A HERITAGE orchard dedicated to the late Tommy O’Donovan is set to be planted in Clonakilty to bring long-lost apple varieties back to the area.
The orchard will be planted in an area close to Gallanes Lake in memory of the town stalwart of O’Donovan’s Hotel who passed away in March.
The trees will be planted in the autumn.
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The initiative is supported by Clonakilty Tidy Towns and the Men’s Shed who have been working for some time with tree expert Cillian Boyd to help it take root.
‘Tommy O’Donovan was very interested in the project and he was very invested in it. Cillian Boyd suggested that we dedicate the orchard to Tommy. Cillian got to know Tommy and they became friends. He was shocked when he heard the news. They got on very well,’ said Diarmuid Cregan, co-chairperson of Clonakilty Tidy Towns.
He added: ‘There is a walkway by the lake and the trees will be planted just above it. There were 10,000 trees planted close to the lake in 2013 and the orchard will be planted in a green area not too far from there.’
Cillian Boyd has been busy mapping ancient orchards across Ireland and the focus of his work is to preserve heritage trees before they disappear.
Tree expert Cillian also delivered a series of grafting workshops in Clonakilty, all attended by Tommy O’Donovan, to turn knowledge into living, growing heritage.
The workshops passed on knowledge on how to turn cuttings into new trees, ensuring that old, often forgotten genetic lines can take root.
Cillian also discovered local orchards by comparing old maps against current-day satellite imagery and found surviving planted apple trees. On many of the old maps, orchards were marked with the symbol of a clover.
Among the places he searched for old trees was the garden at Clonakilty’s Sacred Heart School, along with gardens in Barryroe, Courtmacsherry and Castlefreke.
‘Cillian will be back to Clonakilty for Heritage Week in late August and we are looking to start planting the orchard trees in October,’ said Diarmuid from Clonakilty Tidy Towns, which provided funding for the project.
