I wear a ring). I love the symbolism of Celtic tradition.
Irish American Mom
Hi Dana - Celtic tradition is full of amazing symbolism for sure. There's plenty Celtic symbols and traditions just waiting for us to explore here on this blog.
All the best,
Mairéad
Margaret Mutter
What a gorgeous piece of jewelry. What a pleasure to wear this.
Robin Diebold
There is a tree at my mom’s house that I have always loved. I have several pictures of it in all weather. It is also where I took a family picture.
Thanks for the chance to win.
Irish American Mom
Hi Robin - How lovely to have a 'family' tree at your mom's house. I'm sure it looks different with each passing season. Do keep photographing it and watching how it changes with time.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Leigh Ann Rowan Kiraly
This necklace is lovely and I would be proud to wear it as I remember my Irish Heritage.
Dianna
Very beautiful! I love trees!
Cynthia J Scroggins
I never knew why there were patches of pine forests throughout Ireland. Thank you for explaining the deforestation/reforestation story about my favorite place on Earth. It's hard to imagine the island completely covered in forestland. Thank you for the history lesson!
By the way, I tried the roasted potatoes and they were spectacular!
Irish American Mom
Hi Cynthia - Lovely to hear Ireland is your favorite place on earth. Thanks for stopping by to check out this piece about trees in Ireland and for supporting our little giveaway.
Glad to hear my roast potato recipe was a success.
All the best,
Mairéad
Maureen Koebel
A very interesting article. The necklace is beautiful; I would love to win it!
Linda
I love trees and forests. The mighty oak is one of my favorites.
Lury Budde
Hello again when we spoke in early September I was headed back to the beautiful island of Ireland for the third time. And oh what a lovely time it was we spent 10 days walking along magnificent coast of the wild Atlantic way. Hiking up the lovely Benbalben mountain view gorgeous waterfalls and walk and drove through forested areas. The dark hedges in the north and Slieve Bloom mountains in the center the tall trees of kenvara national park. The whole of Ireland is one of our favorites in the world the people are so inviting everywhere we went. The Trees are a big part of the magic a visit to the Burren and it stark beauty reminds you of the difference between the first and the barren land scape.
Cheers and as always thoroughly enjoyed your history lesson.
Lury
Irish American Mom
Hi Lury - I'm so happy to hear your trip to Ireland was a great success. It sound like you covered some ground and got to see many wonderful sites and counties around Ireland.
Thanks for stopping by to support this little giveaway.
Take care,
Mairéad
Michele
I have several pieces of Irish jewerly , but do not have a Tree of Life. I would love to have one because I, too, believe nature is a good way to connect to God.
Sourdoe
May thy wish for a future of Irish “green” be more than a prayer.
Me Casey C Flynn
All my trips to Ireland have been like coming home.
You visit other countries and place to see them- I visit Ireland to be home and be absorbed by the people and culture.
Some day I will move back Abd be home again. ( 3 generations away )
Irish American Mom
How lovely to hear that being in Ireland is like coming home for you. I don't think it matters how many generations back your Irish roots may be, the draw we feel towards Ireland, is always there.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Darla
My wish from the USA is to just touch the tree. It would me magical. The pendant would be as close as I can get until then. Thanks!
Audrey Stewart
This is truly a beautiful necklace. I would love to win this.
Brian Casey
My wife especially loves the Tree of Life, so much so that she has it in pictures, coffee mugs, and even a hand-carved wooden piece that hangs on her office wall in our home. As for myself, it's always a reminder of a quote from the author Michael Chrichton: “If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree. ” Food for thought, particularly for those of us removed a few generations from our Irish roots!
Irish American Mom
Hi Brian - I love that quote about history. It's so important for us to know where we come from and to learn from the past. Thanks for stopping by,
Mairéad
Geraldine McGovern
Beautiful! I bought Ogham pendants and Claddagh rings for my daughters many years ago and now I'm buying them for my grandchildren! I also wear a Claddagh ring, everyday, that my husband bought for me over thirty years ago..
Irish American Mom
Hi Geraldine - It's lovely to hear you are sharing your Irish heritage with the next generation in your family.
All the best,
Mairéad
Deborah
Lovely, lovely. I would treasure this pendant if I were lucky enough to win it!
Celeste Maguire Watt
It warms my heart to know Ireland is bringing back its trees. The world needs trees right now. Thank you, Tree of Life for planting them too. I've planted trees around my garden until I had no more space. My Irish roots on both my parental sides make me long to visit Ireland. That tree pendant you made is stunningly beautiful.
Irish American Mom
Hi Celeste - It is lovely to know the Irish are making an effort to plant more and more trees throughout the island of Ireland. I hope you get to see Ireland someday.
All the best,
Mairéad
erin friedman
I love the mission of restoring the forests - and the ancient idea that trees are a doorway that connects to another realm. I do believe that's true.
I have a shamrock pin that my parents brought me when they traveled to Ireland in 1976. They are both gone now, and I treasure the gift because I know what that trip meant to them.
Irish American Mom
Hi Erin - How lovely to have a shamrock pin from your parents' trip to Ireland. Little pieces with memories attached are truly family treasures.
All the best,
Mairéad
Bernadette
The Tree of Life is my favorite Celtic symbol. I have it in several forms around the house. All of the pieces are beautiful, Peter does lovely work. I like the idea of reforestation as well.
Mary Lou Ni Maire
Beautiful!
Sarah Rooke
The tree of life is so beautiful and symbolizes the deep strength and roots of families. It is a unique symbol representing our strength in preservation of a beautiful land and country. SLAINT'E
Jennifer
What beautiful jewelry and yet another reminder of how the British took what they wanted from our island.
Veronica Koebel
This is a beautiful peice of jewelery and I appreciate the information you have shared along with it.
It would go beautifully with the Claddagh ring my mom gave me.
Billie B
I love the tree of life...and this site. Thanks to DNA testing, I found out that I am predominantly Irish. Since I dont know my bio family from the Emerald Isle, this site has helped me so much.
Joan
The tree of life is a special piece of jewelry. Being Irish this would add to my heritage. I love Irish jewelry .
Thank You for the giveaway.
Joan
Marilyn
I would love to win The Tree Of Life . I have some Irish jewelry and it is be beautiful.
Thank You for giving me the chance to win .
Marilyn
Marion
I always love to wear my Irish jewelry. The Claddagh ring is very special. Mairead Thank You for this giveaway.
Marion
Sofiane
Beautiful prize
Kelly Pontiere
What a gorgeous pendant! Thank you so much for the chance to win. I will most definitely do some shopping on the My Irish Jeweler website. I really enjoy your blog. My maiden name is Kilcoyne, and am 7/8 Irish. (Only one non-Irish great-grandparent, who was German.) I was blessed to visit Ireland when I was 14 years old, and I remember very clearly looking at the countryside and thinking, "This must be what heaven looks like!" I would very much like to go back some day.
Irish American Mom
Hi Kelly - I must agree with you - Ireland looks like a little piece of heaven, especially when the sun shines on her fields of green.
All the best,
Mairéad
Jane C Petz
I have two silver Irish cross necklaces and one gold one that I found in a vintage shop in Michigan. The 'tree of life' would be a wonderful piece to enjoy wearing. I just found one cousin through DNA and my Irish tree is starting to finally grow.
Peggy D
I have a couple of favorites, Claddaugh ring, trinity knot in Connamara marble, Celtic cross in Connemara marble, and a couple of others. I have always wanted, but do not have, a piece with the Tree of Life.
I have signed up for the newsletter and will follow them on FB. Thanks.
Cassie
Thank you to Irish American Mom and My Irish Jeweller for this opportunity to win a beautiful tree of life necklace. I have a few peices of Celtic jewelry, they are beautiful and I love them so much. I will definitely be checking out the other jewelry that My Irish Jeweller has.
Stephanie Cooley
One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is a gold bracelet featuring a gold charm of the tree of life. It contains three birthstones, one for my father, one for my mother and one for me. My father's ancestors, the Foleys, came from Killarney, and the McCourts, who came from Armagh in the north.