Summerhill House, Ballybofey

The Irish Forestry Awards System had its origins back in 1769. It was created to award medals to farmers who planted certain trees, namely ash, oak, elm, or Weymouth or Scots Pine, on their property. Summerhill House features an interesting outgrowth of that program that still flourishes on its grounds today.

The Matrimonial Tree came from a custom of planting two of the trees mentioned above to celebrate the engagement of a newly betrothed couple. When the wedding took place, the two trees were grafted together to form one, as a symbol of the couple’s union.

Coyningham Estate at Summerhill house displays a beautiful example of the rare surviving grafted trees, grown as a memorial to a long ago wedding.