Series 1, Episode 1
Series is presented by Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh.
From the common daisy , the dandelions, the buttercups and the blue violets on the lowlands and are some of the more common ones to the wild heather in the rocky, rugged landscapes to the colourfull buttercups of the meadows and the marigolds by the lake sides , even wastelands have beautiful wild flowers and Aedín is challenged in this series to locate the most beautiful wildflowers that make it their home in these various habitats .
Aedín herself is a wild flower enthusiast and has been for many years . The Irish names of flowers started to intrigue her as the names often lead to different stories. ‘Centuary’ in English is called ‘Dréimire Muire’ as Gaeilge . Not only is it a pretty flower, but the ladder which Holy Mary supposedly climbed on her way up to heaven!
Aoife says: “Faoi Bhláth is for me my dream job. It’s given me the chance to travel to some of the most breathtaking places in Ireland and to get to know to some of the most interesting people I’ve ever met about the topics I love the most; our native wildflowers and their folklore.“
Each episode in this 13 part series looks at a different habitat and talks about some of the flowers in season as she visits . Habitats include; Hedgerows, Mountains. Lakesides, Bogs, Meadows to name but a few.
In addition to imparting the folklore and superstitions attached to each flower from our past she also seeks out information about the uses that these flowers had in the past and how some of those uses and this knowledge exist today . In the series we see flowers being used in cooking , healing, as a dye and in even in craft making .
Her journey takes her from the lakes of Lough Corrib brings her as far as the wilds of Joyce Country on the Galway Mayo border and into the beautiful Dingle Peninsula and beyond .
Episode 1:
This episode focuses on an invaluable part of Ireland’s cultural and natural heritage – our hedgerows. Today, hedgerows are more valuable than ever as they provide natural networks for wildlife. In this episode, Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh looks into the role of the hedgerow in our natural landscape and she learns more about the wild plants and flowers that call the hedgerows home.
Hedgerow plants are some of the most beloved in Ireland, each with its own history and folklore; the blackthorn, the bramble, the hawthorn, the dog rose and the violet.
Aedín speaks to botanist Amanda Browne about the importance of the hedgerows and about their influence on the state of Ireland’s biodiversity.
She then meets with family practitioner Dr Frieda Ní Chatháin who has her own medicinal garden in County Limerick and Frieda shows her , her tried-and-tested recipe for a cough medicine made from violets.
Presenter
Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh presenter FAOI BHLÁTH an Abú Media Production for RTÉ .
Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh is a freelance journalist and presenter from Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford who has worked with TG4, RTÉ, BBC Gaeilge and Nós.ie. and more recently presenting Faoi Bhláth, an Abú Media Production.
She is the founder and curator of the popular @BláthannaFiáine account on Instagram which shares photos and folklore of Irish wildflowers, focusing especially on the Irish language etymology associated with them. Her snappy reels sharing fun facts about native flowers have garnered her over 5,500 followers, a number steadily increasing.
Aside from her work in the media Aedín spends much of her time writing. In addition to fiction and poetry as Gaeilge, she is also a regular contributor to the online magazine Nós.ie. Aedín is currently working on her first novel which she hopes to finish by the end of 2022.
Aedín has recently graduated with an MA in Irish Folklore and Ethnology at University College Dublin. Her research focused on the traditional Saint Brigid’s Day customs practised on the island of Inis Meáin.
After falling in love with the island while conducting fieldwork there for her master’s thesis, Aedín returned to Inis Meáin in September and is now lives on the island full-time, working remotely from her cottage overlooking the Atlantic.
QUOTE ; Why I LOVE living on Aran…
“When I first visited Inis Meáin as a journalist, I was blown away by the beauty and the wildness of the place, as anyone would be, the landscape is stunning and so unique. But I never could have fathomed then that the island would come to play such an important role in my life. A group of us play music and sing in the Teach Ósta every Friday night, the daily swimming group meets every day for a dip at the Seanchéibh and everyone you meet on the road knows your name and has time for a chat as Gaeilge. I’ve never felt such a strong a sense of community. You build great relationships with your neighbours when you live on a rock in the middle of the Atlantic!”
QUOTE ;
‘ Faoi Bhláth is for me my dream job. It’s given me the chance to travel to some of the most breathtaking places in Ireland and to get to know to some of the most interesting people I’ve ever met about the topics I love the most; our native wildflowers and their folklore.’
QUOTE ; Where my interest in flowers first began was ……
‘I’ve always noticed wildflowers. As I child I used to give out to my Dad (an avid gardener) when he would pull fistfuls of little plants out of the edges of the flower beds. Of course they were weeds, but I felt very strongly that the little pink petals were just as nice as any of the other flowers on display in the garden. ‘
QUOTE ;
‘My real passion for the bláthanna came in my early twenties though, when I started to notice the Irish names of the flowers. To me, these names were the key to a whole other world. The dainty pink flower growing in the car park was ‘Centuary’ in English but as Gaeilge it was ‘Dréimire Muire’; not only a pretty flower, but the ladder which Holy Mary supposedly climbed on her way up to heaven! Once I started looking into the flower names, I was hooked. I still am! ‘
Overview
Sraith doiciméide a dhéanann ceiliúradh ar an nádúr fhiáin dúchasach thart timpeall orainn agus é faoi bhláth . Féachann an sraith ar ghnáthóg difriúil i gcóir gach clár agus Insíonn sé dúinn faoin mbéaloideas a bhaineann leis na bláthanana fádó , na seantraidisiúin a bhain leo, a dtábhacht don timpeallacht agus don bhithéagsúlacht agus na husáidí eile atá acu , le bia a dhéanamh nó leigheas agus agus go leor eile.
Curtha I láthair ag Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh
FAOI BHLÁTH EP 1
FÁL SCEACH
Sa chlár seo, déanfar iniuchádh ar chuid luachmhar d’oidhreacht chultúrtha agus nádúrtha na hÉireann – na fálta sceach. Tá na fálta sceach níos tábhachtaí sa lá atá inniu ann agus mar a bhí riamh, agus iad ina líonraí nádúrtha don fhiadhúlra. Sa chlár seo, fiosróidh Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh ról na bhfálta sceach i ndúlra na hÉireann agus foghlaimeoidh sí faoi na bláthanna agus plandaí fiáine a bhfásann iontu.
Tá na plandaí sna fálta sceach ar na plandaí ab ansa le muintir na hÉireann, stair agus seanchas ag baint le gach ceann acu; an draighean, an dris, an sceach gheal, an fheirdhris agus an tsailchuach.
Labhraíonn Aedín leis an luibheolaí Amanda Browne faoi thábhacht na bhfálta sceach agus faoina dtionchar ar staid bhithéagsúlacht na tíre.
In dhiadh sin téann sí chun buaileadh leis an dochtúir teaghlaigh Dr Frieda Ní Chatháin a bhfuil gáirdín fisic aici i gContae Luimnigh agus taispeánann sí an bealach le cógas casachta a dhéanamh as an sailchuach.
More information contact ; Bríd Seoighe , Producer , Abú Media
brid@abumedia.com