Watch: 100 Million Trees Project
A little corner of bog on the Kennedy family farm near Inch was alive with energy recently as part of the 100 Million Trees project, now in its second year. Project co-founder Richard Mulcahy oversaw the planting, teaching pupils from Park National School how to plant native trees. Farmer Brian Kennedy spoke of the importance of setting aside land for nature and mental wellbeing, while Mairead Kennedy highlighted the vital role of the school community. With a goal of planting 500,000 trees this year and a million next year, the project continues to grow and the pupils were eager to suggest the grown up decision makers in our world do less cutting down and more hugging and planting of trees instead.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
12-05-2025
- RTÉ News
750,000 trees planted in 100 Million Trees Project
Some 750,000 trees have been planted at mini-forest locations in Ireland in the last two-and-a-half years, as part of the 100 Million Trees Project. Founded in 2022 by siblings Richard, David and Tina Mulcahy, they hope to plant another one million trees across the country next year. "I realised that I was a contributor to the climate crisis, and I thought that we really need to do something now," explained Richard Mulcahy. "We have a moral obligation to the next generation to leave the land and the environment in a good, healthy state," he said. "I saw this project as an opportunity to get people back focused on the environment, so that they could leave something for their children." The initiative aims to combat climate change, increase biodiversity, and create mini-carbon sinks by planting trees in dense formation. The project has employed the specialist Japanese Miyawaki method of planting, which leads to accelerated growth, increased biodiversity and a rapid carbon sink. More support needed from local authorities and farmers For local authorities, it's a no-brainer, according to Richard Mulcahy. "With derelict sites that may be just lying there idle local authorities have a huge opportunity. "We could actually plant 100 million trees just with local authorities but again they're so preoccupied with housing and all the other issues that the focus isn't on this. "But the focus has to be on this, because none of this is going to be relevant in 30 years time if we don't do something about the environment. "So we really hope local authorities will start taking this on board, giving us sites and we will come along and plant for them. It's a no brainer," he said. The founders say while there has been some uptake from farmers, they would like to see more farmers embracing what they have described as a "huge opportunity". If every farmer in Ireland gave a quarter of an acre, in the corner of a field, the founders say they would be able to plant close to half a billion trees. "I know farmers are having a difficult time, and they get a tough time from people saying that they're ruining the environment and many of them are preoccupied with trying to survive. "But we'd like to see farmers giving a quarter of an acre of land and it will do something really good for biodiversity and for their carbon output. "Farmers are beginning to take this up on us now, which is fantastic so more farmers is what we need." Ireland one of the least forested countries in Europe David Mulcahy, another one of the founders of the one hundred million trees project, said more and more of the trees planted are being grown in Ireland. "We buy our trees from Irish companies and more and more of them have been grown in Ireland rather than being imported. "And we're also trying to eliminate any imported trees to try and encourage the support of Irish tree growers so that we can plant all our own trees, not export them, but plant them in Ireland. "Ireland is one of the least forested countries in Europe, but hopefully, over the next number of years, we'll try and change that," he said. Trees have been planted in 26 counties across Ireland and the founders of the project would like to see it reaching every county. "We have planted in about 26 counties and now we're looking to plant in every one of the 32 counties, and we're looking for people to volunteer sites for next year where we hope to plant a million native trees." Yew Point, Co Roscommon A total of 12,500 trees have been planted at the 145-acre Yew Point Estate as part of the 100 Million Trees Project. The trees planted at Yew Point include Scots Pine, Hazel, Oak and Birch trees. "It was a godsend being introduced to Richard and David and the Mulcahy family and their 100 Million Trees Project," said Johnny O'Sullivan, director of the Hodson Bay Group which runs the Yew Point Estate. "It catapulted us from putting hundreds of trees into the ground to putting tens of thousands of trees into the ground" It is all part of a regenerative tourism project close to the Hodson Bay Hotel with plans to develop a 36-cabin eco-friendly tourist resort. "Our intention, along with regenerating the woodlands to their former glory, is to create a luxury accommodation five-star eco resort, so you'll have an accommodation experience along with opportunities for learnings around sustainability and the unique ecology of the site," Mr O'Sullivan said. "The site is very unique in that it's been in specific ownership for hundreds of years, right back to when the monks had an abbey on the site, and up into more recent times when it was in the ownership of the Lenihan family," he said. "If you go back to the 14th and 15th century, there was monks farming this land in a very sensitive and sustainable way. "When you look around and you see those oak trees, some of them are up to 800 years old, the reason they're there is because of those sustainable farming practices that the monks used. "We're only temporary custodians of this very, very special place, and what we do here should be regenerative, should be reversible, and should leave it in a better place for generations to come," he added.
Irish Independent
10-05-2025
- Irish Independent
From IT to the high seas: Irish volunteer among crew of anti-whaling ship docked in Dublin to prepare next mission
The 24-year-old IT expert from Cork volunteers to combat whaling. He is currently on board the MV John Paul DeJoria, a former Scottish fisheries patrol ship now owned by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, which takes direct action against the slaughter of whales. The ship is docked in Dublin for the next month and the public is invited along for tours to see what it takes to prepare for a mission and speak to crew members about their work. Mr Kennedy speaks passionately about his involvement, which last year took him to the Faroe Islands to disrupt the annual 'grind', the traditional driving ashore of pods of whales to be killed for food and oil that is now carried out largely for amusement. 'I recorded 248 pilot whales killed in one session,' Mr Kennedy said. 'It's not fishing boats and harpoons any more. It's motorboats and jet-skis. The whales have no chance.' 'The meat is meant to be eaten but we saw a lot left behind. Some of the carcasses were barely touched. It took me a while to unpack all of that.' The 'grind' is just one of the charity's concerns. Iceland, which once had a traditional domestic need for whale meat, is home to a large commercial whaling company that mainly supplies the Japanese market. Its owner, multi-millionaire investor Kristjan Loftsson, announced recently that he would not be whaling this season because inflation had dampened Japanese demand, but he also talked of being back when consumer sentiment lifted. 'We don't always believe what he says,' Captain Locky MacLean, who is in charge of the John Paul DeJoria, said. 'So we're keeping an eye on things. It's only a few days' sailing to Iceland from Dublin so we can react fast.' The big worry, however, is Japan. Since the country withdrew from the International Whaling Commission in 2018, it is no longer bound by the members' moratorium on whaling and it is ramping up its activities. 'There's a company part-owned by the Japanese government that has built a $50m factory ship that can hold fin and blue whales,' Capt MacLean said. 'The sides have roller door openings that the whales are slid through and then they roll shut like garage doors. 'There's nothing to get hold of and we can't get to the whales. Before, we'd throw stink bombs on deck to make the meat commercially unsaleable but we are going to have to think of other ways.' The foundation has been tracking the Japanese all around the Antarctic and North Pacific on what it says are stock-taking assessments. 'They're looking for rarity and banking on extinction. The more rare the species, the greater the delicacy and the higher price they can charge,' Capt MacLean said. It was on a trip to intercept a Japanese whaling ship in the north Atlantic after a stay in Ireland last summer that Captain Paul Watson, the head of the foundation, was arrested. Stopping to refuel in Greenland, an Interpol notice initiated by Japan years earlier was activated by Denmark and he ended up imprisoned for five months while extradition proceedings began. He was released suddenly three days before Christmas when Denmark dropped proceedings and is now in France awaiting final confirmation that he is off the Interpol list. For Capt MacLean, the campaign has been a 25-year vocation. Others, such as Mr Kennedy and the rest of the multinational volunteer crew in Dublin, can only give a few weeks here and there, but all contributions are welcomed. 'I'm not a sailor – I only ever kayaked and canoed before – but I've learned so much being part of this,' Mr Kennedy said. 'I admire Paul Watson and the foundation for the directness of what they do. 'A lot of groups drum up awareness but this one goes directly to where the whales need them. I'll be in Faroe again this summer and I hope I can keep doing this as long as I can be of help.'
Irish Examiner
01-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Watch: Native tree planting takes root in Inch as 100 Million Trees project grows nationwide
A little corner of bog on the Kennedy family farm near Inch was alive with energy recently as part of the 100 Million Trees project, now in its second year. Project co-founder Richard Mulcahy oversaw the planting, teaching pupils from Park National School how to plant native trees. Farmer Brian Kennedy spoke of the importance of setting aside land for nature and mental wellbeing, while Mairead Kennedy highlighted the vital role of the school community. To plant 500,000 trees this year and a million next year, the project continues to grow and the pupils were eager to suggest the grown-up decision makers in our world do less cutting down and more hugging and planting of trees instead.
