Musical tribute to 'tallest tree' felled in Storm Eowyn

It was Edinburgh’s tallest tree, which had grown in the city for more than 165 years and was felled in a storm which swept Scotland earlier this year.

Now, a musical tribute to the Royal Botanic Gardens’ Himalayan 29 metre cedar tree, which was destroyed in Storm Eowyn, is to premiere at a Scottish festival.

The Cedar, Silent is one of four new compositions to feature in commission For the Love of Trees, which will be performed at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre on Monday night as part of this year’s TradFest.

The tribute is to be produced and performed by harpist Mary Macmaster and drummer Donald Hay. It was written by Ms McMaster’s brother in law, Jerry O’Regan, while her daughter, Amy Macdougall, will sing.

Other pieces to be performed include a traditional Irish reel The Island of Woods by Irish/American fiddler Liz Carroll; Scottish lament Cumha Crann Nan Teud - The Lament for the Harp Key; The Trees by rock band Pulp; and Chraobh nan Ubhall a traditional Gaelic waulking song.

The Himalayan cedar was badly damaged after gusts of up to 82 miles per hour sparked a rare red warning in Scotland.

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The winds savaged the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, as well as the organisation’s three other gardens across the country. RBGE has launched a Storm Damage Recovery Fund to help fund the estimated hundreds of thousands of pounds needed to rebuild the gardens.

Donald Hay and Mary Macmaster producers of For the Love of Trees, commissioned for this year's Edinburgh Tradfest,. | TradFest

Ms Macmaster said: “I chose trees for this commission because I love trees - everyone loves trees don't they? Also, one of my favourite ever books is The Overstory, by Richard Powers. It's a massive, magnificent story. It really inspired and affected me. Trees are in the earth and in the air. They are older and more still than humans could ever be and yet we treat them like commodities.

If only we could hear what they are saying to each other - and they do communicate, through their roots and along the lines of mycelium that connect them. They will be here when we have gone, no matter what a mess we make of our beautiful world.”

Jane-Ann Purdy, co-producer of Edinburgh Tradfest said: “Mary Macmaster is one of Scotland’s finest musicians and composers so we were absolutely thrilled that she agreed to take on this year’s festival commission. She has picked a stellar line-up to join her on 5 May so we’re sure it will be a concert to remember.

“The subject matter is very close to our hearts and that set list includes tunes from across the centuries is surely fitting. After all, many the trees we look at today have been here long before us and will survive long after we are gone .”

Edinburgh Tradfest 2025 runs until Monday, 12 May. The full programme includes a line-up of traditional music, talks, adult and children’s music workshops, ceilidhs, films, and storytelling.