OPINION (AN COLÚN): The beauty and poignancy of a walk amongst oaks

On Saturday I spent a few hours exploring the beautiful woodlands in the region to the west of Lough Derg. This included a couple of hours trekking around Derrycrag Wood near the village of Woodford.
There used to be an iron smelting business in Woodford, from 1681 to 1750, during which time Derrycrag Wood was used as a source of charcoal. Woodford's name in Irish is Céarta Muileann an Iarainn which translates as “Forge of the Iron Mill”.
During the late 17th century and first half of the 18th Century bark from the trees was also transported to Birr to be used in tanning leather.
Through the judicious utilisation of European funding Derrycrag has been sensitively and tastefully improved with the result that it's a very pleasurable place for visitors to while away some time. There are five trails, ranging from lengths of 3 kilometres and down, excellently signposted and surfaced in an aesthetically pleasing way. If you want to know how to develop walks for the public's pleasure then get yourself to this east Galway woodland and see how it should be done.
I had read that “much of Derrycrag is under conifers”which led me to fear a bland, sitka spruce experience; but thankfully there was hardly a sitka spruce in sight. Instead, the conifers were tall and elegant scots pines, which were nicely spaced between one another rather than horribly crammed (as sitka so often are).
I also read that Derrycrag contains a “substantial area of native oak woodland, which is a remnant of the mighty oak woods that once cloaked most of the Slieve Aughty Mountains. Native woodland is a relatively rare habitat in Ireland and ancient woodland is particularly rare. There is some evidence to suggest that Derrycrag has been under woodland for centuries if not thousands of years.”
On a number of occasions I left the trails and walked across the rough ground to examine the oak trees. They were beautiful (as all oak trees are beautiful) but they didn't seem to be as venerable as the oaks of Tomies Wood near Killarney (the sensation of entering Tomies Wood is a bit like seeing a fantasy novel coming to life). However, it's perfectly possible this is merely optics and there's no significant age difference between the two woodlands.
I touched the Derrycrag oaks and felt a sense of the sacred. This for me was more than just a walk. It was a religious experience.
Oak may live for 1,000 years, although 600 may be more typical at many sites. All oak are classed as ancient from 400 years onwards, although many will have ancient characteristics from around 300 years. Typically a veteran oak is 150-300 years of age and a notable oak is 150-200 years old. It's very possible that there are veteran and notable oaks in Derrycrag.
Derrycrag is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. According to the NPWS, it's the remnant “of a once extensive woodland, much of which was felled or converted to coniferous plantation in the 1930s and 1940s. Where the original native woodland still survives it is dominated by Sessile Oak which grows alongside rowan, birch, holly and yew. Oak woods are scarce in Ireland and are generally rich in wildlife. Such remnants of woodland are therefore considered to be important habitats to protect.” Thankfully, as I said, the people in the '30s and '40s didn't carry out the ugly sitka planting but opted for the more optically pleasing scots pine.
I always find it poignant as I walk among these possible survivors of Ireland's once great forests. It's painful to think of the loss of so much beauty.
We are a people with a lost heritage. Something that should be ours has been taken away by a mercantilist ethos without a soul. We were once a forest people, but we have lost our forests and much of their ancient culture. Ireland's oak woods covered about 75% of the land. One of the ancient bardic names for Ireland was “Inis na bhfiodhadh”, meaning “Tree-covered island”. The tree cover today is about 10% and of this less than one fifth of 1% is native woodland.
Several oak-woods still exist in the Slieve Aughty region (which were perhaps once part of a vast forest called Suidane / the Great Forest of Aughty). The famous botanist Robert Lloyd Praeger came here at the turn of the 20th Century and talked enthusiastically about some of the oak-woods he found and their notable botany. More recently, other botanists came to the region about 15 years ago and were similarly enthusiastic, pointing out they had come across many plants of interest. In their report they say it's likely that these isolated oak-woods are remnants of a much larger oak-wood which covered much of the wider region.
The destruction of great swathes of oak forest in the region began during the 1500s. Ships were built with the felled oak. Iron smelting used huge amounts of charcoal made from the trees. The British also wanted to remove areas of shelter for rebels and confiscate land to pay officers after the Cromwellian and Williamite wars.
There has been talk for the last few years of creating “The Great Forest of Aughty project” which would link Clare and Galway in a partnership to create a long term sustainable plan to ensure the cultural and ecological richness of this region is harnessed under the umbrella of the oakwoods. The Slieve Aughty area map from Ger Madden's excellent book on the region could mark the boundary of this partnership.