The Irish for Cratloe is Creat Shaileóg, or Creath Saileág which means ‘the rough land of the sallow trees’ or ‘the rough place where the sallies grow’. However, the original name is sometimes given as Croit Shliabh, which means a ‘humped back mountain’ The original parish name was Kilfintinan before it became known as Cratloe. There is no Irish saint listed as Fintinan and so it is believed that the parish name is derived from Cill Fionn tSeanain, which means ‘the church of the fair Senan’. Due to the shortage of clergy in the mid-18th century, the priests in Kilfintinan took over part of the neighbouring parish of Killeely.
Cratloe Woods was traditionally an oak forest that over time has been replaced with coniferous softwoods. It is said that in the 9th Century, warrior Ulstermen, having invaded the McNamara territory, carried home oak timbers to roof the Royal palace of Aileach near Derry. Oak beams from Cratloe Woods have also been used in many historic buildings such as the House of Parliament in Westminster and the Royal Palace in Amsterdam and, closer to home, St Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick City. Cratloe Oak is also said to have been used in the construction of the HMS Victory, Lord Nelson’s flagship, which was used in the Battle of Trafalgar. Over time, the woods were gradually cut away until,
In more recent times, Coillte began to operate approximately 800ha of the area as a commercial forest and large areas of the forest have been planted with coniferous softwoods; only a small area of native oak trees remain. However, plans are underway to replant a large area of the woods with the native species “Sessile Oak”. The proposition made to Coillte suggests that acorns from these native trees would be collected and brought to their seedling nurseries. These saplings can then be replanted and hopefully the Cratloe Oak will flourish once again. The campaign, which has been spearheaded by Cathal Crowe, TD, has included suggestions for local families to cultivate these acorns, giving each local family a chance to be a part of the rejuvenation of their local natural heritage.
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