FOLK singer Colum Sands has a way with words and they are most important when it comes to fighting bureaucracy and the "wilful blindness" that seems to surround an area of woodland in Rostrevor, a place of outstanding natural beauty with protected status.
The centrepiece in this woodland is 'The Invisible Tree', a 200-year-old oak which, through no fault of its own, has been threatened by a project, approved by Newry Mourne and Down District Council, to build a nursing home, 41 apartments, landscaping and car parking.
It appears that the official documents presented to those in authority in order to make their decision are inaccurate, the oak trees are not shown nor are the recent number of houses – at odds with reality, say Colum and his fellow members of Rare (Rostrevor Action Respecting the Environment).
Despite three recommendations for refusal by the council's professional planners, over 5,000 letters of objection from the public and not a single letter of support, a six-member planning committee voted to approve the development. A subsequent judicial review of the council’s decision making process was unsuccessful so the risk remains.
“A tree can’t speak back to those who threaten it so we are being its voice. Raising awareness has been paramount and engaging the public has been a priority. But the trees are there and our Invisible Tree can be touched and admired and congratulated on being proclaimed the Northern Ireland Tree of the Year by the Woodland Trust.”
:: Rostrevor oakwood
Colum points out these noble trees provide a rich habitat for wildlife of all sorts including the red squirrel which is so welcome in this grey world.
“Sadly, the existence of our special tree was erased in a survey and report supporting the construction of apartment blocks within a few metres of its roots and branches. We believe the forest is our pension fund, our legacy to those coming after.”
The oak tree has a fascinating history going right back to the Magna Carta and the Book of Kells. Oak apples, or the oak gall, grow on the tree as the result of the gall wasp laying a single egg in a young bud. They look like small, round fruit but they are actually plant deformities specifically created to protect the larvae as they mature and eat their way out into the world in June and July.
:: And there’s more
“Ink can be made from these galls and this we did by boiling them with old iron nails, adding honey to help it flow. And we then used the result to write the placards when we took our message to the council. We presented the CEO with a bottle of ink and hundreds of signatures of visitors all signed in ink made from the Invisible Tree, a powerful message from the tree and the public.”
Colum has also used oak gall ink to write 10 new songs for his forthcoming album Song Bridge, due for release in Rostrevor on March 14 and at the National Folk Festival of Australia in Canberra at Easter. The sleeve notes begin with these lines:
When a home is not a home and a tree is not a tree,
Then it’s time to ask the question, is it them or is it me?
The answer grows before us, it’s there to touch and see
The truth is not invisible, the truth is in the tree.
Rave On At The Festival
WE ARE a great place for festivals and fun and it’s all going on this month when, from the sixth to the 11th, the Young At Arts Children’s Festival will burst upon Belfast. Here’s an idea of what’s on.
At the MAC theatre you can boogie with your baby at the Baby Rave – dance, music, sensory toys, decorations, fun for children under four and their parents.
Dragtime Stories is hosted by Cherrie Ontop and suitable for all ages. Like this colourful drag queen, these afternoons promise to be full of laughter and glitter.
The organisers promise stories that celebrate individually, imagination, inclusivity and the importance of being yourself.
The Abbey Theatre's Priming the Canon is a series of plays for young people bringing classic Irish characters to the audience. A work-in-progress performance of the latest in the series is based on John B Keane's Sive.
The age old question, what colour is the wind, is an interesting one and there will be answers and children’s thoughts on the subject at Colour of Sound, a free event at the MAC.
:: Important Journey
One of the most important shows, I think, is Inside The Speaker where the audience, 10 years and over, are invited to step into the world of partially sighted dancer and choreographer Helen, where she introduces a very different dance experience.
Through light, sound and movement, Helen takes the audience on a journey of how we experience the world around us, celebrating the idea of difference and how that difference can actually make our world a more interesting place.
More dance with Tetris, excellent for the kids who can’t sit still, for the ones who like to climb walls and those who can imagine further than they can see. This extremely physical dance quartet explore how we connect with one another and how we belong to a community.
It investigates building private languages to communicate and then gently invites others to enter into that world. We could all use a dose of this.
Congratulations to Young at Art, a leading children’s arts not-for-profit company based in Belfast and reaching out to children all over Northern Ireland. They coordinate festivals and events always with young people at the heart of art. As in this case, the variety is wide and interesting and of great benefit to young people up to 18.
So much more on https://www.youngatart.co.uk/festival
