Ellen’s Walk
Some years ago, the poet Paddy Bushe was visiting Derrynane House the ancestral home of Daniel O’ Connell, and became intrigued by a portrait of Daniel’s daughter Ellen who was referred to there as a poet. He subsequently managed to track down a copy of her one published collection, Darrynane in 1832 and other poems, and realized that the long title poem described the route of a walk in the local area.
In this programme, Paddy and Olivia O’Leary follow the route of that lost walk and, using the words of the poem as their map, explore the rich landscape and history of the area, and assess the warm, soft-focus image that the poem presents of Ellen’s famous father, better known as the sharp-tongued lawyer and wily politician Daniel O’Connell.
Along the way they meet Head Gardener at Derrynane House James O’Shea, who is working to uncover an overgrown pathway behind the house, which has only been rediscovered because of the poem. Olivia also visits Christopher Fitz-Simon, a descendant of Ellen O’Connell at his home in Dun Laoghaire.
Throughout the programme we hear extracts from the poem read by actor Cathy Belton.
Ellen’s Walk is produced by Claire Cunningham (Rockfinch Ltd) and funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee.
Series Producer: Eoin O Kelly
Production Coordinator: Peter Curtin
RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 26th February, 6pm-7pm