It took six men, two diggers, a few chainsaws and over 12 hours of work to get a 200-year-old tree removed from the Fletcherstown cemetery in Co Meath on Monday. A “giant” tree at the gates of the graveyard which had seen its fair share of gusts and winds over the past two centuries finally succumbed to the power of ex-hurricane Ophelia this week.

The worst storm the country had seen in over 50 years brought damage to various parts of the country.

The hardwood fell at approximately 1pm on Monday. It came crashing through the wall and gates of the cemetery.

One of the volunteers who helped with the removal was James Smith.

He along with Brendan Smith, John Hoey, Evan Hoey, James McGahan and Patsy Smith toiled between 3pm and 7.30pm on Monday and again between 8am and 4pm on Tuesday to get the job done.

“It was a big enough job alright,” James told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“It’s a sad enough time for the locals alright. It was a giant thing that sheltered people from the rain and wind at funerals and the like. It will be sadly missed.

“The main thing is that no one was hurt and the clean-up went well but the people will definitely miss having it there.”