Mrs Brown's Boys boosts €21m Irish-grown Christmas tree industry
An online survey of 1,000 adults was commissioned by the Irish Christmas Tree Growers Association and conducted earlier in the year by Ignite Research.
The main character of the multiple award-winning television sit-com television series Mrs Brown’s Boys topped the poll with 21% of the votes.
A hilarious scene in one episode during which Mrs Brown ends up dangling from the top of the Christmas tree she was decorating is believed to have been the influencing factor in the votes of most of those polled.
The survey was organised for the Love A Real Tree campaign to encourage more families to choose a real Irish-grown Christmas tree this year.
Mrs Brown, played by Brendan O’Carroll, was the clear winner for the role of Christmas tree decorator and was the overwhelming favourite choice by both men and women.
Now on RTE One the 1st Christmas Special, Irish tv only BBC one tomorrow night 9:45 pic.twitter.com/DqNjbTRF6O
— Mrs. Brown's Boys (@MrsBrownsBoys) December 24, 2015
The author and actress Amy Huberman was the runner-up, securing 11% of the votes, while her rugby icon husband Brian O’Driscoll, and soccer legend Roy Keane, were in joint third place at 9%.
The Brooklyn actress, Saoirse Ronan tied for fourth place with Bono on 7% followed by Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor, who was voted fifth in the survey with 6% support.
Joe Flynn, Irish Christmas Tree Growers Association (ICTGA), said decorating a real Christmas tree is an annual family tradition, cherished by many Irish households.
“So when we asked the public who they would like to help them decorate their real tree this year, it came as no surprise that the country’s number one celebrity Christmas tree decorator was Mrs Brown, one of the most entertaining and popular characters on TV.”
He added: “You could imagine all the family having great festive fun with Mrs Brown in the house over Christmas. I’m sure any tree decorated by Agnes Brown would be colourful and memorable — with a personality all of its own.”
Around 3,000 acres of Christmas trees are planted by 80 growers in Ireland every year. The most popular species are Nordmann fir and noble fir.
Up to 350,000 trees are harvested for sale across the country with a further 200,000 exported to European markets, such as Britain, Germany, and France.
About 5m Christmas trees are normally growing on farms around Ireland. They absorb CO2 and emit oxygen.
Plantations also provide a perfect habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Their dense foliage is ideal for nesting birds and animals, such as deer and hare.
ICTGA chairman Dermot Page said it can take up to 10 years before an Irish-grown Christmas tree is in peak condition and ready for harvesting.
Growing conditions were good this year, with trees displaying particularly good colour.
A recent survey found that the scent of a Christmas tree in the house was the No 1 reason why the majority of Irish consumers buy a real tree, while tradition and the experience of picking out the tree were also rated highly.
James O’Toole, Fairwood Christmas Trees in Carnew, Co Wicklow, won this year’s ICTGA award for Ireland’s best real Christmas tree with a stunning 2.25m tall Nordmann fir.
It was his first time entering the competition.
“It’s brilliant to win both the best noble fir as well as the Nordmann fir categories, as well as being crowned the overall winner,” he said.
James started in the tree business in the 1970s when his father began selling trees in Stillorgan, Dublin.
“We grow about 60 acres of trees, which amounts to 20,000 trees harvested each year,” he said.
“Currently in the ground, we have between 120,000-130,000 trees, both Nordmann fir and noble fir.
“We really only started planting bigger numbers from 2008. Before that, we were just growing enough for our own site but now that the wholesale business has started to build up, we’ve started to plant more trees.”
James outlined in the ICTGA website how the busy period coming up to Christmas involves 16-hour days, starting at 5am.
“I do a bit of farming as well. I keep some cattle, but mainly my work is full-time at trees all year around. Would you believe, our busiest month is probably January where we do our pruning — it’s just as busy as December.
“We do basal pruning first, followed by some side-work [trimming branches along the sides]. In June, we do leader control to stop the leaders [tree tops] growing too fast. This is done to make sure that they won’t go off and produce large gaps at the top,” he said.
James said a real tree brings freshness in to the house. It is also a tradition.
Visitors bring their children along each year because when they were younger, they associated Christmas with a real tree.
“It’s great to see them passing the tradition on to their children. As well as that, it’s environmentally-friendly,” he said.
Gowers play their part in promoting a sustainable resource. Christmas trees are continually being planted to replace those being harvested. This is done in accordance with sustainable yield management promoted by the Forest Service.
The ICTGA is also urging householders to responsibly recycle the trees which have done them a great service in being a part of their Christmas spirit.
This can be done through local authority recycling services. People can also leave their tree in the garden, if they have room, until the spring when they can chip it into mulch.
