Ear to the Ground explores Mayo bog rewetting project

EAR to the Ground will pay a visit to a Mayo bogland in this Thursday's episode on RTÉ 1.

While walking the Bangor Trail in north Mayo, Dublin businessman Joe Devine came across an 1,800-acre block of bog for sale. In 2021, he purchased the land, though, at the time, he had no clear plans for its future.

Today he is undertaking a major rewetting of the bog, which will yield significant environmental benefits.

Presenter Ella McSweeney joined Joe for a day at Merlin Rock Blanket Bog to see how he is attempting to restore it to its former glory.

This week's episode also sees the Ear to the Ground team at the winter fair in Carrick-on-Shannon, which is one of the biggest dates in the calendar when it comes to showing and selling some of the most prized animals in the country.

Darragh McCullough grabbed the opportunity to see Ireland’s most pampered and prepped show animals strut their stuff in the sales ring in the hope of bringing home the top prize, including Aisling Burke from Croom who agreed to have Darragh along as her sidekick as she and her bullock Black Jack prepare for the big day.

Elsewhere, Gubeen Farm in west Cork is a name synonymous with farmhouse cheese but the Ferguson family have also extended their expertise, applying their knowledge of fermentation from cheese to salamis.

Stephen Robb visited the farm on a busy Monday morning to see firsthand how the family has transformed their dairy farm into a thriving artisan food production enterprise.

Ear to the Ground is screened on RTÉ on Thursday at 7 p.m., and repeated on Sunday at 1.10 p.m.