Thorny tales: Whitethorn may owe its abundance to prickly folklore

Could it be that the survival of so many whitethorn trees and bushes may somehow be due to an old superstition that it could be unlucky to damage them, or cut them down?

Whitethorn is ideal hedging for land division, it provides food for caterpillars and bees, cover for some mammals, enables pollination, and creates nesting areas for birds. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/ RollingNews.ie

Hopefully, the bloom of whitethorn, now gloriously adorning the countryside, will continue into June. We witnessed this welcome, annual spectacle on ditches and hedgerows all the way from Cork to Mayo, last week.

And could it be that the survival of so many of these trees and bushes — which account for a large chunk of our natural hedging — may somehow be due to an old superstition that it could be unlucky to damage them, or cut them down?