The enormous golden Celtic cross that appears every autumn in a forest in Donegal, Ireland

The "ardchros" or high cross is part of an ancient Christian historical and cultural heritage of the islands of Ireland and Great Britain.

Dublin: a walk int the mist through the tombs and crypts of the beautiful Glasnevin Cemetery
Lissummon, a long, abandoned tunnel hidden in the Northern Ireland countryside

This cross, also known as the Celtic cross or ringed cross, is famous for its rich ornamentation and originated in the High Middle Ages. It appeared in the 8th century in Ireland, where most of them are preserved today, later spreading to Great Britain. Its use declined in the Late Middle Ages and was revived during the Romantic period in the 19th century, being widely used by Irish nationalism.

In 2016, a huge Celtic cross appeared in a forest in Bogay Glebe, near Killea, in County Donegal, in the north of the Republic of Ireland. It was spotted by passengers on a flight about to land at Derry Airport in Northern Ireland. Unlike tall crosses, this cross is made of trees: it measures over 100 meters long and 70 meters wide. For most of the year, the cross blends in with the rest of the forest, but in the autumn it first turns golden and then red, making it very striking.

The most surprising thing is that this cross is the work of a single man: Liam Emmery. The cross is located on a tree plantation he managed. With great skill, Liam planted more than 3,000 Japanese larches, creating this cross during the first decade of the millennium. The needle-like, green leaves of this tree species turn golden in autumn. The saddest part is that Liam died in 2010 at the age of 51, without ever seeing the result of his work, as a consequence of brain damage suffered in an accident. The cross could remain visible for 60 or 70 years, until the trees are finally cut down.

Today, the YouTube channel Stephen J Reid (which I recommend you subscribe to) has published an excellent video about this cross, talking about the author of this impressive work of art and visiting the forest that Liam planted, which allows us to better understand the magnitude of his work:

You can see some screenshots from this video here. I love Stephen J Reid's filming style; the images in his videos are truly fabulous.