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A hillside near Killea, County Donegal, holds a cross that becomes visible when Japanese larch trees turn gold in autumn. Local forester Liam Emery planted the larch among evergreen trees; for much of the year, the different parts blend into the surrounding green. The design came to wider attention in 2016, when passengers approaching City of Derry Airport reportedly spotted it from an aircraft.
How the cross appears
The cross is a deliberate pattern of trees on a hillside near Killea. Japanese larch is deciduous: its needles change to golden yellow in autumn before falling. The surrounding evergreen trees stay green, so the seasonal color contrast outlines the cross from above. For much of the year, that contrast is absent, making the design harder to distinguish.
The Newtown Killea Parish account identifies local forester Liam Emery as the person who planted the trees. A 2016 report by Donegal Daily also describes a planting made with two types of trees. The story is therefore less about a carved monument than a landscape design whose defining feature is seasonal.
Where it is and how it was noticed
The cross is associated with a hillside near Killea in County Donegal, Ireland. The parish account calls it the cross on the hill; a more recent secondary report specifies Bogay Glebe near Killea, but that precise location is not confirmed by the two local accounts.
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According to the parish and Donegal Daily accounts, the pattern came to public attention in 2016 after passengers approaching City of Derry Airport noticed it from an aircraft. The reports do not identify the flight or the people who first saw it. They describe an aerial discovery, not an official unveiling.
Who planted it—and what is known about the scale
The local parish account credits Emery with creating the planting and says he died before it came to fruition and was publicly noticed. The year of his death is inconsistent across accounts: the parish page gives 2011, while newer secondary reporting gives 2010. Without reliable corroboration, neither year should be treated as settled.
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The reported dimensions also differ. The parish describes a “100m tall cross,” while Donegal Daily’s 2016 report says it is more than 100 metres long and 70 metres wide. Those figures use different descriptions and should not be combined as if they were a single verified measurement. The parish account says Emery expected the planting to last at least 70 years; that is an expectation, not a current assessment of the trees’ condition or lifespan.
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“Celtic cross” is the name used for the design in local coverage. The available accounts focus on the planting and its autumn color; they do not establish a broader historical origin or religious interpretation for this particular cross. Nor do they confirm a public ground-level viewing point, visitor access, guided tours, or the planting’s present condition.
Rank #3
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Donegal Daily gardening columnist Gareth Austin called the planting “a true piece of horticultural engineering.” That phrase captures the central idea: the cross relies on choosing different tree types and positioning them so seasonal foliage makes a large pattern legible from the air. The sources do not establish a confirmed tree count; a figure of more than 3,000 appears only in a newer secondary account.
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