Children screamed in distress as a tree that was home to a beloved ‘bird of prey’ near their school, was ‘hacked’ down by a bulldozer.
Footage of the incident in Co Wicklow has been shared widely on social media by community campaign Save Enniskerry.
In the clip, which was posted on Wednesday, the youngsters can be heard shouting “stop killing our tree”.
Save Enniskerry dubbed the clip “a true outpouring of emotion falling on deaf ears” and said “a beautiful bird of prey has been living in this tree and the kids have loved watching it from their school”.
Group spokesperson Penny Colley says a hawk had been living in the tree, which they estimated was between 80 and 100-years-old before being felled, for some time.
“It’s been there for probably up to a year and we don’t get a lot of hawks around here,” she explained.
“It hasn’t been seen since that [the tree] was removed.
“It’s so distressing and upsetting to think there’s so little care for our environment that developers can just come in and bulldoze something as significant as that without any thought or care to what it means.
“It’s heartbreaking to listen to a generation that we are trying to encourage to respect our planet and respect our environment and then we get a bulldozer to hack a tree down in such a disrespectful and heartbreaking manner.”
Local councillor and group member, Rory O’Connor, told us the much loved tree is now gone.
He said: “The video was absolutely horrific to watch.
“In this day and age, we need to find ways of integrating both the environment and developments together.
“It’s the only way we can continue to grow at a sustainable rate.”
It is understood the tree and a hedgerow have been removed to make way for one of a number of contentious housing developments planned for the village.
Wicklow County Council approved Scalaheen’s Ltd application for 27 detached dwellings near the school in June 2020.
Penny Colley was one of a number of locals who objected to the plan.
Cllr O’Connor added: “What makes this development even worse is that the cost of these 27 houses will be no way near affordable, which is what the people of Enniskerry need..
Wicklow County Council has been contacted for comment.
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