Boys and girls from Ballyboughal National School in north Co Dublin were among 450,000 primary schoolchildren countrywide who learned about trees yesterday as part of National Tree Day.
Organised by the Tree Council of Ireland and supported by the Department of Education and Science, the ninth annual tree day saw many schools taking part in guided woodland walks at over 120 locations around the country. Coillte, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, heritage services and the Dublin local authorities hosted the walks.
The purpose of the day was to help primary schoolchildren appreciate the beauty and importance of trees.
A resource pack on the subject was made available in schools, covering topics such as "Why trees are planted", "Trees in Poetry" and "Trees for Bees".
Some 24 children from fourth and fifth classes of Ballyboughal school were treated to a day out at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, which has species of trees from all over the world.
Under blue skies, they were brought around the gardens by Office of Public Works guide Sinéad Corcoran, accompanied by teacher Audrey O'Flaherty, Fingal County Council artist-in-residence Paula Fitzsimmons and parents.
They "oohhed" and "aahhed" as Ms Corcoran explained why the roots of the Swamp Cyprus were visible at the edge of the river and how the Ginko Tree survived the Hiroshima atom bomb.
Top of the list of favourite trees were the Candyfloss Tree, which smells like the sugary treat, the Giant Redwood, because it's "huge" and the ash, for its smooth bark and suitable hurley material.
The trees impressed Duncan Walker (9) because of his ambition to save the ozone layer.
"When I was growing up I knew the ozone layer was being destroyed and I wanted to make a new one. The trees help that because they make oxygen," he said.
Jasmine Cooney (10) had a sketch pad with her and was pleased with her drawing of an oak, while Owen Callan (10) said he was interested in the trees but was more keen on the squirrels.
