Ear to the Ground returns with McCullough farm diary

Ear to the Ground has returned to our TV screens with another assortment of colourful stories as presenters Darragh McCullough, Helen Carroll and Ella McSweeney take to the countryside to explore farming, food and rural living.

A new element to the programme this season goes behind the scenes on the McCullough farm in Gormanston. This year has been an eventful one, with a return to dairying and a new flower variety being tried out. Like a lot of Irish farmers, Darragh has taken the opportunity of the end of the dairy quota system to expand milk production with the neighbouring Leonard farm. The 500 cow herd milked well through the summer, but the collapse in the milk price left little enough return. Meanwhile, a salmonella outbreak hit the calves, and the returns from the Sweet William were not so sweet.

Also back this Autumn will be our popular ‘Food Journeys’ strand where we take an in-depth look at how food makes its way to our plates. Whether you fancy single malt whiskey, elderflower cordial or Comeragh mountain lamb, you will learn its unique food journey from Helen and Ella.

 

Tonight, Tuesday, Darragh meets Esther Walsh and her 800 cows. A force to be reckoned with in Irish agriculture, Esther Walsh is in a league of her own. She has risen to the top of the Irish dairy industry and isn’t planning on slowing down any time soon. Esther grew up on a suckler farm in Rathgormack in Co Waterford.

She took up milking to earn pocket money and fell in love with it - so much so that she’s now managing an 800 cow herd in Lismore in Co Waterford.  Darragh McCullough went to Lismore to visit the very busy Esther who showed him how a herd that size is managed and how she finds time in her hectic schedule to relax.

This week Helen Carroll travels to Tipperary to ask what can be done to combat the rise in crime in rural Ireland. Like many areas around the country, the town of Cashel and its surroundings has long been suffering from burglaries and theft. So much so that the locals have joined together to form networks to protect their property and belongings. Helen met with one group who share their ideas on how to tackle the issue, such as a change to trespassing laws and bail conditions, and the introduction of electronic tagging. As three-quarters of these crimes are being committed by those already on bail, are these options feasible?

The elderflower growing wild in Co Longford is seen by most of the local farmers as the thug of the hedgerow, but not for quick-thinking entrepreneurs David and Martina Burns of Richmount Cordials.

For this couple, being surrounded by elder plants couldn’t be more valuable, as it’s the main ingredient in their award-winning Special Recipe Number 9 Elderflower Cordial.

Ella McSweeney travelled to the Burns' farm in Carrickboy to find out what makes a good cordial, and she even helped make the first batch in the couple’s brand new facility.

Ear To The Ground (Series 23, Programme two) Tuesday 10th November,  RTÉ One, 8.30pm