CountryWide

Countrywide Full Episode 08/08/26

It's not only Malcolm's farm affected, it's playing out on other farms, mainly in the south and southeast. So what does this actually mean for farmers, and how do you make a farm more resilient to to extremes - droughts in summers, and deluges of rain in winter? Cathal Somers from Teagasc, and Conor Murphy of NUI Maynooth discuss further.

Five new wind farms are waiting on planning approval in the Irish Sea and it appears the sites line up with some of the best fishing grounds on the east coast. It's no great surprise that fishermen are worried, both about losing space to work, and about what all those structures under the water might do to the marine environment they depend on.

In 2018, a summer drought hit Ireland hard, and farmers were counting the cost of it for months afterwards. This year, it's happening all over again. July was the driest on record, so what does this mean for dairy farmers? Ella visits Malcolm Kidd, a young dairy farmer outside Bagenalstown to see how he's dealing with the drought.

The season is nearly at an end for Ireland's smallest and rarest seabirds, Little Terns, and they'll soon be off on their journey south back to Africa. As they nest on the ground, they're extremely vulnerable to disturbance from all of us. Della Kilroy went to Kilcoole beach to meet the conservationists working to protect the seabird species.

It's been one hundred years since Irish Army officers first jumped for their country, and now we are looking at how they’re marking the centenary at this week's Dublin Horse Show in the RDS. Suzanne Campbell reports.

We continue our River Shannon special, and Regan Hutchins also chats to Donal Boland about life living on the Shannon, on a boat in Co Offaly.

Today's programme is a River Shannon special as we hear about the life along the river.

Louise McHugh is a professor of psychology and the deputy head in the school of psychology at UCD, and she’s been involved in researching mental health and suicide in the farming community in Ireland. If you've been affected by anything we've discussed, please go to rte.ie/helplines for helplines and services.

ECO-UNESCO, Ireland's environmental education and youth organisation has built a whole programme around the idea that time outdoors is good for us. It's called ECO-Choices, and it uses nature-based activities and outdoor learning to help young people. Della Kilroy joined one group on one of their weekly summer outings.

The loy is a long, narrow spade that broke hard ground for generations. A new exhibition at The Dock in Carrick-on-Shannon, The Green Loy is curated to make a quiet case that the everyday things of rural life - tools, dressers, haycocks, quilts are works of art in their own right, and a link between people and the land they worked.

Tomorrow is Reek Sunday - when thousands of people will make their way up Croagh Patrick. Over ten years ago, Martin Keating decided to do something about the increasing number of feet taking its toll on the mountain. He started ringing around - farmers, landowners and conversations grew the Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group, which he chairs today.

Countrywide Full Episode 18/07/2026

The Sheep Show podcast is a weekly podcast both presenters are sheep farmers, but the twist is they are brother and sister, and the double twist is he - Andrew - is farming in Longford and she – Jill - is farming 150 miles outside Melbourne in Australia. Comparing and contrasting farming here and there each week throws up lots of food for thought.

Today at Athenry Mart, President Connolly will be at the 6th national harvest of wool. It’s a meitheal organised by the Galway Wool Co-op. There will be shearing and spinning demonstrations and examples of soft wool garments made from wool of Galway Sheep. Suzanne Campbell traveled to the farm of Blathnaid Gallagher, Co founder to find out more.

It costs farmers more to shear sheep than they get for wool, as we haven’t scaled up uses for wool in Ireland. Now, in order to re-wet bogs and block drains, farmers have been making water repellent Irish sheep wool into logs and burying them in the drains. Sinead Grimes of the Dulra Project explains more.

On Hawthorn Hill Farm in North Roscommon, Keith Brennan has been shearing his sheep.

Charles Hughes, sheep farmer in Co Mayo tells Philip all about the process of shearing sheep in the current hot climate we're experiencing. However, imagine being the farmer who has to pay for this knowing that in the current market the wool is to all intents and purposes worth nothing.

Countrywide Full Episode 11/07/26

For generations, the Farrell family has farmed Inis Cloithreann Island on Lough Ree, a tradition that stretches back more than 900 years. Today, Longford farmer and school principal Herbert Farrell carries on that legacy, making the one mile journey by boat several times a week to tend to his cattle on the 143-acre island farm. Della Kilroy reports

What does being well adapted to occasional blasts of this kind of heat look like? While simultaneously being adapted to increasing blasts of heavy rainfall? Philip spoke to farmer Michael Guinan in Rahan in Offaly to discuss the impact of ever changing weather.

Ahead of Comhaltas Ceolteori Eireann’s 75th anniversary, we had some of Ireland's best musicians in studio: Robert Harvey on Whistling and flute, Aoife Vaughan on Flute, Cathal O Duibhir Baoil on Concertina, and Daragh O Duibhir Baoil on guitar. The performed ‘Beautiful Fresh Morning’ followed by two jigs (‘Grainne’s Jig’ and ‘Scatter the Mud).

The Conroy family have been growing raspberries for 75 years pretty close to the foot of the Sugarloaf, and unlike most soft fruit producers in Ireland, they have been making it work outdoors all that time and not under glass or polytunnel, and the sunny weather has been a welcomed addition.

Denis Drennan, president of the ICMSA discusses the impact that the ever changing climate is having on Ireland's agricultural sector.

We looked at challenges farmers are facing , dairy farmers in particular as they try to look after animals that were not designed for these temperatures and adapt to climate shifts. Vet Ryan Duffy works with Animal Health Ireland. He is a specialist in Heat Stress in Dairy Cows.

Countrywide Full Episode 04/07/2026

A Dáil Committee heard this week that the things farmers whose land is free draining are being advised to do will catch phosphate but won’t stop nitrate from polluting rivers. Pat Dillon from the agricultural research agency Teagasc is an expert in nitrate leaching spoke to Philip on this morning's show.

The long-awaited Land Use Review said in clear words that the way we are using land does not safeguard water. does not safeguard water. And a few weeks ago 43% of farms inspected for water quality compliance failed the test. Dairy farmers Gail and Bryan Daniels discuss their ways to try find a solution to the problem.

The amount of water we are taking out of our underground aquifers and rivers is increasingly an issue, but what happens when a well suddenly runs dry for 6 months, and then reappears? Betty O’Shea has devoted a considerable chunk of her life to tending to Father Moore’s Well, and she tells us more.

Professor Fiona Regan, Director of of DCU's Water Institute reacts to and discusses the protocols being outlined by Minister Dooley.

The Blackwater River Fish Kill last August was the largest fish kill ever in Ireland, and the person or people were never found. This week, Timmy Dooley, Minister with responsibility for fisheries published a new set of protocols to address which investigative agency should do what from now on when there is a fish kill.

David Keohan, is a man on an archaeological quest to discover Ireland’s ancient lifting stones and revive a sport and culture – Stone Lifting – that has almost been erased from the landscape entirely.

Countrywide Full Episode 27/06/26

Lorna Siggins visits an all woman aerial circus production of the story of Grace O’Malley or Granuaile with the truly spectacular backdrop of the old pirate queen’s stomping ground of Clew Bay.

On Countrywide we feature farmers who are trying to bypass the middlemen and sell their product directly to consumers. The big problem they all have in common is they either find themselves tied to a single farmer’s market stall or strapped into a van doing deliveries. Step forward Cavan farmer Ben Tierney who runs ten egg vending machines.

A complicated problem we are facing in Farming is how to get younger people taking over the reins. Generational Renewal is the short hand. Our reporter Suzanne Campbell went in the company of some Nuffield Scholars to Cork to look at a shared farm.

Countrywide Full Episode 20/06/2026

This morning we looked at what farming is like in countries affected by war and climate change; Sudan, Lebanon, Ukraine. Given what the agronomists, the supply chain experts, the supermarket buyers are now saying about the global food system being tested to breaking point, Philip asked former President of Ireland Mary Robinson was she concerned.

National Parks and Wildlife Service has taken the precaution of appointing a warden to make sure visitors know how to tread softly on the Inishkea Islands. And Ella McSweeney took a rib out to Inishkea south and was joined by the person behind the idea, Irene O’Brien.

Keith Brennan, on Hawthorn Hill Farm in Roscommon, reflects on the power of Meitheal, and therefore found putting his back in to a shared job of work on a neighbour’s land helpful.

The European Commission is not happy about what we haven’t done to protect our bogs. They say we have failed to stop large scale commercial peat extraction. So Ireland is getting sued, again. While we have done a bad job protecting our raised bog networks, taking take peat away in the morning would mean we end a large part of Irish horticulture.

Grass growth has been rampant in the last few weeks, with quite a few farms pushing into surplus. It’s a time of year where that kind of growth means booleying can come into its own. A livestock management tradition where the cattle and the farmer’s children headed for the hills away from parental supervision. Della Kilroy reports.

Looking at the bogs a bit more closely, where are we at in developing completely peat free alternative composts so that we can stop cutting up bogs to grow food? Teagasc, the agricultural research agency is in the middle of a lot of work in this area. Philip met with Dr Michael Gaffney to discuss further.

'Making Farms Work for Women' is a pilot project that's looking at the reality of farming for women and at the challenges they face. Over the three year life of the project they'll be working with 60 women farmers in North Mayo. Treasa Breathnach reports.

Swarming season is in full swing across the country. Queen bees are leaving their nests, allowing developing queens to inherit their thrones. There has been a long running campaign and draft legislation to ensure special protection for the wild Irish honeybee. Lorna Siggins reports.

Ornithologist, Sean Ronayne, on how important Marine Protection Areas are for Seabirds and his passion for capturing bird sounds

Speakers at the Fair Seas Conference 2026 on MPAs: Minna Epps - IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Belinda Bramley - UK marine protection expert, Grace Carr - Marine policy officer at the Irish Wildlife Trust).

Marine Biologist, Ben Harris, has scientific evidence that MPAs work.

Della Kilroy goes beachcombing in Bray with Marine Biologist, Mona McCrae and a group of school children as part of ‘Seashore Kids’, which provides marine environmental education to children.

Fisherman John Lynch talks to Suzanne Campbell about his reaction to MPA introduction.

There isn't enough land in the country to do all the things we have set targets for. 17 months ago government received a report setting out what land uses needed to be prioritised. Where is it?

Ella McSweeney talks to locals in Roscommon who feel there is better environmental and cultural value to be had on their bog than the climate benefits that would come from a proposed wind farm.

Stakeholders from farmers to renewable energy call for the publication of the Land Use Review. Pat O'Toole, Political Editor, Irish Farmers Journal. Prof Mary Bourke, Geographer, TCD. Ronan Power, CEO Solar Ireland. Oonagh Duggan, Head of Policy, Birdwatch Ireland.

Jesmond Harding, author of the The Irish Butterfly Book, makes the case for conserving habitat for creatures like the Marsh Fritillary butterfly within a Land Use Plan.

With a wind farm going up in the next field Michael Miley's farm outside Monasterevin is just one of thousands that would benefit from clear direction on Land Use.

Philip speaks with farmers Seamus Bradley in Ardclough, Co Kildare and John Keogh in Co Carlow to gauge their understanding. Later, food analyst Sinead Mowlds joined him in studio.

Food historian, Mairtin Mac Con Iomaire discusses whether enough has changed since the Great Famine to guarantee access to food for all.

There’s enough hedgerow in Ireland to go around the equator 17 times and there’s a Whitethorn at the heart of every hedge. So lets pause for a moment in awe of the Whitethorn, with its dazzling display across our landscape right now, with Janet Heeran from her family farm in Co Cork.

Lorna Siggins jumped on board this conundrum and met Sean Doran, whose family runs a fish shop and restaurant in Howth, Co Dublin and master fishmonger Stefan Griesbach in Co Galway.

Countrywide Full Episode 16/05/2026

The prospect of cuts in the Common Agriculture Policy budget has ignited a debate about what constitutes an active farmer and whether supports should be removed or reduced from those deemed inactive. Chris Fox, a medium sized Irish dairy farmer and Daniel Buckley, a sheep farmer , and Francie Gorman, President of the IFA discuss.

As the Mayfly season gets underway.  Fisheries scientist, Ken Whelan, joined Sheila O'Callaghan along the banks of the Blackwater River near Virginia in Co Cavan, and Dr Samuel Fabian from the University of Oxford and his colleagues from Imperial College London reveals the science behind the Mayfly's dance in newly published research.

What began with two pet goats has grown into an expanding goat’s milk soap business for Louise Bennett in County Westmeath.  Reporter Della Kilroy discovered how Louise has been balancing the demands of a busy kidding season with the day-to-day running of her small business, turning fresh goat’s milk into handcrafted skincare products.

Author of The Book Of Birds, Robert McFarlane and Cork-based ornithologist and field recordist, Seán Ronayne collaborate to bring you the exquisite sounds of birds and some interesting anecdotes and insights.

You know what walking on a bog should sound like but that's not what could be heard underfoot at Slieve Beagh following a wildfire last week. Ella McSweeney joined Philip Boucher Hayes to talk more.

Suzanne Campbell reports on how a farmer in the midlands with a thriving organic oats business has made a determined effort to allow space for nature on his farm which has actually added to his bottom line.

Lorna Siggins reports on recent removal of a beach area in Bray Harbour in County Wicklow which has had a significant impact on local swans.

Poet Pat Boran joined Philip to recite a delightful poem dedicated to birds.

Philip meets the Geopark’s official geologist Benjamin Thébaudeau for a walk at the Pigeon Hole, the cave in Cong. They talk about the formation of the landscape and how its people are connected to it.

Musical trio The Whileaways talk to Philip about making music in the landscape of the Geopark, and their hometown of Headford. Noriana Kennedy, Nicola Joyce and Noelie McDonnell play their song ‘You’ll Find Me There’.

Lorna Siggins meets local people attending the Geopark launch celebrations near the Owenriff River in Oughterard, including An Taisce Climate Ambassador Pat O’Brien, local ecologist Greg Forde and some music by harpist Nathalie Surina.

Philip meets Susan Denny, owner of the field from the 1990 film ‘The Field’, only to find that a portion of iconic landscape has been washed away, due to climate change.

Treasa Bhreathnach attends the celebrations at the launch of the newly UNESCO endorsed Geopark in Connemara, the Joyce Country and Western Lakes Geopark. Featuring Trish Walsh, Chair of the JCWL GeoEnterprise and Sinead Seoighe, Tourism Officer for the Geopark.

Philip meets uplands farmer Colm Gavin for a walk on his sheep farm on the banks of the Killary Fjord. They discuss what really makes a geopark special, as well as the challenges of mountainside farming, in the company of attention-seeking cuckoo.

Regan Hutchens visits a forest school Easter Camp near Donadea forest in Kildare to meet Forest School Leader Lucy Bell of Growing Wild, and an enthusiastic team of forest scholars.