Tipperary convent does its bit to combat climate change by planting 1,200 native trees

Pictured above: Mercy sisters and convent staff, second year students from Scoil Mhuire Secondary School’s Environmental Club, Convent of  visiting Mercy sisters and members of the 100 Million Trees Project team who all worked on planting the mini-forest of 1,200 native trees on the grounds of the Mercy Convent at Greenhill, Carrick-on-Suir. Picture Anne Marie Magorrian

Carrick-on-Suir’s Mercy Convent sisters have done their bit to increase biodiversity and tackle climate change by allowing a mini-forest of 1,200 native Irish trees to be planted on their grounds as part of the 100 Million Trees Project.

The sisters were joined by Sodexo staff who work at the convent, students at neighbouring Scoil Mhuire Secondary School and visiting nuns from Waterford’s Mercy Convent in planting the sapling trees on April 10.

Co-founder of the 100m Trees Project Dr David Mulcahy and two professional foresters assisted the sisters, students and convent staff with planting the 5,160sq.ft. section of the convent’s large lawn at Greenhill, Carrick-on-Suir.

Native tree species planted included Scots Pine, Hazel, Birch Pendula, Oak, Alder, Malus Sylvestris, Prunus Avium, Prunus Padus, Spindle, Serbus Aria, Serbus Acuparia, Crategeus Monoygyna, Prunus Spinosa, Rosa Canina, Viburnum Opulus.

The rain thankfully stayed away for the planting of the tree saplings that were supplied free of charge by the 100m Trees Project.

The morning of hard work digging and planting ended with all the workers enjoying tea, sandwiches and scones back at the convent.

Sr Monica O’Sullivan of Carrick’s Mercy Convent said it was a great social event with the serious goal of improving the environment.

“The purpose of planting these trees is to encourage biodiversity and just to make our planet a nicer, cleaner place for all the plants and animals that inhabit the earth with us.

“We are encouraging other places to follow suit. All you have to do is donate a piece of land, which can be quite small. The 100m Trees Project do the rest.”

Sr Monica and her fellow sisters first heard about the 100m Trees Project campaign when they watched a video about the monks of Glenstal Abbey planting part of their grounds with trees.

She Googled the project and Dr David Mulcahy was invited to speak to the Mercy community in Carrick. He encouraged them to plant part of their large lawn with trees and the sisters agreed collectively to do just that.

Dr Mulcahy thanked the Mercy sisters for giving over part of their grounds for the planting of the 1,200 saplings, which will soon grow to become a beautiful mini-forest for the birds, bees and other wildlife to hang out.

“The nuns were brilliant,” he said pointing out that some of the sisters who helped plant trees were aged in their 90s.

In early March, the 100m Trees Project and local volunteers planted another mini-forest of 3,000 tree saplings on church lands in Ballyneale thanks to permission given by Fr Jimmy Browne.

Dr Mulcahy set up the 100m Trees Project with his brother Richard . Their sister Tina came on board this year.

As the name suggests, the Project aims to plant 100 million native trees across the island of Ireland to help reverse environmental damage caused by the loss of forests worldwide through the dense planting of between 1,000 and 2,500 trees at a time across small areas of land using ‘the Miyawaki method’, named after the Japanese botanist, Professor Akira Miyawaki.

By planting excess trees together, they grow faster, denser, are more biodiverse and create a rapid carbon sink. Since November 20 last year, the Project has been responsible for the planting of 193,800 trees across 18 counties.

The Project doesn’t take public donations and instead seeks sponsorship from companies to fund its tree planting schemes.
Uniphar Group CEO Ger Rabbitte committed enough sponsorship to plant 200,000 trees this year.

The Project currently has sponsorship to plan 250,000 trees next year and hopes to secure more.

Dr Mulcahy said when they thought up the idea for the 100m Trees Project two years ago, they had “no money, no land and no trees”.

Welcome sponsorship from Irish American businessman Des Walsh got the project off the ground.

“Now we have money and people are giving small plots of land all over the country. We are able to buy trees, which means Irish tree growers are able to grow them knowing they will be planted,” he said.

Dr Mulcahy’s family, meanwhile, have a strong connection to Tipperary.

His grandfather was General Richard Mulcahy, the War of Independence hero and Pro-Treaty Civil War leader who went on to become leader of Fine Gael and was a TD for Tipperary from 1944-59.
Dr Mulcahy’s family were involved in establishing Clonmel’s Mulcahy Park, named in memory of his famous grandfather.

Meanwhile, Dr Mulcahy’s uncle, the late Dr Tom Prendiville, was county physician at St Joseph’s Hospital in Clonmel for many years. 

Sr Carmel Uwins, Sr. Monica O’Sullivan, Sr Joan Coffey (95 years), who is planting a Scot's Pine, and Sr Bridget O'Keeffe during the planting of the mini-forest of 1,200 native Irish trees on the grounds of Carrick-on-Suir's Mercy Convent. 

Pictured below: Students from Scoil Mhuire Secondary School’s Environmental Club who helped plant the trees pictured with Dr David Mulcahy, co-founder of the 100m Trees Project (third from left). From left: Clodagh Power, Navaeh Drennan, 100m Trees Project co-founder Dr David Mulcahy, SNA Linda Garland, Katie Lonergan (seated), Erin O’Callaghan, Evie Ahern, Emma Healy and Saoirse Shanahan-Roche.