In 1995 Bonsai finally took off in Cork, within the year not one but three Bonsai shops had opened and Cork Bonsai Club had been formed. With a membership that first year of twenty one interested people, Bonsai had arrived to stay in Cork. I began to be impatient and wished to possess real Bonsai again! Within the friendship of the Bonsai Club I learnt many techniques of pruning and pinching, potting, soil mixing, forest planting. We judged each others trees at our yearly exhibitions and I had many successes with the favorites in my collection. This lead me to begin purchase one or two nice trees rather than seedlings. Now my trees range from tiny 'mame' to large ones over a meter in height. Unfortunately the Bonsai Club is not active at the moment and the Bonsai shops did not survive.