MONDAY 6TH JANUARY
PRESENTER ANNE CASSIN
On tonight’s episode of Nationwide, the team explores how people are using video and photography to engage audiences and share knowledge about their hobbies. Reporter Valerie Waters meets a photographer with a love for ornithology whose amazing photographs of birds are taken all over the country and in his home county of Monaghan. The programme also features a Kilkenny native who has a keen interest in history and for telling stories of times past for social media. He creates short, captivating history videos that have garnered a large following.
Valerie Waters explores the world of birdwatching, where many enthusiasts develop a fascination for observing birds, sometimes travelling far and wide to find rare or unusual species. She travels to County Monaghan to meet a dedicated birder who is passionate about surveying birdlife and capturing stunning photographs of the birds he encounters.
Irish history content creator Davy Holden shares engaging content across social media platforms, garnering millions of views worldwide, leading to him recently hosting Irish history workshops at a festival in the United States. Reporter Reem El-Hassany visits Davy in Kilkenny to learn more about his story.
WEDNESDAY 8TH JANUARY
PRESENTER ANNE CASSIN
PÁIRC NÁISIÚNTA NA MARA, CIARRAÍ
Nationwide visits the Kingdom of Kerry to explore Ireland’s new national park, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí located in the stunning Dingle Peninsula. Covering an impressive 77,000-acre site, it is now the largest of Ireland’s eight national parks. What makes this park unique is that 90% of its area lies in the water, making it Ireland’s first Marine National Park. This new park brings pre-existing coastal, mainland and maritime sites together with newly acquired parcels of land, into a single state managed operation. Presenter Anne Cassin learns how the country’s first Marine National Park came into being and she meets some of the dedicated people working there and hears about some of the many conservation projects in the park.
FRIDAY 10TH JANUARY
PRESENTER BLÁTHNAID NÍ CHOFAIGH
THE REASON OF TOWNS PROGRAMME
This evening Nationwide celebrates the Irish town – past, present and future – with a special focus on Templemore in County Tipperary and Trim in County Meath. Presenter Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh takes a walk down memory lane in Templemore to learn about life in the town in the mid 1800s and in Trim, she visits an exhibition which shows how we can learn from the past to bring new life in the future to our historic and special urban spaces.
In Templemore, best known as the location for the Garda Training College since 1964, Bláthnaid discovers a fascinating look at life in the town during the mid-1800s. The local historical group has developed an innovative way to bring the past to life, showcasing the lives of the people who lived and worked in Templemore during that time, offering a captivating glimpse into the town’s past.
Meanwhile in Trim, County Meath Bláthnaid visits a intriguing exhibition on the rich heritage and extraordinary character of our towns and the potential waiting to be unlocked in these great spaces, all across the country. ‘The Reason of Towns’ exhibition looks at the importance of towns and how they developed down through the centuries.
