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Northern Ireland's Remarkable Trees

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The Liberty Tree

At Roughfort near Mallusk in Co Antrim is a tree which carries all this history. Local historians link this tree to the 1798 United Irishmen uprising, Roughfort being one of the assembly, points prior to marching on to the Battle of Antrim. Newtownabbey Borough Council in conjunction with local historians is currently, promoting a book called The Liberty Tree, a direct reference to the Roughfort oak which is thought to have been planted during the 1790s when the United Irishmen had a custom of planting trees referred to as Liberty Trees as a symbol of freedom. It is also possible that it was planted after the rebellion to commemorate those from the area who were killed. The origin of its local name, The Hanging Tree is not known and it is thought unlikely it was ever used for this purpose.

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Trees

  • Apples and Pears
  • Champions
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  • Historic Trees
    • Hanging Trees
  • Landmark Trees
  • Oddities
  • Overall Champions
  • People's Trees
    • The Wesley Trees
  • Survivors
  • Trees of Character
  • Trees of Folklore
  • Vanished Trees

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