Upland Voices Podcast - ACRES Donegal

During his lifetime, Patsy McInaw from Mountcharles, Co. Donegal, has built almost two miles of drystone walls on his family farm. Deeply proud of his craft, he says, "It has been passed down from generation to generation." In this episode of Upland Voices Podcast, Patsy reflects on why he continues this tradition, sharing his love of farming and the way of life it has provided for him and his fam...

If you’ve ever walked through the Irish countryside on a summer evening, you might remember a strange, rasping call echoing from the tall grass—that’s the corncrake. Once a common sound, it’s now become a rare one, as this shy little bird struggles to survive in a rapidly changing landscape. In this episode of Upland Voices , we’re chatting about what’s behind the corncrake’s decline, and what’s b...

Lesley Taylor is a sheep farmer in Cloghan, Co Donegal. She grew up on the family farm but later moved to London for work. On her return some 20 years ago, Lesley embarked on her own enterprise of hill farming close to her native Finn Valley. Lesley describes the type of animals she keeps and why they are most suited to her farm and her lifestyle. She discusses the challenges of start-up farming a...

In this episode we speak to Sean Cadden, Catherine Keena and Martin Gavin who share with us the history of upland farming in Ireland. Sean Cadden worked as a Teagasc Agricultural Advisor in West Mayo from 1964 for almost 40 years. He recently published a book entitled ‘Seventy Years in the Wild West – The Rise and Fall of Ireland’s Largest Sheep Farm’. His story of the history of hill farming prov...