While the name Clochán Cuilinn spoke of the heritage, environment and local tradition associated to the area surrounding Glencullen Allotments, I decided that Glencullen Farm better identified the 4 acres of agricultural farmland in south Dublin for what is it, rather than what it might become. In drawing up the logo, I looked to highlight nature and wildlife particular to Glencullen. As we explored in the previous post, Gleann Cuilinn is synonymous with the holly tree and more broadly appreciated for its sylvan landscape. I love trees and woodlands. Small wonder Iain Tolhurst’s talk on agroforestry captivated me but more on that in my next post about soil and compost. Wood is a wonderful natural renewable resource and it is from timber that the letters of Glencullen Farm are carved. Designed to resemble wooden fencing, as would traditionally stake out allotments, Glencullen Farm is cobbled together in garden-shed green characters in a rough-shod rustic fashion! As for the deer may well you ask. While I spend more time keeping deer off the property, this is not a nod to their voracious appetite.

Ballybetagh Bog, just across the field from Glencullen Farm, is an internationally renowned archaeological site for the extinct Giant Irish Deer dating back over 10,000 years ago. Over 100 deer skeleton fossils were discovered at the Ballybetagh bogs in Glencullen, first excavated for a Famine relief project in 1847. 10 complete deer skeletons can be viewed at the National Museum of Ireland. These majestic beasts stood 2 metres at the shoulder with antler width of up to 4 metres and weighed nearly half a tonne!

Footnote: Read Michael Viney “The giant elk mystery“, Irish Times, Sept 2003