Evergreen, The

DESCRIPTION: The singer finds an evergreen in Inishowen. "They are few and far between in dear old Donegal." The thrush and blackbird sing there, near the river; "nothing can be seen, Like the charming little valley that grows the evergreen"
AUTHOR: Charlie Harkin (source: McBride-FlowerOfDunaffHillAndMoreTradSongsInnishowen)
EARLIEST DATE: 1987 (McBride-FlowerOfDunaffHillAndMoreTradSongsInnishowen)
KEYWORDS: lyric bird Ireland
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
McBride-FlowerOfDunaffHillAndMoreTradSongsInnishowen 23, "The Evergreen" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES [123 words]: This song is accurate about Donegal's trees, for good climatological reasons. Ireland is fairly far north, but with a climate that is both wet and temperate due to the Gulf Stream -- and also rather cloudy. Evergreens are largely an adaption to dry, cold climates where there are relatively few clouds: Their design is intended to gather maximum sun while losing relatively little water. In a wet but cloudy climate, they are at a severe competitive disadvantage. A check of any atlas with decent climate maps (I used Goode's World Atlas) will show that the southern and eastern parts of the country are covered with deciduous forests. But Donegal, in the far northwest, is dominated by heaths and moors; trees of any kind are rare. - RBW
File: McB1023

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