Michelle Darmody: How to bake tart and sweet apple muffins
The muffins will last about three days in a cool place.
Under ancient Brehon Law, trees were cherished. They held immense sacred, legal, and mythological significance for the people of the time. They were seen as gateways between the earthly world and the more spiritual, divine, magical world. These relationships with trees are recorded in mythology and folklore and we know that there were severe fines for anyone who cut or damaged a tree unnecessarily.
The punishment varied depending on whether the tree was considered a noble or a commoner. Nobles of the wood included the towering oak and ash. They also included the smaller, but very fruitful, wild apple tree, which arrived naturally to Ireland before our landmass separated from the rest of Europe This native Irish tree, that bore apples, was most similar to a crab apple tree. The fruit was highly valued and dye was also made with the bark of the tree. The dye was a vibrant yellow colour and could be used to colour wool and other handmade cloths.
