President Michael D Higgins last week returned to the scene of the felling of an oak tree that he had planted 25 years ago — and planted another in the same spot.

The former Mayor of Galway, TD and Minister commemorated a quarter century of Terryland Forest Park at a celebration in the city last Thursday.

The ‘Green Lungs’ of Galway City was planted in early 2000. Over the course of a single day, March 12, more than 3,000 people arrived into an empty field — and left having planted a forest.

Last week’s event recognised the dedication and commitment of Galway City Council Recreation and Amenity staff; volunteers from Tuatha of Terryland Forest Park; and President Higgins — who at the time, as a Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht — secured funding for the nascent forest project.

Terryland Forest Park was the largest urban neighbourhood forest project in the history of the Irish State, when it opened to the public for the first time in March 2000.

President Higgins said that Terryland Forest Park represented a wonderful urban mosaic of woods, meadows, wetlands and other natural habitats that also serve as an outdoor classroom and laboratory for schools and universities.

“As well as educational and recreational amenity value, the park also helps the country to meet its international commitments in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises by acting as a carbon sink and wildlife sanctuary.

“May the Poet’s Trail and Terryland Park continue to be a source of recreation, wellbeing, and perhaps even transcendence for years to come,” he added.

As part of the commemoration, President Higgins planted an oak tree in the very spot he previously planted a King Oak 25 years ago — which was knocked by Storm Éowyn.

He was presented with one of five pieces of art which Galway based artist Tommy Carew crafted from the fallen oak.

Mayor of the City of Galway, Cllr Peter Keane said that Terryland Forest Park was the first public park in Ireland designed with public participation.

“The park became an ‘ecological corridor’ for wildlife connecting the Corrib waterways through the city to the farmlands of east Galway.

“In a time of an interconnecting global Climate and Biodiversity Crises, the role of this park has never been more crucial. The planting of the new oak tree honours the work of past generations in bringing the woodland to fruition, while symbolising hope for the next generation to take up the mantle and heralding the next 25 years of Terryland Forest Park.”

Brendan Smith, Chairperson of Tuatha of Terryland Forest Park, said that Terryland Forest Park represented a wonderfully successful partnership between Galway City Council and the citizens of Galway.

“Over a quarter of a century, approximately 100,000 native Irish trees and wildflowers have been planted by the people, schools, visitors and council staff of Galway city, thus creating a rich tapestry of multiple wildlife habitats for a wide variety of flora and fauna located not far from the city centre that connects into the vast Lough Corrib waterways, one of the most cherished areas of biodiversity in the country,” he added.

Among the attendance at the event were children from St Nicolas’ Parochial School, Castlegar National School and Scoil San Phroinsias.

Artwork from children in the three schools — imagining the future of the forest from 25 years ago — was displayed alongside contemporary artwork from the same three schools depicting how the native woodland of today would evolve into the future.

President Higgins, Mayor Peter Keane and Brendan Smith also unveiled a poetry plaque, featuring the President’s poem, ‘The Mountain’, dedicated to his daughter, Alice-Mary. The poem features in Michael D Higgins’s anthology of poetry entitled ‘The Season of Fire’, and forms part of the Galway Poetry Trail in Terryland Forest Park.

Pictured: President Michael D Higgins, with his wife Sabina, at the planting of an oak in Terryland Forest Park in the city, to replace an oak he planted in 2000 but which was felled by Storm Éowyn. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.