Central to the arboretum in Tollymore Forest Park is all that remains of a once mighty tree. It was a Wellingtonia, at 100 feet the tallest tree in the place. It is now a massive tall spiky stump.
About 2 o’clock in the afternoon on 12th October 1988 a freak electrical storm swept over the Mourne Mountains. The tall tree attracted the core of the electricity – it was like a bomb explosion, a’ball of fire’ which engulfed the tree and literally blew it apart. Stones and a manhole cover from the ground nearby were flung into the car park many yards away, people inside vehicles felt the impact, electricity and telephones were knocked out. Fortunately no one was hurt, but the shock was tremendous.
The stump remains to remind us of the force of the natural world.