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The days are short and the nights long. This makes it a great time of year to take it easy.
Perhaps you should treat yourself to a glass of hot apple juice while you sit down and read the winter edition
of our newsletter. I hope that you enjoy it.
The Orchard County
 Much though I wish that Tipperary could hold this title, Armagh is the orchard county.
It has acquired this title in the past 200 years, especially since the growing of Bramley’s has commenced there.
Bramley’s were introduced to Armagh in 1884 by a certain Mr. Nicholson of Crangill, a year immediately after
it was awarded the first class certificate by the Royal Horticultural Society. However, there is more to
Armagh’s orchard pedigree than Bramley’s.
It is recorded that apples have been grown in Armagh for 3000 years, and St. Patrick himself is said to have
planted an apple tree at Ceangoba, an ancient settlement east of Armagh city. Early records of the Culdee
Monastaries in Armagh show that the brothers were allowed a treat of apples with their meals, but
only at festival times. And of course, at the time of the Plantation of Ulster, tenants were encouraged
to plant orchards, surrounded by an enclosed ditch and whitethorn hedge.
Later on, William of Orange sent his cider maker, Paul le Harper, to Portadown with some equipment to make
sure that there was cider for his army, and it is said that William quenched his thirst with the cider of
the orchard county before the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Nowadays, apple growing in Armagh is based on Bramley’s, but 150 years ago there were many other varieties.
These have gradually declined over the years, not least because the climate of Armagh is not the most
suited for apple growing. However, 5000 acres of apples are still grown there (almost treble the total
Southern-Ireland crop), and interest in all varieties, both old and new is strong.
One person who has been instrumental in preserving old apple varieties is Peadar MacNiece.
He was a founding member of the Armagh Orchard Trust which was set up in 1995. Peadar,
along with Anita Hayes of the Irish Seedsavers Association, collected many endangered
Irish apples during the 1990’s.
The Orchard Trust established a Heritage Orchard, and this is located in the historic
walled garden of Drumilly Estate in Loughgall. Planting started a few years ago,
and now around 100 old varieties are being researched. Though Peadar MacNiece did not
live for long enough to see the fruits of his labour come to full fruition,
he would certainly have taken pleasure in seeing old varieties such as the Bloody Butcher,
Vicar of Brighton, Milltown Cooker and Keegan's Crab flourishing again in Loughgall.
If you know of an old apple tree which you suspect may be of Irish origin, the Irish Seedsavers
association would be glad to receive a sample of the fruits for identification.
They can be contacted in Scariff (Co. Clare) at 061-921866, or via their website
at www.irishseedsavers.ie
They also sell young trees of old apple varieties, and have all sorts of other imaginative gifts
that might be appreciated this Christmas.
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