Secret Celtic Tree Cross – Killea, Ireland - Atlas Obscura
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Secret Celtic Tree Cross

Killea, Ireland

A massive Celtic cross secretly growing in an Irish forest. 

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Screenshot of drone footage of Celtic Cross in Donegal Forest. DailyEdge
Left: Screenshot of drone footage of Celtic Cross in Donegal Forest. DailyEdge
Right: Celtic Cross of Trees loonytoon1982 (Atlas Obscura User)
Celtic Cross of Trees loonytoon1982 (Atlas Obscura User)
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Flying over Ireland is always a magical experience. But then travelers speeding over County Donegal started noticing a particularly mystical sight: a 300-foot-long Celtic cross, made of thousands of trees.

This strange emblem had been growing in secret for quite some time. The man apparently responsible was Liam Emmery, a forester from the region. Emmery died in 2010, at age 51, after an accident left him unwell for two years. Emmery planted different types of trees years ago, keeping the mysterious project mostly to himself. 

The resulting effect has been visible for a few years now, but the dry autumn of 2016 made it particularly eye-catching, the yellow cross vivid against a background of spruce green.

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