A large holly tree, bursting with berries, is capturing attention in the run up to Christmas at the Enniskillen home of Kathleen McConnell.

The distinctive bloom - which is shaped like a Christmas tree - was planted by Kathleen’s green-fingered mother Eva McConnell around the late sixties and it is now standing tall at the Kilmacormick Road property.

“If she planted something it seemed to grow,” says Kathleen, in reference to her late mother’s green fingers. She also mentioned that it is cut every year by Edwin Keys, who shaped it.

One of a number of holly trees in the locality, it is said to be “heaving with berries” and such is its height - around 25ft. high - and its shape - that it catches the eye.

In fact, it captured the attention of well-known Fermanagh Mummer, Jim Ledwith, who was recently involved in doing a strawboy ritual for RTE Two programme ‘Don’t Tell The Bride’, which now features some of the holly.

He explained that he had started working in the area and he noticed the holly tree, standing up against a long gable wall. He approached Kathleen and she gave him some holly for use in their strawboy outfits.

Jim says it is a tradition at Christmas for strawboys and mummers to don mummers’ straw hats with a sprig of holly on top as it denotes the presence of the bloom of nature in the midst of all the decay and darkness of winter.

“It is the presence of evergreen,” indicated Jim, who collected the holly in time for the filming which took place in Carrick on Shannon on Wednesday, December 10.

The mumming link with ‘Don’t Tell the Bride’ came about through Carrigallen girl Terese Finnegan’s connection with the Mummers’ Foundation, where she did a recent internship. She got married last Wednesday and her reception was held in the Dock arts centre.

Jim recalled that about three weeks ago her then husband-to-be, Matthew Kessie - who had previously visited the Mummers’ Foundation based at Aughakillymaude Mummers’ Centre - phoned them, asking would they be interested in performing a strawboy wedding ritual for the wedding reception; it would be filmed as part of the programme.

“We did it with four Fermanagh strawboys,” disclosed Jim, adding that they included the necessary musicians and dancers. Dessie Reilly played the bagpipes, while Gary Fitzpatrick played the flute. Emma Fitzpatrick played the drum and bodhran, and Jim Ledwith conducted the hand clasping ceremony.

Also playing its part was holly from the tree at Kilmacormick. Having been placed in the mummers’ straw hats, it is now set to make its TV debut!