Old age takes toll on Abbey's trees

Trees which have stood in Cavan Town's historic old abbey for longer than this State has existed, have this week been felled.

Standing proud for over 150 years, the sycamores which once brought much charm, to the tranquil urban setting, finally succumbed to old age. They now lie chopped and stacked at the permieter stone wall of the former Franciscan Friary.

Sadly an assessment by an arboriculturalist determined that the ancient trees' trunks and boughs were hollow in parts. Thus there was a significant risk that they could come down if high winds coincided with the trees being in leaf.

Cavan County Council plan to replace the trees with semi mature oak.