Parks being patrolled to nab prickly holly pickers

A holly patrol has been put in place in the Killarney National Park amid fears that the annual hacking down of whole red-berried holly trees for the Christmas market is getting under way.

“Special patrols are being put on by the rangers because people come along and remove whole trees, not just a sprig here and there,” a spokesman for the National Park and Wildlife Service said.

The holly in the Killarney woods this year is spectacular, with masses of red berry clusters among its shiny dark green leaves and this is partly because of the kind weather this summer.