Tommy Craggs

TREE CARVING AT WATERMILL ROAD IN RAHENY

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I had problems with my camera and after travelling all the way to check on this tree carving by Tommy Craggs all my photographs were blurred or not properly focused. I plan to revisit later in the month. In the meanwhile I will upload/publish of the carving while it was a work in progress back in April 2016.

[MONDAY JUNE 22 2020] Local representatives and Dublin’s lord mayor have condemned “an attack” on the Tree of Life sculpture beside St Anne’s Park in Raheny, which is believed to have taken place in the early hours of Monday morning. Gardaí say they are carrying out enquiries after the sculpture was set alight.

The tree carving in my photographs is located at the north east corner of St Anne’s Park, Raheny, where Clontarf Road and Watermill Road meet. It is a 10-metre tall Monterey cypress tree that was once dying. In 2018, Dublin City Council decided that the tree had to be taken down for safety reasons. However, before it was felled, artist Tommy Craggs was commissioned to carve a series of wildlife sculptures into the tree. The sculptures depict a variety of animals, including foxes, badgers, squirrels, and birds.

The tree carving has become known as the “Peace Tree” or the “Tree of Life.” It is a popular spot for locals and visitors alike, and it is a reminder of the power of art to transform even the most unlikely of materials.

Here are some additional details about the tree carving:

• The project was funded by Dublin City Council and the Raheny Residents’ Association.
• Craggs worked on the tree for over two months, using a chainsaw and chisels.
• The sculptures are made from the tree’s own wood, and they are all different sizes.
• The tree carving was officially unveiled in December 2018.
  

Chainsaw sculptor Tommy Craggs recycles fallen trees or trees felled for tree management reasons. Some of his works can be purchased but others are permanent installations carved from stumps. Tommy’s work made the news in 2012 when members of the public reported that a “guerrilla sculptor” had carved three stumps in a forest in the UK. They were, in fact, commissioned sculptures created by Tommy Craggs.

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