1997 Treewalk Photogallery Page 2

The vicar of Abbeyleix spontaneously manifesting a goat's head from his wrist... Actually, this is an accidental double exposure with an (upside-down) image of Inge (Belgium) and Peter (Scotland) milking a goat in Angelsey, N.Wales a couple of months later.

Another of our Ireland/Wales double exposures: a visit to an Abbeyleix school superimposed over an upside-down Alan (Belgium) testing a 12v. bicycle generator.

Inge (Belgium) demomstrates her mandolin to a group of Abbeyleix schoolgirls.

Wee Willy Wheeler the Willow Weaver (from Wicklow) demonstrates the art of weaving traditional Irish willow baskets.

Schoolkids at the last school we visited, a few miles south of Kinnity, Co. Offaly.

The same kids, half an hour later, skanking to Alan's life-affirming reggae rhythms. We always celebrated the planting of the trees with spontaneous music and dance.

Several Treewalkers and friends performing live on RTE Radio One's popular Saturday morning "Joe Duffy Show". The program was broadcast from Kinnity Castle, Co. Offaly, where the Forestry Ireland convention was taking place. This convention seemed an appropriate end for the Treewalk, as it was dominated by commercial forestry interests (companies displaying equipment used for quick-profit Sitka spruce plantations). The program also featured several media personalities and the Irish chainsaw champion, a young man from Co. Donegal boasting about the millions of trees he'd cut down!

Isun (donkey) and Zymbii (jenet - a sort of reverse mule) at John and Patricia Rigney's farm in Cadamstown, Co. Offaly, from which the Treewalk dispersed (coinciding with a Beltaine gathering of the Irish rainbow family). The Rigneys themselves keep a number of horses, donkeys and mules, so the animals had plenty of company during their weeks there. Maurice (in her twenties) was retired at the farm.

Three of the Rigney's donkeys.

Janie gives a child a ride on Marein.

Chalk street art in the town of Port Laois, which was created as part of a busking expedition to raise money for the rainbow gathering's "magic hat" (all food being bought with donations, as the idea of the gathering is to avoid buying and selling and to encourage cooperation and sharing).

The Rigney family with Treewalkers Andy (Isle of Man), Nik (England), and Greig (Scotland) with Nik's horse Spencil in the background.