Ear To The Ground (Series 23, Programme 9) Tuesday 5th January 2016 RTÉ One 8.30pm
*There is no Ear to the Ground tx on December 29th so series 23 resumes on January 5th with programme 9 below.
5000 Years of Farming (Full programme) Ear to the Ground presenter Darragh McCullough is a Meath man through and through, born and raised close to the beautifully majestic Boyne river.
During the summer Darragh took the opportunity to explore the region and the surrounding countryside, fascinated by the Neolithic settlement of Newgrange. There, at the designated World Heritage Site, he finds out more about Ireland’s first farmers from his guide Clare Tuffy, and why it’s so important to carefully manage farming in the restricted area of the Cairn.
Along the way, Darragh meets the FBD Young farmer of the Year 2015, Jonathan Marry, a pig farmer on the side of the Boyne, and discovers what it’s like to farm intensively in such an ecologically and archaeologically sensitive area.
Darragh continues his travels to Dowth Hall, a 420-acre estate bought two years ago by Owen Brennan and his family who are attempting to save both the land and the crumbling house. Further along the Boyne at Oldcastle, Darragh meets Ross Kenny, an historian from Cork who designs boats for the TV series, Game of Thrones.
Finally, the journey ends at the Estuary in Drogheda where Darragh learns a new technologically advanced way to catch, tag, and release salmon.
Ear to the Ground is produced for RTÉ by Independent Pictures.
Series Producer – John Cummins
Presenters – Darragh McCullough, Helen Carroll, Ella McSweeney Directors – Paula Williams, Liam Lavelle Executive Producer for RTÉ – Ray McCarthy
TVPR
Ann Coughlan 00 353 87 6778045
Pauline Cronin 00 353 87 2629967