Crafty man creates a Tree of Life from a dying one in West Cork 

Magical summer surprise of fairy doors, owl, toadstools and wishing brooch 

Séamus O'Sullivan at the new sensory garden at Ballineen with his woodcraft, made from a dying tree. Picture: Denis Boyle

Children in one West Cork village have been treated to a magical summer surprise: a fairy tree, complete with a druid, fairy doors, an owl, a cluster of toadstools, and an emerald “wishing” brooch has appeared on the banks of their local river.

The Tree of Life, which has just been installed in a sensory garden at Ballineen’s beautifully landscaped Riverside Garden beside the village’s picturesque stone bridge, is the work of local sculptor Séamus O’Sullivan.

He had carved a fairy door and a toadstool from an old tree stump in his own garden and sent it to his three-year-old niece in Co Meath, and she was so delighted, he recalls, that when the Tidy Towns Committee in Enniskeane and Ballineen commissioned him to work on an entire decayed tree in the local park on the banks of the Bandon river, he decided to use this previous sculpture as his inspiration.

“When I saw the delight my niece got out of a stump of tree which I had carved with a fairy door and a toadstool, that was my inspiration for this piece. When I learned that it was destined to be part of a sensory garden, I decided to include tactile elements,” he said.

“Instead of one single sculpture I decided to make it into a number of interactive elements,” explains Seamus, who normally works on large abstract pieces or figurative work.

Hence the carved druid’s face which peers out of the trunk, the tiny wooden steps which lead to fairy doors, the large owl, a collection of toadstools, and a magic emerald brooch children can touch to make a wish.

He worked onsite on the tree. The project took about a week to complete. It is the latest phase of the plan for the Riverside Garden, by the Tidy Towns Committee.

“We have been working on Riverside Garden in various stages for the past two and a half years. We have gradually worked on different sectors or ‘rooms’ of the garden, planting and laying paths. It is environmentally friendly and inclusive for all and the garden is wheelchair-accessible,” said the committee’s spokeswoman Ann Corcoran.

New paths and kerbs have been laid and herb boxes have been planted along with a profusion of bright sensory plants such as lavender, bamboo, honeysuckle, raspberries and strawberries.

Funding for the extensive, colourful landscaping which to date has cost in the region of €6,000 — the garden has a willow dome, a carved wooden butterfly chair, an insect hotel and other eye-catching elements — has come through a series of grants and from donations by local businesses.

“A huge amount of volunteer work has also been invested in the garden,” said Ms Corcoroan, adding that a crew of about 10 local residents had donated much time and labour to turn the riverbank area into a beautiful amenity for local families.