Series 33, Programme 15 – 7:00pm Thursday 26th February, 2026
RTÉ One – Repeated Sunday 1st March, 2026
Calving
It’s peak calving season on a busy dairy farm in Kilkenny, and for David Hegarty and Katie O’Toole, who are milking and calving 500 cows, the calves are arriving thick and fast.
Ear to the Ground spend 24 hours on the farm as calves arrive throughout the day and night. It’s demanding, around-the-clock work, but for new farmers David and Katie, it’s one of the most rewarding times of the year.
Fyfes
Irish people consume approximately 5 million bananas every week, with nearly 50% of people eating them daily. The majority of those bananas pass through Fyffes headquarters in Balbriggan County Dublin.
Stephen Robb visits Fyffes to learn about the ripening process and see what it takes to make a good banana.
Reed Gatherers
Reed gathering is the traditional practice of cutting and collecting reeds from wetlands, riverbanks, and lakeshores for practical use. The reeds are harvested by hand or with tools, then are dried and bundled.
In many rural areas, the skill of reed gathering has been passed down through generations combining practical knowledge of the landscape with sustainable harvesting methods.
Ella McSweeney heads to the Shannon Estuary in Limerick to the last of the remaining reed cutters to learn more about the practice of Reed cutting and to help gather reeds for thatching.
Ear to the Ground is produced by indiepics for RTÉ.