Fodder
It’s the time of year when farmers are beginning to think about bringing in their animals for the winter. However, the weather this summer has meant that many have already brought their stock in, and they are busy munching through expensive and limited supplies of feed and forage. Stephen Robb spent the day with a truck driver delivering animal feed to farms in Tipperary to gauge how farmers there are preparing for what may be a long winter.
Classic Combines
On a Sunday in September, Darragh McCullough went to witness something of spectacle in a field in North County Dublin, where local man Michael Hoey had managed to assemble a number of early combine harvesters first seen in Irish fields in the 1970s, along with their original owners. At the time, these machines were at the cutting edge of new technology, but will they be able to cut the 30 acres of wheat that Michael has set aside for them without incident?
Cillíní
There are almost 1,500 Cillíní registered in Ireland. A Cillín is an unconsecrated grave for an unbaptised newborn or baby who is prohibited from being buried in a Christian cemetery. Many more are believed to exist, with several having been found on farmland. Ella McSweeney visits farmers in Sligo to see how they are recording and preserving these emotive and historical sites.
Ear to the Ground is produced by indiepics for RTÉ.
For more information contact, Production Manager Sylvia Lynch – sylvia.l@indiepics.ie.
See below for presenter biographies.
Biogs –
Stephen Robb
Stephen Robb is stepping into some very big wellies as he joins the Ear To The Ground team
for Series 32 … but he has pretty big boots himself, with plenty of muddy experience. Stephen
grew up on a tillage farm in Newtowncunningham, Co. Donegal and is an active farmer there
today. With a degree in Agribusiness Management from UCD and a Masters in Agricultural
Innovation Stephen has particular knowledge of everything to do with bioenergy. He has been a
journalist with the Irish Farmers Journal for 7 years, where he primarily writes on renewable
energy. In addition to his print work, Stephen is a frequent expert contributor to radio and
television.
Ella McSweeney
Ella McSweeney is a journalist and broadcaster, engaging audiences across radio, television,
and print. She has hosted a wide range of shows for RTÉ, including Shanks Mare, Documentary
on One, Into the Deep, the award-winning Mind Matters, Future Tense, The Green Light, Big
Week On The Farm, Countrywide and Open for Business. For the BBC, she has presented
Farming Today, On Your Farm, and the Food Programme for BBC Radio 4, as well as
documentaries for BBC World Service. Along with her work on Ear to the Ground, which she
has presented since 2009, she writes a regular column for The Irish Times. She holds a degree
in Science, specializing in Zoology, from Trinity College Dublin, as well as a Master’s in Food
Policy from City University London.
Darragh McCullough
Darragh McCullough has presented Ear to the Ground for 23 years, making him the longest
serving presenter through the series’ 32-year history. He has worked in radio, print and TV since
he graduated with a degree in Agricultural Science from University College Dublin (UCD). He
has been a regular contributor for the Irish Independent since 2010, and in 2020 he wrote an
award winning children’s book called The Great Irish Farm Book. When he’s not talking and
writing about farming, Darragh applies his knowledge hands-on at Elmgrove Flower Farm, his
mixed farming operation in County Meath.