Tree of Remembrance
A district-wide Christmas project supporting local charities through a quiet act of remembrance.
The Rotary Tree of Remembrance is one of the most widely supported and visible projects undertaken by clubs across our district. Each December, Trees of Remembrance appear in towns and cities across Ireland, offering communities a quiet moment of reflection amid the Christmas rush — and raising substantial sums for local charities in the process.
The idea
A Christmas tree is placed in a prominent public location — a city centre street, a shopping centre, a civic square — and members of the public are invited to dedicate a ribbon, usually yellow, in memory of a loved one. It might be someone who has passed away, someone who can’t be home for Christmas, or simply someone held in mind at a time of year when their absence is keenly felt.
For a small donation, Rotary volunteers write and tie the ribbon to the tree. Over the weeks of Advent, the tree gradually fills — each ribbon a private story, together a public act of remembrance. All proceeds go to local and Rotary-supported charities nominated by the host club.
A district-wide project
Trees of Remembrance are run by clubs in cities, towns and villages across the island of Ireland. While each tree is organised locally, and each club chooses its own beneficiary charities, the project is recognised and encouraged at the district level as one of Rotary Ireland’s signature community activities.
Longstanding examples include:
- Cork — the tree on Patrick Street has been running for over two decades and has raised well over €1 million for local charities.
- Carlow — the tree at Barrack Street has become a fixture of the town’s Christmas.
- Athlone — the tree stands outside the Civic Centre.
- Letterkenny — hosted in the town’s Shopping Centre.
- Castlebar — ribbons tied on Hopkins Road.
- Wexford — on Wexford Main Street, with ribbons in different colours for parents who have lost a child, family members abroad, and past pets.
Many other clubs across the district run their own local versions, each shaped to suit the community it serves.
How it works
Each participating club typically:
- Secures a prominent public location, often with the support of the local council, a shopping centre, or a business partner who donates the space.
- Nominates beneficiary charities for the proceeds — often including organisations working with bereavement, homelessness, mental health, cancer support, or the elderly.
- Provides volunteers to staff the tree throughout the Christmas period, accepting donations and writing ribbons.
- Organises an ecumenical service in the New Year, at which the ribbons are blessed before being respectfully retired.
Ribbons can usually be dedicated in person at the tree, online via a dedicated donation page, or, in some cases, through a Tree of Remembrance app. Many clubs partner with Transition Year students and volunteers from the beneficiary charities to help staff the tree.
Why it matters
The Tree of Remembrance works because it meets people where they are. Christmas is not an easy time for everyone — for the bereaved, for those far from home, for families going through illness or hardship — and the tree offers a simple, dignified way to acknowledge that. The ribbon is anonymous to anyone but the person who placed it. The tree speaks for all of them.
It also raises significant sums for local charities at a time of year when their services are most stretched. Across the district, the cumulative impact runs into many millions of euros and pounds over the years the project has been running.
The Tree of Remembrance gives that story a place to rest for a moment, and turns a gesture of memory into practical support for the community. It is Rotary at its most quietly powerful — local, visible, and genuinely loved by the towns it serves.
Curious about this project?
The fastest way to get involved with any Rotary project in Ireland is to find your local club and ask. They’ll tell you what’s happening locally, and how to lend a hand.