CountryWide

On the Burren in County Clare, farmers are preparing to move their livestock up onto the limestone pavement winterage in the hills. This traditional way of managing cows over winter is recorded in Jane Clarke’s poem, Come October.

Duration:00:01:18

The Hare’s Corner: Making Space for Nature

The Hare’s Corner: Making Space for Nature by poet Jane Clarke and journalist Catherine Cleary, is a celebration of the quiet, hopeful revolution taking place across Ireland, where people are making space for nature to thrive once again.

Duration:00:07:40

The Living and the Dead

Conor W O’Brien’s book The Living and The Dead, tales of Loss and Rebirth from Irish Nature is published by Merrion Press.

Duration:00:07:40

The Shepherd’s Life and English Pastoral

James Rebanks is a farmer turned author in England’s Lake District. In his farming memoirs The Shepherd’s Life and English Pastoral, he tells his story of rightsizing an unprofitable, environmentally unsustainable farm.

Duration:00:07:08

Remnants of Our Past

Walking during lockdown Deirdre O’Neill noticed how visible the fingerprints of history are on our landscape. This inspired her to chronicle as many of these ancient artefacts in fields around the country as she could find. The result is Remnants of Our Past, published by Gill Books.

Duration:00:07:20

Walls of Arainn

Poet Jane Clarke reading Walls of Arainn, one of her poems from a new book called The Hare’s Corner.

Duration:00:01:03

Seventy Years in the Wild West

Seventy Years in the Wild West is the story of Dhulough Farm, published by Mayo Books. It is a chronicle of the human disaster behind creating the biggest farm in Irish history.

Duration:00:09:26

Countrywide full episode: A special programme on new books about farms, rural life and nature

A special programme on new books about farms, rural life and nature.

Duration:00:44:05

Countrywide Full Episode 27/09/2025

Countrywide Full Episode 27/09/2025

Duration:00:46:31

Heritage apples from orchards in Roscommon, Clare and Cork

Hundreds of farms across the country have taken advantage of support from the ACRES scheme to plant native apple trees on their farms, including varieties like Rose Hogan, the Beauty of Ballintaylor or the Dick Davies.

Duration:00:07:56

Féile na bPuiteachaí

Féile na bPuiteachaí is a celebration of the blackberry on Inis Meán ar nOileann Arainn.

Duration:00:07:49

Harvesting rye

Rye is in the same family as wheat and historically was used in distilling and thatching. Nowadays most farmers are planting rye for animal feed. With the rise in craft bakeries, rye is also going into baked goods. We visit a farmer and food seller benefitting from this very old but increasingly trendy grain.

Duration:00:07:58

How to restore river health

The report on the River Blackwater fish kill published this week was inconclusive, with no enough evidence to say what was to blame for the largest fish kill in Irish history. We discuss the impact of the flow of rivers and river pollution, with Professors Fiona Regan and Mary Bourke.

Duration:00:21:34

Nature and Wildlife Farm Plan

There is a scheme generating a lot of inquiries, the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s Farm Plan scheme. Tailored plans and financial support to make the switch to High Nature Value Farming. Philips visits one of these farms.

Duration:00:09:35

Country vets crisis

There is a real concern that the local vet in rural Ireland, on call all hours of the day or night, to tend to farm animals on hillsides or in farmyards, may be a thing of the past. This week at the Ploughing, the Atlantic Technological University and the South East Technological University were showcasing their new courses.

Duration:00:09:06

Listen up Irish

A brand new language school which creates an on line community of Irish language learners who audio-read a book together. Lorna Siggins took a look into the new way of learning Irish and some of its converts.

Duration:00:07:52

Ploughing Championship Townhall