Saoirse

Saoirse the Sycamore Tree Fairy

Saoirse isn't from Ireland but she quickly adapted and claimed the name Saoirse, freedom, because her playful 'helicopter' seeds fly freely around the country amusing and delighting us all. 

Her tree grows fast and spreads out wide into a lovely shapely form but it doesn't last too long, only about 150 years or so, which is like a millisecond in tree life. She has planted herself in nearly every hedgerow in Ireland which is great for the honey bees as her flowers have lots of nectar. She is a member of the Maple family.

Because she is only here a wet week, 16th/17th century, we haven't folklore about the Sycamore but she is ancient, dating back to Egyptian times where the Holy Sycamore was said to connect the worlds between the dead and the living. In their tales this tree stands at the eastern gate of heaven which releases the sun to rise each morning.