Early festive cheer as European Christmas tree growers meet in Ireland

Pat Lehane of Castletreasure Christmas Tree farm in Cork. Over 100 delegates from 12 countries will meet in Ireland for the annual meeting of the Christmas Tree Growers Council of Europe. Picture: Dan. Linehan

Over 100 delegates from 12 countries will meet in Ireland for the annual meeting of the Christmas Tree Growers Council of Europe.

Growers from across Ireland will meet counterparts from across Europe at the Mount Wolseley Hotel in Carlow from Monday July 6 to Wednesday July 8.

The Christmas tree sector is worth around €21m annually to the Irish economy. Irish growers produce around 700,000 Christmas trees annually, with between 420,000 and 450,000 trees sold on the home market and about 250,000 exported, mainly to the UK.

“Irish Christmas trees have a very high reputation on the continent and in Britain. We can produce excellent trees thanks to our temperate climate, along with better husbandry and superior production techniques,” said Irish Christmas Tree Growers chair Joe Flynn, who himself grows trees for wholesale as well as producing trees for Áras an Uachtrain and for clients including Isaacs Hotel on MacCurtain Street in Cork.

Mr Flynn, who runs Wexford Christmas Trees, said this year has seen one of the most “vigorous” growing seasons in recent memory, with wet weather followed by early heat. Early July marks a brief annual lull before crops are scanned, graded, and labelled for harvest in November.

The delegates coming from Europe to Ireland will include growers with farms of over 2,000 acres in Germany and Denmark, as well as buyers looking to purchase from the Irish market.

The annual meeting of the Christmas Tree Growers Council of Europe will discuss new technologies and techniques, live demonstrations, advice, networking, a cultural exchange programme and entertainment.