It’s Thursday and that means Ear to the Ground is back on TV tonight and its set to be a jammed packed show.
It’s style over substance for Darragh at Millstreet. Shampoo and shaving, hair extensions and razors – no it’s not the national hairdressing show, but the National Dairy Show in Millstreet, Co.Cork. Darragh McCullough takes a turn at putting a heifer through her paces.
He meets the Murphy family from Wexford, who stay up all night to keep their cows and calves clean for the parade ring. Stephen McLoughlin from Kildare, who travels the world with his ring sheen and razors, preparing the pampered princesses of the dairy world, gives shares some last minute beauty tips with Ear to the Ground.
The past, present and future of the Murphy family have combined as Wexford man John Murphy, has taken on the family mill, producing a 21st century product, at an authentic water mill located in Ballindaggin, Co. Wexford.
When John Murphy was made redundant he went back to his roots, returning to his uncle’s old water mill in Wexford to see if he could make a living from it. He now runs the only water powered mill still operating in the country. The traditional stone grinding process ensures the wheat germ produced remains intact and that all necessary nutrients are retained. Helen samples the results.
Natural resource up for grabs
When we think about valuable natural resources we think of oil and gas.
Seaweed traditionally harvested by locals as fertiliser, has now become quiet the commodity. The sale of an Irish processing company to a large Canadian multinational has highlighted this, viewers of Ear to the Ground will see tonight.
Farmers harvesting for generations, are now been told they need a license. Ella on Ear to the Ground meets a local seaweed harvester who is one of a long line of the Ó Conghaile family harvesting their ‘stripe’.
With a company looking for exclusive rights from Clare to Mayo, are we giving away yet another natural resource without thinking about it?