RTÉ - CountryWide Podcast

While there are more walking routes and trails around the country than ever before, access to the Irish countryside depends on the goodwill and cooperation of farmers, landowners and the State. Helen Lawless is Access and Environment Manager with Mountaineering Ireland.

Back in 2008, the Walks Scheme was set up to help open up more walking routes across the country on private land. Last weekend, about 7,000 people made the climb up Croagh Patrick. But beyond the Reek, there's a lot more Mayo offers, including the Clogher–Newtown Forest Trail. https://www.sportireland.ie/outdoors/find-your-trails

For the corncrake today, Ireland is a hostile place. In response to the threat of their extinction here, just under €6 million in public funding was allocated a few years ago in a project aimed at helping the corncrake survive. One of the places involved was Inishbofin, off the coast of Galway.

Over 4.2 billion euro of goods and services cross the Atlantic every day between the EU and the US, and including Irish butter, cheese and whiskey. For more on what this means for Irish agricultural exports, we hear from Lorcan Roche Kelly of the Irish Farmers Journal.

Donkeys are not native to Ireland, but were brought here from the Middle East and North Africa in the 17th century. A century ago there were 250,000 of them on farms across the country. Today that has dwindled to about 10,000. A few weeks ago, two foals were born on club member Donal Staunton's farm in Clifden, Galway.

Countrywide Full Episode 02/08/2025.

Sophie Bell is 26 years old and she farms 59 acres just outside Virginia in Cavan. Having studied agriculture in Harper Adams University in the UK, she returned home and two years ago went into partnership with her father.

Bartosz Brzezinski, Brussels reporter with the global news organisation Politico, brings us up to date with the EU farm subsidies proposals.

Denis Drennan, President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association; Karen Mannion, CEO of Forum Connemara; Ruth Hegarty, Director of Food Policy Ireland and a board member of Talamh Beo.

Poet, playwright, and broadcaster, Vincent Woods grew up on a small farm in County Leitrim in the 1960s and caught a glimpse of the summer rituals.

John Graham is a vegetable farmer near Raphoe and over the last few years he's run an honesty box, a farm shop and sold his vegetables in Letterkenny's farmers market. He also hosts long-table dinners on his farm.

Countrywide Full Programme 26/07/2025

Ella McSweeney looks at how our relationship with the bog has changed over the past few years, from one of extraction and peat production, to one of creation and restoration.

Ella McSweeney visits Carbery Bog, which the community has owned and managed for 120 years.

Ella speaks to Tom Ryan, EPA Director of Enforcement 

Poet Jane Clarke reads Barnacullian Bog

Treasa Bhreathnach visits Ballycroy in Co Mayo to hear about a house retrofitting scheme to end turf harvesting on designated nature sites.

Tóchar Community Voices is a storytelling initiative, part of Tóchar Midlands Wetland Restoration Project. The three-year project is dedicated to wetland restoration, research, and community engagement across Ireland's midlands.

25 years ago, 37 locals protested to save Abbeyleix Bog, now a local centre for locals, tourists and nature.

A look at how new rare breed pigs Marjorie, Hattie and Ishpini at Hannah Quinn-Mulligan's farm in Limerick are adjusting to the heat.

Uncertainty and confusion surrounds Dairy farmers on the possibility of adhering to EU's new environmental standards that aim to protect nature sites, including rivers, bogs, sanddunes and estuaries as part of appropriate assessments.

Treasa Bhreathnach went along with Cecil Fitzgerald and his apprentice Noel to visit the yard of Thomas Faherty in Aran Islands where a couple of horses were waiting for their pedicure.

Dairy farmer and vet Hazel Mullins and farmer Martin Conroy from Woodside Farm in Cork tell us how to keep animals cool and calm.

Only a sliver of farms are owned by young people - 7% under 35 years of age. Some of them shared their experiences, frustrations, and hopes.

In the heart of Portlaoise a forgotten patch of land, that was once a forgotten patch of land, has been completely transformed into a place of restoration and community.

There was real excitement during the week on the River Deveron - when a weir that had stood for over 150 years was fully removed, reconnecting the river and giving salmon, trout, eels access to more than 11 kilometres of upstream habitat for the very first time in generations.

To get people out of their cars and into public transport, a small community right on the Kilkenny-Tipperary border have set up a free bus service for tourists and locals.

A total of 43 farmers took part in this project in Cork's Bride valley aimed at reversing nature loss across the valley, which has now come to its conclusion.

We remember founder of Dawn Meats, Dan Browne who passed away this week. Browne was a pioneer in developing Ireland's beef and dairy industries.

Take a trip to village of Killinerin in Wexford where a pop-up museum discusses local folklore and displays amusing artefacts.

Father Denis Brown, the chair of the board of school management shares fond memories of the school, which was among seven other schools across Ireland that closed its doors for the final time yesterday.

Meet Kerry-born chef and oyster sommelier Sarah Browne who wants to expand the market for oysters in Ireland.

There are three and half million sheep in the country – that's a lot of wool every summer – but the price on the international market doesn't even cover the cost of removing the fleece.

To understand how the Solstice – and its companion event St John's Eve bonfire night on Monday - is being marked countrywide Philip speaks to folklorists from Limerick and Cork.

There is apparently an ever increasing demand for willow baskets, panniers, handbags, bird feeders, and obelisks for climbing plants. And only a very small number of people with the skills to make them. Sarah Jenkinson runs her own workshops in Galway.

While we marvel at how clever our ancestors were, we don't talk as much about who they were and how they lived their lives. Associate Professor of pre-history in UCD Jessica Smyth talks about her research shedding light on this topic.

Take a journey into this mosaic of a forest in County Galway that has relics from both the ancient and the modern world.

Two weeks ago the latest set of results showed that if business continues as usual that not only would the climate change target not be met, but that emissions could increase.

There are two thousand retained fire fighters across the country, working from more than 200 local fire stations serving local communities in rural Ireland. They are looking for more members to join their ranks to provide this vital community service.

Mike Consolini loves the sea, and he also creates music reflecting on the way he connects with the sea.

Ella McSweeney travels to Boyne Valley to find out how biodiversity of grasslands is being improved by wildflowers for the soon-to-open national park.

Kevin Wallace of New Leaf Urban Farmers explains how he grew award-winning vegetabes with this unconventional method.