Kissing under the mistletoe not an Irish tradition

Kissing under the mistletoe is not a tradition in Ireland, partly because the plant is not native to this country, but also perhaps because kissing is not such a big tradition, and indeed may itself have been imported in the first place.

The mistletoe in Ireland has long been regarded as a pest and would probably be classified as a foreign invasive species were it to arrive today.

Paul Maher, curator of the National Botanic Gardens, said mistletoe is a real pest and “a disastrous presence” in the Botanic Gardens, and to date has killed two lime trees.