Centuries old 'Armada tree' falls in Co Antrim graveyard

The Spanish chestnut, also known as the 'Armada tree', stood in the graveyard of St Patrick's Church of Ireland in Cairncastle, outside Larne.

A well-known local landmark, the tree came down in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to Rev Philip Benson from the parish of Kilwaughter and Cairncastle.

"We could see on CCTV that the tree fell about half five in the morning; it was very calm so there was no storm damage as such," Rev Benson said.

"We had a tree surgeon come up and look at it and apparently the root had gone; unfortunately, there's no righting it."

The folk tale surrounding the ancient chestnut was outlined in 2013 by local storyteller, Billy Teare.

“The story goes that when the Spanish Armada was passing these shores, a sailor was washed up at Ballygally," Mr Teare said.

"A few local people took the body and buried it in the church graveyard.

“After a while a tree emerged from the grave and grew into what we see today, a Spanish chestnut tree. It is believed the tree grew from a chestnut the sailor had in his pocket when he was buried."

Analysis of the tree found it dates back to the 16th century, giving credence to the local legend.

In 2017, the chestnut was named runner up in the Woodland Trust's 'Tree of the Year' competition, with a panel outlining its story installed at the top of Larne's Main Street.

Meanwhile, wider interest in the Armada legend saw the tree become something of a tourist attraction.

"It's amazing how popular it was; with the Game of Thrones connection nearby, we've had people make a detour to go by the church and get a photograph of the tree," Rev Benson said.

"It would be great if something could be done with the wood in terms of turning or carving that would keep the legend alive. There's also an archaeologist who will be coming down to have a look and see if there's anything underneath where the tree stood."

However, the priority in the coming days will be ensuring the safety of the graveyard, which was briefly closed after the tree fell. "The danger area has been taped off but the main problem we have at the minute is that it's kept safe; the tree is lying across some graves so we will have to work quickly to sort that out."

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