Why We Chose the Name Ginkgo Collective
We promised to tell you why we chose the name Ginkgo Collective for our new venture. It’s a story filled with personal history, serendipity and a lot of very old trees!
My love for trees started a long time ago. My sister Nora and I planted beech trees in the late 80s/early 90s that are still growing and thriving today. It’s a joy to see them. Since then, I’ve planted hundreds of trees. I will tell you about those in future blog posts.
The Fossil Tree
The first time I remember hearing the word ginkgo was back in 2008. I had spent a few years working as a software localisation engineer in McAfee, Cork and saved up enough to see some of the world. I was traveling solo in Vietnam and met Jo and her boyfriend, Chris, on a tour of Halong Bay. Chris was on holiday and went back to work in England while Jo continued traveling solo. Our routes were similar and we met many times along the way in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Australia. We spent a lot of time together and always had fascinating conversations, trying to figure out life’s big questions. Jo had studied geology and I remember she told me she planned to name her imagined future dogs Ginkgo and Amber. She explained that ginkgo was a living fossil.
I don’t think it registered with me at the time that ginkgo was also a type of tree. How could something be a tree and a fossil? I don’t remember asking her at the time but the name stuck in my head.
[Note: It is often referred to as a ‘living fossil’ due to the discovery of Ginkgo fossils which indicate that the makeup of the tree has remained unchanged for 200 million years]
Even though Jo and Chris live in England now, Jo and I are still in sporadic touch today. She recently enrolled to do a counselling diploma and is delighted she played a part in naming this new venture.
The Streets of Granada
My sister, Nora, lives in Spain and on a visit to her we took a trip to Granada where she pointed out that some of the streets were lined with ginkgo trees. She picked up one of the distinctive, fan-shaped leaves, pointed out its shape, and kept it on the back of her phone, where it stayed for a long time.
More recently, two years ago, I got a Christmas present of six trees, which included two beautiful ginkgo trees. They are some of my favourites in the garden.
The Serendipity of the Name
When Robert and I started brainstorming names for our new venture, we struggled to come up with anything novel that we both liked or could agree on.
Then, one early Saturday morning, for some reason that trip to Granada with my sister came into my head. I was thinking about those beautiful street-lined trees. It hit me in a flash: Ginkgo! It was the perfect name.
I had recently seen two gorgeous ginkgo trees in Fota Gardens, and I subliminally sent a message to Robert by posting a photo on Instagram. By the time I spoke to him on Monday, I was ridiculously excited.
He Googled the name and found Ginkgo Biloba. “Hang on a second,” he said, “this is the tree that they extract the pharmaceutical API from in Cara Partners, the company where my dad worked all his life!”
Robert was still slightly reluctant, but he couldn’t believe the sheer serendipity of the connection.
The Collective & The Confirmation
The collective part came easier. We always wanted a place to bring people together to learn and feel connected, supported and safe.
Then, just a short time later and completely unaware of our new venture, my good friend and storyteller Pat Speight gave me a present of a ginkgo tree to thank me for organising a storytelling gig for him in Coughlans, Cork. It was incredible confirmation, the name was right for us.
Robert and I are both fairly skeptical and cynical people, but the serendipity, fate, destiny, or whatever you want to call it, of the ginkgo connections was undeniable.
This ancient tree, known for its endurance, its ability to survive catastrophe, and its beautiful renewal each season, perfectly captures the spirit of the Ginkgo part of our name. The Collective speaks directly to our mission: to create spaces where people can gather, learn, and grow together in safety.
Ginkgo Collective is founded on the principles of resilience, connection, and evidence-based learning to support personal and community growth.
Serendipitous indeed Mary! So delighted to be a part of the naming of yours and Robert’s new venture. How is it we always end up on a similar “journey”? Wishing you both all the very best and looking forward to attending some future events!