Eco Chats: Carlow's Eco Journey

In this episode, host Alan Swan steps inside Carlow County Council to meet the people driving climate action from within the organisation. Senior Executive Officer Tadhg Madden, Environmental Awareness Officer Dee Sewell, and Climate Action Coordinator Jeanette O’Brien share how a small county is delivering real change through practical and ambitious initiatives. From retrofitting homes and suppor...

Across Carlow, small groups of volunteers are quietly taking on some of the biggest challenges of our time. They are planting pocket forests in housing estates, pulling invasive species from riverbanks, running sold-out climate events, gathering neighbours for film screenings, and teaching people how to ferment, forage and reconnect with nature. In this episode, host Alan Swan meets Molly Aylesbur...

There's a man in Bagenalstown who has been tending to his town for 55 years. A man in Tullow celebrating 30 years of community care. And a designer in Carlow Town who's discovered that belonging to a place means becoming its custodian. In this episode, host Alan Swan meets Paddy Gardiner of the Bagenalstown Improvement Group , Will Paton of Tullow Tidy Towns , and Matt Cocci, Chair of Carlow Tidy...

In this episode, host Alan Swan speaks with Dolly Dunne from the Irish Wheelchair Association and Trevor Gillespie from the Delta Centre to discover how Carlow is proving that true sustainability isn't possible without accessibility. From specially designed raised garden beds to sensory gardens that calm the mind and restore the spirit, this episode reveals an essential truth: when we design envir...

Eight-year-olds conducting energy audits. University students partnering with local organisations on sustainability projects. A generation that doesn't need to be convinced climate action matters - they already know. In this episode, host Alan Swan speaks with Susanne Keating from Carlow Educate Together National School and David Ryan from South East Technological University to discover how young...

A broken barber’s chair. Two black sacks of wool. And the volunteers who refused to let either go to waste. In this episode, host Alan Swan meets Frank Morris from Tullow Men’s Shed and Bernie Patterson from Bosom Buddies - Carlow Women's Shed to explore how these community spaces are tackling isolation, repairing what’s broken, and helping people rediscover purpose and pride. From restoring herit...

What happens when clubs ask a different question, not "what do we have to give up," but "how can we do this better?" In this episode, host Alan Swan speaks with Cliona Connolly and Pamela Deegan from Carlow Lawn Tennis Club, and Keith Moran from Carlow Town Hurling and Camogie Club to hear how volunteers tackled rising energy bills and waste with practical fixes that made facilities better, not wo...

There's a 9,555-year-old raised bog hidden in County Carlow. And there's a walking trail that connects eleven villages across 100 kilometers, following in the footsteps of a 6th-century Irish monk. What do these two have in common? They're both being preserved, restored, and celebrated by ordinary people, volunteers who somehow find the time to protect the landscape that defines their home. In thi...