Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Farmer’s Game Of Thrones windfall...
Tree going under hammer after storm
GAME Of Thrones fans can now buy a 200-year-old tree that once stood in the Dark Hedges – made famous around the world by the hit TV show.
The ancient beech fell foul of the weather earlier this month and now farmer Jimmy Laverty is ready to clear it from his land.
But rather than chop it up for firewood, he has decided to branch out and let the world know it’s up for auction. So far bids have come in from Australia and China and with no reserve price, it’s unclear what it could go for.
Auctioneer Daniel Mcalister said: “The tree came down a while ago on the Bregagh Road near Armoy which is a real pity because it was beautiful. But nature had its say and the tree came down and now Jimmy has decided he needs the land cleared and the tree removed. Over the years I’ve sold plenty of firewood but I think this is going to be a bit more special. “It can be bought as a whole but I also think we may be able to sell off branches too. We will just see how it goes.
“We are inviting bids now. The last tree that fell was apparently made into doors but now this one will go to the highest bidder and hopefully they will get lots of uses out of it and a lot of enjoyment too.
“If they want it for firewood I’d say it would be a pretty expensive fire.”
The auction, carried out by Daniel Mcalister and Son Estate Agents and Auctioneers in Cushendall, Co Antrim, is live now and any wood to be exported overseas would come under strict scrutiny from the authorities over disease control.