Forests in Ireland

Ava Cai

October 18, 2024

Ireland is losing its connection with nature at an alarming rate, but only a few have come to this realization. Eoghan Daltun, a sculptor who worked on the restoration project in the Beara Peninsula, is one of the few who realizes this issue and recognizes that immediate action needs to be taken. The following discusses Eoghan’s concern about the changing landscapes of Ireland and the future impact it may cause. 

“There is this perception that because it rains a lot in Ireland, and everything is green, and everything grows easily, that nature is doing great here,” says Eoghan Daltun. Unfortunately, this is a far stretch from the truth. In recent years, Ireland has not been living up to its reputation as the Emerald Isle. The Environmental Protection Agency reported that native trees only occupy 1 percent of the vast land, which once flourished in green, thousands of years ago. The stretches of grassy patches across Ireland paint a thriving picture for tourists to praise and locals to admire, but Eoghan Daltun points out that “these places are biological deserts” that were developed into lush pastures through monoculture. 

Irish people are not able to realize the disappearing presence of nature in their homeland and little blame can be put on them; There is so little wild nature left in Ireland that the people don’t know what a coexistence with wild nature is like. 

Thousands of years ago, a harmonious cohabitation existed between the people of Ireland and nature. Though it is not a glorified period in Irish history, the Indigenous Gaelic culture brought an extremity to the obsession and reliance on the land. This trend flowed through until the 19th century when tenant farming was introduced into the Irish system. In smaller areas, land holdings were small and the quality of the soil and nature around was often lacking. Farmers found the nature of the land uncooperative and resorted to transforming the natural space to be more compatible. This forced out nature and introduced a more industrialized way of farming. 

Now, people are becoming exponentially concerned about the decline in nature as well as the increasing importance of it. Countries like Scotland and England have discussed possible rewilding options, but not the same can be said about Ireland at this time. Agricultural production such as farming is heavily reliant on ecological aspects and climate change. However, by burning fossil fuels and disrupting nature for farming purposes, the stability of the land is destroyed and difficult to farm. 

Mr. Daltun owns 73 acres of farmland and is currently rewilding 21.5 percent of it. He believes that first directing change to his own spaces will encourage others to do the same and, with time, bring back the “Emerald” in Ireland.