Oliver Callan speaks to sisters Paula Fay & Catherine Wrightstone

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

Therese Kelly is conservation officer of NPWS and is working with Tóchar to support public and community engagement. On August 16th 2025 for our Heritage Week event in Kilteevan Co Roscommon Therese Kelly gave a presentation on why we work to conserve bogs and how it happens. The bogs close to Kilteevan on Lough Ree SAC will begin rehabilitation work soon and this event was designed to provided community engagement and information.

Therese Kelly - NPWS - on why and how we conserve bogs

Eileen_Panel_FV_AUDIO

Eileen Fahey is Chair of Kilteevan Tidy Town, Roscommon and in this Heritage week presentation shares why she became an advocate for bog conservation and made protecting the local bog, Cloonlarge Bog, a mission of the Tidy Towns group.  Photo credit Shane Hynan
Find out more of tochar wetlands restoration on https://www.tocharwetlands.ie

Eileen Fahey - Kilteevan  Tidy Town on  protecting the local  bog

Oliver Callan did a very powerful interview with Fianna Fáil TD, Catherine Ardagh on the show this morning. She spoke about the lack of disability services and the difficulties she faced in getting a school place for her son.

Catherine Ardagh TD on search for an autism school place for her son | The Oliver Callan Show

Eileen Fahey on Cloonlarge Bog Walk - Heritage Week August 16 2025

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.

Listen in the Republic of Ireland on 88-90fm
On digital radio search RTÉ Radio 1
Listen online at www.rte.ie/radio1
Download the RTÉ Radio Player app for iOS and Android

Oliver Callan speaks to sisters Paula Fay & Catherine Wrightstone

RTÉ Radio 1

Related tracks