Tree id please

[JennyS]

Interestingly the tree appears to be native to both the Mediterranean AND South-west Ireland for reasons not entirely clear.

Yes, Arbutus unedo (not the one shown in the photo) is part of what is known as the 'Lusitanian Flora'.
These are a group of plants found mainly in SW and West Ireland that aren't found in the UK, but as petermcgain says they are native in North Spain and Portugal. Lots of heated botanical discussion about how/why they are native in Ireland but there doesn't seem to be any conclusive evidence.

Couple of links if anyone is interested are:

FLORA of IRELAND, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
Theres a link at the bottom of this page to David Webbs paper 'A Flora of Ireland in its European Context'

Irish Wildflowers - Lusitanian flora
Gives a list of the 14 plants that make up the Lusitanian flora

[Adam Cheeseman]

Originally Posted by petermcgain

Thanks for the tip! I've also heard the fruit is ok but rather bland and not an experiment worth repeating. Interestingly the tree appears to be native to both the Mediterranean AND South-west Ireland for reasons not entirely clear.

Different species. Irish one is Arbutus unedo, the Cypriot one is Arbutus andrachne. The bark patternation varies in different species too.

Cheers,

Adam