Ear to the Ground is a weekly television programme broadcast in Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 on RTÉ One

RTÉ One

RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...

 on Thursday evenings at 19:00. The show consists of reports about various countryside, rural environmental issues. It is currently in its sixteenth season and is produced by Independent Pictures. Ear to the Ground is presented by Ella McSweeney

Ella McSweeney

Ella McSweeney is an Irish radio and television presenter and producer, working mainly for RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster. She focuses on wildlife, agricultural and science programming.-Radio:...

, Darragh McCullough and Helen Carroll. Previous presenters include Maeve Dineen, who left after the fifteenth season and the long-running Mairead McGuinness

Mairead McGuinness

Mairead McGuinness is an Irish politician and Member of the European Parliament for the East constituency. She is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party.-Education and media career:...

, who has since become a Member of the European Parliament

Member of the European Parliament

A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...

 for Fine Gael

Fine Gael

Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

. The show is repeated on RTÉ One after the lunchtime news each Sunday.

2007-08 series

Date	Summary	Ref
8 November 2007	The end of cheap food
15 November 2007	Marriage breakdown causes concern for farming families
22 November 2007	Farmers Markets- are they always what they seem?
29 November 2007	The Brazilian beef controversy - should consumers be worried?
6 December 2007	How many inspectors does it take to examine a farm?
13 December 2007	An in-depth look at the Féile Bia project
20 December 2007	A traditional Christmas Christmas Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
3 January 2008	Plans to erect overhead electricity pylons in Cavan Cavan Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town lies in the north central part of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland... , Meath County Meath County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...  and Monaghan Monaghan Monaghan is the county town of County Monaghan in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 7,811 . The town is located on the main road, the N2 road, from Dublin north to both Derry and Letterkenny.-Toponym:...  have locals fearful and angry
10 January 2008	The issue of food labelling and the confusion that faces many Irish shoppers when attempting to buy Irish
17 January 2008	The Energy crisis that faces us all and the options open to Irish farmers in creating a sustainable future
24 January 2008	The Irish are the biggest consumers of chicken in the EU European Union The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958... ; on average an Irish person consumes over 30 kg of chicken a year
31 January 2008	An Education Special, ahead of the CAO Central Applications Office The Central Applications Office is the organisation responsible for overseeing most undergraduate applications in the Republic of Ireland....  application deadline, Ear to the Ground takes a look at education
7 February 2008	Mallow Mallow, County Cork Mallow is the "Crossroads of Munster" and the administrative capital of north County Cork, in Ireland. The Northern Divisional Offices of Cork County Council are located in the town....  couple Gerard and Bernie Sheehan have struggled for 10 years to get planning permission to build a house on their farm
14 February 2008	Ear to the Ground gets loved up for Valentine's Day Valentine's Day Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
21 February 2008	Coolmore put a stop to the GOE's Gallop. Ear to the Ground investigates the stand-off between two industry giants as the Horsey set take on the Meat Processors in a "Clash of the Titans" in Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....
28 February 2008	Ear to the Ground dusts off the crystal ball and takes a look to the future of farming in Ireland

2008-09 series

Date	Summary	Ref
30 October 2008	A searching investigation into the effect of cheaper food on the Irish farming industry, and on us the consumer
6 November 2008	The budget cuts which could prove detrimental to the future of young farmers and the hunt for mushrooms and discovery of the difference between those that are dangerous and those that are delicious
13 November 2008	Cavan Cavan Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town lies in the north central part of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland...  farmers hit hard by recession
20 November 2008	The dangers of unmanned level crossings on farmland; beating the wet harvest; plus the Wexford Wexford Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...  farmer who created his own lake
27 November 2008	The Irish wool industry and the allotment craze that has swept the country
4 December 2008	Dwindling fish stocks, farm construction and farmers' health
11 December 2008	The pork crisis Irish pork crisis of 2008 The Irish pork crisis of 2008 was a dioxin contamination incident in Ireland that led to an international recall of pork products from Ireland produced between September and early December of that year...  and the extended strawberry season
18 December 2008	Christmas Christmas Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days... turkeys, Christmas shopping and cheap cuts of meat...
8 January 2009	Find out if Ireland is really GM free and see how potato blight is still alive and kicking today

External links

• Official site