Felling of 250-year-old Kinsale tree postponed 

Felling of a 250-year-old tree in Kinsale has been postponed, following concerns expressed by the local community.

A tree sited above and on the grounds of Kinsale Outdoor Education Centre was due to be felled on Wednesday, as state insurer IPB had deemed it an “unacceptable risk”.

The tree, which has been in-situ for 250 years, may originally have been planted by Reverent John Stuart in the mid-1800s at the back of the then school, and overhangs the property on the side of a cliff.

Locals concerned about felling of the beech tree met with Director of the OEC, Jon Hynes, on Monday afternoon, who said felling of the tree is “not something we do lightly”.

“Due to the precarious location or the tree on top or the cliff, if it were to fall either on the neighbouring houses or into our site it is at severe risk of causing widespread destruction of those buildings and possibly injury or death in those buildings,” he said.

The OEC had been given a deadline of 31 October 2022 to have the tree removed, or be uninsured.

After listening to the concerns of the community on Monday, felling of the Kinsale beech tree has been postponed by the OEC, to allow more community dialogue and examine other solutions.

Local Green Party representative Marc Ó Riain welcomed the news, as he said the local community were “shocked and concerned at the removal of this historic beech tree”.

He called for a ground radar assessment to be carried out to establish the health and security of the tree roots, as removing or killing the tree could further undermine the cliff face.

He added that he has seen many trees removed by private landowners and Cork County Council “without any risk assessment or concern for local biodiversity”.

“I feel that institutions like the state insurance body, the IPB, the Council, the HSA and even arborists’ can be risk adverse….it is far easier to remove the risk rather than manage it,” he said.

“We thank Jon and the OEC for their very open and honest engagement, we are simply looking for more time here to find a solution,” he added.