Mighty oaks put us in our place with their majesty

A Different View with Dave O’Connell

Michel Barnier became one of the most recognisable faces on the European political stage as he thrashed out a deal on Brexit – but the good news for him through all of those interminable negotiations is that he had one weekly habit to keep him sane.

Because every weekend that he can, he drives from Brussels to his family house deep in the French countryside – and while he is there, he makes a pilgrimage to a four century old enormous oak tree.

The EU’s Chief Negotiator on Brexit is a very private man, but his passion for trees shows – and this isn’t meant to be funny – how anchored are his roots. Because while the tree in itself is a thing of beauty, he sees it more as a symbol of life.

“When you are in front of a tree in a forest, you measure time. The roots are strong and these are trees that have seen generations pass by,” he says.

The other attraction of trees is obvious – a chance to escape the spotlight for a man who might otherwise live in its perpetual glare, after 50 years in politics.

“I think a lot when I’m in a forest. I need to see trees. Old trees have always inspired me,” he says.

“When you are in politics, you have to love people first. You can’t do politics if you don’t love people, but you must also have moments of perspective, of historical distance. From this point of view, trees are a symbol for me.”

And of all trees, none quite signifies a real presence like the mighty oak – majestic when it’s mature, it brings home to you every time that you’re just passing through and it will be here long after you’re gone.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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