Irish Peach has a crisp flavour

The Orchard at Hezlett House near Castlerock.

When is an apple more than a shrink-wrapped piece of fruit? When it is a traditional Irish apple, the National Trust believes.

The Trust has been reviving a variety of traditional Irish apples in its orchards throughout Northern Ireland.

Lady's Finger, Greasy Pippin and Summer John may sound like specialist beers, but along with the Ecklinville, Grenadaire and Irish Peach they are among the revived apples.

The Trust said that the difference in shape, size, texture, flavour and colour of traditional varieties is immense and almost every county has an associated traditional variety of apple.

The Irish Peach is among the apples being preserved

The native apples are usually more intense in flavour than those now grown commercially.

On Taggart Island, near Killyleagh, an ancient apple tree was recently discovered in the garden of the ruined cottage orchard.

It was identified as an Ecklinville, named after the townland where it was created only a stone's throw away across the lough near Portaferry.

The Ecklinville was a cooking apple, once popular around County Down. But it became unfashionable when new varieties were created that didn't bruise so easily.

Cuttings have been taken from the old tree and 10 other traditional varieties of apples have been planted including Kemp (or May Bloom), Ballyvaughn Seedling, Strippy, Martin's Seedling and Widow's Friend - all suited to a harsh climate on an island.

The ancient Ecklinville is still as virile as ever and produced another good crop of apples this autumn.

The project, which will take a number of years to mature, has been identified by the National Trust as an important part of their conservation work.

Newly planted trees will help to maintain old Irish varieties of apple and the overall genetic diversity of apple trees in Ireland, which may be of use for future apple tree research, production and planting.

The Trust said traditional Irish apple varieties are important, not just for the nostalgia aspect, but because they have evolved to flourish in Irish conditions and tend to be fairly hardy and disease resistant.