In message .com,
"Cat(h)" writes
I am looking for recommendations as to a suitable (memorial) tree to
be planted in a sea-side location in the NW of Ireland, exposed to
salty winds (well, all kinds of winds, really). The ground conditions
are ericaceous (can't remember whether that's acid of alkaline, so
apologies to the experts) and can be soggy for much of the year. The
tree should be attractive, and obviously tough as old boots... Other
things that grow naturally on the site in question include fuschia
(magellanica, I think, naturalised) and salix.
I would be very, very grateful for your expert advice.
Thanking you all in advance!

Cat(h)

I was expecting someone with more experience of coastal locations to
have chimed in, but since no-one has, I suggest Griselinia littoralis,
which grows right up against the Atlantic coast in places (e.g. Arduaine
in Argyll).

I don't know about its soil tolerances, so you'd want to check this out.

Whether it (or the variegated cultivar 'Bantry Bay') is attractive is a
matter of taste - I'm not a great fan. Whether it's a tree is perhaps
also debatable; you could describe it more as a giant bush.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley