THERE’S been a major shift in RTE’s schedule this week as Ear To The Ground has been moved for a brand new documentary.
The national broadcaster has moved the show, now in its 32nd season, from its normal time slot on Thursday to make way for a documentary on a “once-in-a-century event”.
Powerless: The Storm That Shook Ireland is a new documentary reporting the impact of Storm Eowyn is set to air on RTE One and RTE Player.
This new new 30-minute documentary from the RTE Documentary Unit will tell of the storm’s catastrophic impact on communities and the resilience of the Irish people who faced it, less than two weeks after it made landfall.
With human interest stories and personal contributions from right across the country, the documentary will give voice to people suffering in the dark.
It will also reveal the storm’s devastating consequences and the lessons it holds for a changing world.
At the centre of this programme are personal stories and the lingering questions and concerns about the most significant weather event in living memory.
Viewers will hear from Angela Ducey and her family in North Cork who narrowly escaped tragedy when a 60ft tree crashed through their home.
As well as Rebecca and Andrew Corbett’s family in Bailieborough, Cavan who have endured over a week without power; Moyne Villa Football Club – the Galway Hub, which has become a crucial lifeline, providing warmth, food, and essential facilities to those affected by ongoing power outages, and Debbie Conroy from Balla, Co Mayo, who describes the emotional toll of life without power, as her family struggles to cope in the cold and darkness.
The show will air this Thursday at 7pm, taking up Ear to the Ground’s usual time slot.
Instead it will be moved by thirty minutes for this week only to 7.30pm.
In this week’s episode of Ear to the Ground, Stephen Rob will be in Co Down exploring a new way of managing the environmental impact of slurry.
Animal slurry is a valuable natural fertiliser for farmers, but the nutrients it contains—especially phosphorus—can cause significant environmental damage if not handled properly.
While Ella McSweeney will meet Tom, farmer from Limerick, who has a passion for rare breeds.
Tom and Ella will explore how being part of the National Parks and Wildlife Service Farm Plan Scheme contributes to preserving and promoting biodiversity on his farm.
And Darragh McCullough is also in Limerick, meeting some very special horses that are doing some very special work.
WORKING OUTDOORS
On a small farm, viewers will meet Eadaoin O’Connell, who always understood the benefit of working outdoors alongside her beloved horses.
Now she uses that insight, and just two acres of the 30-acre family farm, to provide those same experiences to people with social, learning or physical challenges.