Trees are for climbing, too. By children. But nowadays the young have gadgets and vehicles and all sorts of wonders to keep their eyes fixed nearer the ground. You won't often hear dialogue like this today:
"Look up at me Daddy. I'm a bird." "God Almighty. Come down at once outa that tree before you break your neck."
But trees are serious matters, too. And this weekend, on Sunday, the Society of Irish Foresters has arranged a series of guided walks at ten places around the country including one in Tyrone and, one in Down. Each walk will be led by a professional forester.
They are meant to be an enjoyable outing for all the family and the pace will be suited to accommodate young and old.
They are FREE and all commence at 3 pm on Sunday, August 25th - this Sunday coming. And your guide or guides will be professionals and you can find out from them all you ever wanted to know about Ireland's forests and lack of forests, the why and the wherefore.
In a small pamphlet the Foresters remind us how our tree cover is only 8 per cent compared with the average of 31 per cent for the EU. Not that anyone says we are aiming for a figure like that. But our forests are important for their timber products as well as their recreational values and their part in reserving wildlife. And the pamphlet points out the tendency of today to plant more broadleaved trees, while stressing that conifers must remain the dominant element - for commercial and financial reasons. You can argue with your guide. One of the venues is at a planting which is deliberately being moved away from this dominance of conifers to being at least mainly broadleaved. This is at Balrath Wood in County Meath. From Ashbourne take the Slane road for 16 kilometres to Balrath Cross; turn left taking the road for Navan and left again to McAuley's factory for 400 metres. Car park on right. Fergal Mulloy, director of COFORD (Council for Forest Research and Development), is one of the guides. He is a very experienced forester. Ask him a lot.
In Tyrone, Drum Manor Forest Park is easy: 5 km west of Cookstown on the Cookstown Omagh Road. Moore Abbey Wood in Kildare is just south of Monasterevan on the Athy Road. Tollymore Forest Parkin County Down is easily found at Bryansford village. Dublin has a walk in the Hellfire/Massy Woodarea. Entrance near Kilakee House restaurant. Space runs out. Other walks are at Hazelwood, Co Sligo, Belleek Demesne at Ballina, Mayo. Curraghchase, Co Limerick - well signposted, it says. Finally Gougane Barra, signposted, too, and Woodstock Demesne, Inistioge, just a mile away. For more information: Tom McDonald, Executive Director, Society of Irish Foresters Dublin 278 1874. Hope it keeps fine.