Folklore: Wish Trees - pushing coins into logs

Subject: Folklore: Wish Trees - pushing coins into logs
From: Mr Red
Date: 19 Feb 25 - 02:54 AM

Seem to have had a revival more recently though the Guinness World Record is 48,000

Variously called Wish Trees, Coin trees or often Coin Logs being more accurate. They are in obscure places often on footpaths. I first came across one on a little used path 10+ years ago. As one observer pointed out, the UK coins are post decimalisation, rather dating them.

As Mr Guinness points-out:
People were hammering coins into trees – known today as "coin trees" or "wishing trees" – as a healing ritual or for wishes in Ireland and Scotland during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The custom resurfaced at the start of the 21st century. Coin-trees can be found across Great Britain and Ireland, often in the form of logs lying next to woodland paths.

Anyone else come across these latter-day folklore/pagan rituals?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Wish Trees - pushing coins into logs
From: Mr Red
Date: 19 Feb 25 - 03:13 AM

Coin Log in the - Fairy Glen, Dinorwig, North Wales UK

Subject: RE: Folklore: Wish Trees - pushing coins into logs
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 19 Feb 25 - 05:04 AM

Not so much coin trees but a lot of trees at holy wells (in Ireland) have threads or bits of cloth tied to them and there seems to have been an upsurge in the past decade and a half. The idea of ragtrees is that your worry or ailment will disappear once the material tied to the tree's branches decays. Coins will be left in some holy wells.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Wish Trees - pushing coins into logs
From: Mr Red
Date: 19 Feb 25 - 01:08 PM

I have seen cloth streamers and bunting in videos of Tibet. Definitely of religious significance.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Wish Trees - pushing coins into logs
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 19 Feb 25 - 03:15 PM

I don't think prayer glass etc in Tibet are the same as the rag trees but you're right, both are religious.


Here's the Clare holy well project A lot of the wells have rag trees associated with them.