are rare. Mr. T.P. O'Nowlan, a competent Gaelic scholar, has given me the following list:[1]—
- Goose Island, oilean gius, in Lough Derg, Co. Tipperary, "island of pines."
- CLonygoose, cluain gius, parish in Carlow, north of Borris, "meadow or plain of pines."
- Mullaghanuish, mullach an gius, near Ashford, Limerick, "hill-top of the pine."
- Garroose, gardha gius, near Bruree, Limerick, "garden of pines."
- Knocknaguish, cnocan an giuis, about three miles north of Kenmare, "little hill of pine." Knocknagussy, similar in meaning, is situated about three miles south-west of Lough Mask in Co. Galway, "hill of the pine."
- Knockhouse, cnoc gheainas, three miles south-west of Mullinavat, Co. Kilkenny, "hill of pines"; the Gaelic word used here being a local variation of the common form.
- Oghty Island, oilean ochtaigh, near Roundstone, Co. Galway, "pine island."
- Dromoghty, drom ochtaigh, about three miles north of the tunnel on the Kenmare road, Co. Kerry, "pine ridge."
Apparently, though the pine tree was centuries ago well known in Ireland, there is very scanty evidence as to its existence as an indigenous tree in modern times. Everywhere in Ireland the roots of pine trees are often found in situ in the upper layers of the peat-mosses, showing that forests of pine grew in the peat and attained a considerable size. These peat-mosses are probably of late formation.[2]
Ray[3] quotes Mr. Harrison as an authority for pine "growing wild in the mountainous parts of Kerry where the Arbutus grows," about the beginning of the eighteenth century. Smith,[4] writing in 1761, says that "these trees have been much destroyed in recent years; for, except a small shrub here and there among the rocks; there are none standing at present of any large size."
Mackay[5] mentions, in 1825, a solitary pine tree standing near the foot of Mount Nephin in Mayo, which was supposed to be the last remnant of the pine forest of that county. This tree,[6] very large and very old, was living in 1866, the exact locality being an open bog at Deal Castle, near Crossmolina, at the head of Lough Conn, and had been fenced in by the Earl of Arran.
Hayes,[7] writing in 1794, speaks throughout his valuable book of Pzmus sylvestris as Scots fir; and evidently in his day all the pines in Leinster at least were the product of Scotch seed.
In France the common pine is never met with growing wild in the plains. It is confined in the wild state to the Alps of Savoy, of Dauphiné, and of Provence, the
- ↑ While the above was passing through the press, Mr. O'Nowlan sent me a further list, as follows:—Lough Aguse, name of two lakes, one near Pettigo, Donegal, and another in Fermanagh; Lough Ayoosy and Aghoos, in Mayo; Cappayuse in Roscommon; Meenaguse in Donegal; Drumgoose and Derrynoose in Armagh; and Annagoose Lake in Monaghan.
- ↑ The evidence for this is too large a subject to be entered upon here. In certain peat-mosses no less than three distinct forests are discernible, occupying different depths; and the uppermost forest, always of Pinus sylvestris, probably dates from historic times.
- ↑ Synopsis Methodica, 442 (1724).
- ↑ State of the County Kerry, 372 (1761).
- ↑ Catalogue of Plants in Ireland, 83 (1825).
- ↑ Cybele Hibernica, 277 (1866).
- ↑ Practical Treatise on Planting, 133, 167 (1794).
