13/11/2025
YEW - ENGLISH
IODADAH - IRISH
TAXUS BACCATA - LATIN
Our homes were once decorated with Yew for Samhain & Winter Solstice as a representation of the spiritual significance of everlasting life.
The Church tried to put a stop to many of these ancient customs, yet they have endured & if you visit churchyard in Ireland you will typically always find at least one Yew planted there.
The whole tree is highly toxic, possibly one of the practical reasons why it was planted in our graveyards pre-christian times was to prevent badgers, foxes, wolves & bears from digging up our loved ones.
The red berries known as ARILS are edible, just be sure to remove the seed first which is highly toxic!
The ARILS are high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals and over the years I have eaten loads of them. They are juicy & taste sweet, super slimy too.
These beautiful specimens live in Cong Abbey, County Mayo and we traveled here specifically to collect our samples because of the significance this place has in our history, the abundance of Yew trees and the etymology of the language.
'Mayo' translates to "plain of the Yew Trees" this originated from the phrase "Maigh Eo" meaning "Maigh" translated as "plain" and "Eo" is "Yew Tree".
Cong Abbey is a beautiful quiet place to visit dating back to the 13th Century and has links to Turlough Mor O'connor, one of the High King's of Ireland.
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