MONDAY 30TH AUGUST
Tonight Anne Cassin visits Lough Gur in East County Limerick, an area famous for its archaeological treasures, and with evidence of human impact and habitation dating back some 9,000 years. Anne visits the Lough Gur Visitor Centre, run by the community and also meets archaeoastronomer Dr Frank Prendergast at Grange Stone Circle, the largest stone circle in Ireland. Renowned artist Robert Ryan, who has exhibited all over the world lives some metres from the water’s edge, and Anne learns how growing up in such a mystical place has influenced his work.
Marian Malone meets a tour guide whose spell working at Lough Gur has spurred him on to complete a degree in Heritage Studies.
WEDNESDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER
Gardening for many of us is a hobby but for Laois local, Lily Champ, it’s a way of life. Having spent all her life on a farm, her garden has fed her and her family all their lives. Our presenter tonight Zainab Boladale has been to Laois to visit her. Wildflower meadows have become all the rage recently and there has been much debate in the media about whether some packs of wildflowers are native to Ireland or not. Niall Martin hunted out the real deal in a field in Co. Tipperary.
As schools re-open, one school in West Dublin has created a whole new outdoor space for learning. Under an Arts Council programme called Super Projects, an artist and craftsman have been giving Transition year students an education in creating a woodland for their school.
FRIDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER
Presenter Bláthnaid Ni Chofaigh visits the Dunsany Estate in Co Meath which is the first Irish project recognised by the European Rewilding Network. It was created by Randal Plunkett who is a film maker and 21st Baron of Dunsany.