Retired teacher Eugene Dunbar is a bit of a legend in Tyrrellspass, Westmeath. He is a volunteer leader of the community custodians of the local bog - Cloncrow Bog - and he is passionate about ecology, biodiversity and education. In March he mentioned to Tóchar Stories that he wanted to work with the local schoolchildren and create a new entrance panel for the boardwalk loop at Cloncrow so curator Helen Shaw asked to meet the class and their teacher Laura Lynch. She suggested partnering with them and bringing in artist Annie Holland as a mentor for the art side of the project and before Easter the children had a classroom session with Eugene on the history, culture and ecology of the bog - and the wonders of sphagnum moss - the wonder plant of bog regeneration. The following week the children, 24 ten year old, their teacher Laura, artist Annie and Helen went on a bog walk in brilliant sunshine. The children played citizen scientists and found the plants and species that Eugene had mentioned. They learnt how to identify bird-song, plants and insects and had lots of fun. later Annie worked with them on drawing what they had seen and asked them to pick a species - and the children opted for species like raft spiders, common blue butterflies, fallow deer and ling heathers as well as birds of the bog. When the project was finished it was installed at the entrance to great delight and applause from the children and they also got postcard versions of their art to send to people they admired or wanted to share the story with - from Roy Keane, the President of Ireland to their favourite Auntie. Annie even had a badge making session so they got to make badges and wear their art home. At the close of the project ( or maybe phase 1 as Eugene has more ideas) Helen asked Eugene to share his thoughts on how it all went, and what he had learnt and experienced through it.

To find out more  about Eugene and the Cloncrow Bog go to https://www.tyrrellspasstrail.ie
to find out more about Tóchar Wetland Restoration in the Midlands - a co-funded by Irish Govt and EU project under the Just Transition in Ireland go to https://www.tocharwetlands.ie

Eugene Dunbar on working with the children of St Anne's NS Tyrrellspass

Before the Summer break the 4th Class children of St Anne's NS Tyrrellspass Westmeath got to take part in a bog nature and creative art project under Tóchar Stories - led by local ecologist and volunteer community leader Eugene Dunbar with artistic mentorship by artist Annie Holland.  In this short package you hear Eugene begin the project in the classroom showing the children the history, ecology and biodiversity of the bog before they went on a guided bog walk to find and identify species like sundew ( always a favourite with children because this tiny plant eats insects) and the vital sphagnum moss. After the children worked with artist Annie Holland on creating drawing and then moving in water colours, when these were finished they were assembled into the entrance panel that was installed on the Cloncrow Bog. Tóchar Stories then printed postcard versions of the 24 art works so the children could send postcards out to the world - sharing the image and story of their bog - and Annie showed them how to make fun badges of their art so they could literally wear their art. Tóchar Stories is a public engagement and storytelling project under Tóchar Wetlands Restoration in the Midlands - a three year project co funded by the EU and Irish Government and operating under National Parks & Wildlife Services (NPWS). You can find out more on www.tocharwetlands.ie

Tyrrellspass children get to tell their own bog stories

Oliver Callan speaks to sisters Paula Fay & Catherine Wrightstone

"Bogland - between the sights of the sun"  brought together artists and community leaders in conversation on the changing value of our bogs. It was an event co-hosted by the National Library Seamus Heaney Listen Now Again and Tóchar Community Stories to mark and celebrate International Bog Day and took place in the Seamus Heaney exhibition venue on Saturday July 26 2025. Poet Jane Clarke, one of the guest speakers on the day,  grew up on a Roscommon farm with a lived experience of the bogs, turf-cutting and turf fires, and in this piece she shares her own roots and changing understanding of the bogs and how in Ireland we're beginning to appreciate the boglands and see how precious they are to us and our future. The music is 'The Seed in March' by Michael Gallen with performance by Michael Gallen on piano and Aoife Ní Bhriain on fiddle.  Visit www.tocharwetlands.ie

Bogland - Jane Clarke, poet

Ann Cleare is a contemporary composer from Birr Co Offaly. She was a guest speaker at the Tóchar Stories International Bog Day event in National Library Seamus Heaney 'Listen Now Again' exhibition on July 26 2025.  She shared her work inspired by the boglands of Offaly and how in her piece 'Terrarium" she buried microphones deep into the bog to 'listen' and record its sonic waves. In this short clip she responds to a question we asked all the guest speakers on the day about their relationship to the bog and the bogland.
To find out more about our work and Tóchar go to https://www.tocharwetlands.ie/tochar-stories/

Bogland : Ann Cleare, composer

Shane Hynan is a visual artist from Cadbury, Co Kildare. He draws inspiration from the changing landscape of the Midland bogs and is involved as a volunteer in his own local bog, Knockirr Bog. Shane is an artist collaborator with Tóchar Stories, working with communities in the region, and he took part in the Tóchar Stories Bogland - Between the sights of the sun public event in the National Library, Seamus Heaney 'Listen Now Again' exhibition venue, on July 26th to mark International Bog Day. The event drew on Seamus Heaney's bog related work and in particular his early poem 'Bogland' to facilitate a conversation about our changing relationship with the bogs as we  move from using them to extract fuel in turf to realising bog nature restoration where bogs become a vital carbon store to assist climate action and protect biodiversity.  In this short clip Shane responds to our question 'what does the bog mean to you?' and shares his own childhood memories growing up and learning to cut and foot turf at Knockirr which is a community owned bog since 1906.

Bogland :  Shane Hynan, visual artist

Seamus Corcoran is a local historian and a community leader with the Lemanaghan Heritage and Conservation Group. He was a guest speaker at the Tóchar Stories 'Bogland - between the sights of the sun' public event in the National Library, Seamus Heaney 'Listen Now Again' exhibition venue to mark International Bog Day. Seamus shares the history and contemporary story of Lemanaghan Bog in his presentation, tracing the historic monastic roots of the region, and highlighting the community's present-day opposition to the bog becoming a wind energy farm given its history, culture and heritage.

Bogland : Seamus Corcoran - historian and community leader, Lemanaghan

Fr Michael Long is a volunteer leader and director at Cabragh Wetlands Trust. He often uses the phrase and concept of 'earth literacy' to capture how our ancestors were often illiterate but were deeply literate in the needs of the land and how to live in tandem with it., By contract in the modern world we are often highly academically educated but more and more disconnected from nature, the land and our relationship with the earth. 
Michael was a guest speaker at the Tóchar Stories July 26th public event 'Bogland: between the sights of the sun' at the National Library, Seamus Heaney 'Listen Now Again' exhibition venue to mark International Bog Day.

Bogland: Michael Long - Cabragh Wetlands  on  'Earth Literacy'

Fr Michael Long is a director  and volunteer at the community-led Cabragh Wetlands Centre.  He was one of our guest speakers at the International Bog Day event at the National Library in Seamus Heaney 'Listen Now Again' exhibition venue on July 26th. We asked him about the wetlands - and why they are important. 
Tóchar Stories is part of Tóchar Midlands Wetland Restoration a three year scheme to restoration wetlands ( bogs, fens etc) in the Irish Midlands under the Just Transition Programme in Ireland. Tóchar is co funded by the Irish Government and EU and managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service

Bogland : Fr Michael Long - Cabragh Wetlands Centre

2FM Breakfast - Friday, 15 August 2025

On this morning’s Ryan Tubridy Show, Ryan spoke to 30-year-old Julie O’Leary, who suffers from cerebral palsy. She talks about how she lives to the full despite managing a physical disability. She has spent her adult life fighting for the rights of people with disabilities, both physical and intellectual; her younger brother Diarmuid lives with Down’s syndrome and Julie has been very active in campaigning for his rights too. She speaks knowledgeably about the little-known Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013... which is being brought in to replace (believe it or not) The Lunacy Act of 1871.

As things stand, it’s not legally possible for Diarmuid to get married in Ireland as he has an intellectual disability. The Bill will pave the way to change this. Julie is getting married next June and she speaks to Ryan about this too. 


Interview: Cerebral palsy campaigner Julie O'Leary

RTÉ Radio 1 is Ireland's most-listened-to radio station. As a broadcaster with a public service remit at the heart of everything we do, RTÉ Radio 1 delivers daily news and current affairs, entertainment, arts and culture, sport, comedy and music. We also have one of the largest documentary units in the world in 'Documentary on One', which has over 1,000 documentaries archived on its website, www.rte.ie/doconone. In addition, RTÉ Radio 1's 'Drama on One'  is one of the oldest audio theatre departments in the radio world. For decades, we have brought our audience the very best dramatic writing and performances for radio.

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Interview: Cerebral palsy campaigner Julie O'Leary

RTÉ Radio 1

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