E~Eadha~White Poplar Of all the trees of the Celtic tree Ogham, the white poplar is most concerned with earthly and material aspects of life. Used by the ancients to make shields, it is believed to have the power to protect from death and injury. Poplars are often referred to as the ‘whispering’ or ‘talking’ trees, and in Irish Gaelic, as ‘Crann Critheac’, the quivering tree. The long flattened leaf stalks grow in such a way as to make a noise with every breeze that passes through the leaves.