Pic: Jody Connaughton
o matter which angle you come from, the Drummin Trees always have the 
air of the iconic about them.
o matter which angle you come from, the Drummin Trees always have the They’re our Hollywood sign, a signal that you’re almost home, and that those childhood friends are still keeping lookout.
Having grown up with a stone’s throw of these great Scots pines, we’ve long been hoping to chart their history. Ireland’s tallest native evergreen, the Scots pine has been growing here for over 7,000 years.
Man vs Nature APR22
So, you know, we’re keen to show a little respect to our elders.
A series of emails to Leo Harman, upon whose land they stand, sadly failed to coax the quiet man out of his shell to talk in front of our cameras.
Luckily, young Jody Connaughton – the man responsible for one of the most-loved Drummin Tree shots – does have a history of this local landmark. And it goes a little something like this…
Luckily, young Jody Connaughton – the man responsible for one of the Apparently, the trees were known for many years by locals as The Soldiers, and whilst peddling his wares down at the Greystones Arts & Photography Exhibition down at the harbour, one sunny, Sunday afternoon, Jody managed to find out just why. 
With his framed Drummin print proudly on display, a passing elderly gent put the brakes on his bike and asked if the photographer himself was aware of the trees’ history.
With his framed Drummin print proudly on display, a passing elderly gent put the brakes on his bike and asked if the photographer himself was aware of the trees’ history. Replying in the negative, Jody was promptly treated to the following short history lesson.
Storm Eunice claims a victim 18FEB22
“During the war, when coal was scarce,” said the old man, “it was permitted that trees could be cut down in Wicklow, to provide much-needed fuel. The trees on Drummin hill were exempt from that order though, as they were used as a navigation aid by the pilots.”
And with that, the old man hopped back on his bike and cycled off. Adding to the history, a wise old woman (hi, Lalli!) reckons they were planted to mark the beginning of the 1900s, and were then called The Century Trees. 
Later, given their windy hilltop position, that name morphed into The Dancing Trees, with others, given their usefulness as a landmark for wartime, nicknaming them The Soldier Trees.
Which all sound pretty plausible and, thankfully, poetic to us. Unless anyone out there knows a better history for these beauties…?
Video shot by the mighty David Hoctor
Drummin Pines by Phil McDarby MON27APR26
Drummin Trees WEDS14JAN26 John McKiernan
Drummin Trees rainbow TUES4JULY23 Nick Bradshaw
Sugar Loaf with Drummin Trees SUN26JULY21 Christian Byrne
Drummin Trees Sugar Loaf Vlad Bodarev 2023
Supermoon Drummin Trees 27MAY21 Phil McDarby
Drummin Trees Sunrise FRI2APR21 Phil McDarby
Drummin Trees SUN10JAN21 Phil McDarby
Drummin Trees SAT31OCT20 Phil McDarby
Sunrise Cloud Inverstion Drummin Trees MON22APR19 Phil McDarby
The Soldiers Say Goodnight 19MAR19 David Hoctor
Drummin Trees From Above. Pic: Colin O’Mahony
Drummin Trees: Heaven Sent. Pic: Colin O’Mahony
The Drummin Trees 2013. Pic Jody Connaughton
Drummin Trees In The Snow #2. Pic: David Harmon
Drummin Trees In The Snow. Pic: David Harmon
Far away, so close… Sugar Loaf Oct 2015. Pic: David Byrne
Drummin Trees Sunset. Pic: fotobyanna
Drummin Trees Rainbow. Pic Anne Fitzsimmons
The Ridge by Phil McDarby
Drummin Jets 15th Jan 2017. Pic: Pablo Photography
Drummin Trees From Way Over There 2nd Oct 2017. Pic: Pablo Photography
All The Way From Delgany Golf Course 13th May 2016. Pic: Pablo Photography
Drummin Trees Sunset NOV16 Pablo Photography
Storm’s a-brewin Nov 2017. Pic: Pablo Photography
Drummin Trees Sunset. Pic: Tommy Moran
Drummin Trees 16th April 2016 Pablo Photography
Apocalypse Wow by Phil McDarby 30JAN19
Over The Hill by Nick Bradshaw Dec 2017
Above The Clouds… Nick Bradshaw
Drummin Trees 8JUNE22 Vlad Bodarev
Sunset From Kilcoole. Pic: John Kennedy
Drummin Trees by Julie Dockery
Delgany Hills by Padraig McCaul
Drummin Trees by Kirstin McCoy OCT22
The Drummin Trees by Siobhan Mooney 27MAR24
3 comments
My dad, Kevin Devereux, from Willow Grove called this field “pay bank”. I don’t know why..
are they accessible, ie is there any right of way agreed, or are they on enclosed land?
Seems to be private land all around the trees, so, you’d have to check with the locals before venturing up to the top…