That might sound like a minor agricultural frustration, but the persistence of those attempts, and the local reverence behind them, points to something far older than any living memory of the place.

The site is recorded on Ordnance Survey six-inch maps from both 1840 and 1907 under the name "The Mile Bush", suggesting it was a recognised landmark across at least two generations of mapmakers. The bush itself no longer exists, and a large sand quarry immediately to the west has taken away a substantial portion of the hill. But the name holds a clue to why the location still matters. "Mile" is most likely a corruption of bile, an Irish word for a sacred tree. In early Irish tradition, a bile was not simply a notable tree but a site of ritual and political significance, sometimes marking the inauguration site of a chieftain or the sacred centre of a territory. The fact that local people have made several attempts to replant a blackthorn in the same spot suggests that knowledge of its significance, however faded, has not entirely disappeared. The blackthorn itself is a tree long associated in Irish folklore with otherworldly boundaries and protective power, which makes it an apt choice for anyone trying to restore what was lost.