Bloom opened to the public on Thursday, but the show gardeners hoping to win prizes have been here days in advance. And on Tuesday the judges saw the gardens for the first time. Then they saw them again on Wednesday, and on Thursday morning, Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates were awarded.

From next Saturday, Tidy Town judges will start visiting the 900 or so communities who have entered the competition. They will know not the day nor the hour when an incognito judge will turn up. Dr Christy Boylan is a long standing judge and trainer of judges of the Tidy Towns, at Bloom to share some inside knowledge.

Under the surface there is a lot of business being done at Bloom. On the Friday morning of every Bloom, before the gates open to the public, buyers from all the major retailers have breakfast with food producers looking for shelf space for their wares.

Killadoon Milk use the milk from their cross bred jersey cows to supply a network of vending machines in the east of the country. Ella McSweeney visited Martin Donovan at Killadoon Estate near Celbridge in County Kildare in his rotary milk parlour.

Quite a few businesses have approached a mentor for a bit of advice at Bloom.

Countrywide Bloom Special (For copyright reasons the full tracks performed during this programme cannot be made available in the podcast)

We visit the scene of a recent fire bog fire, started by fly tippers, but exaggerated by the dry weather.

It is nesting time for curlews in areas like that bog in Laois and the ones devastated in Roscommon. Clodagh Helen was conducting a survey of curlew nesting sites on Monday night as one of those fires took hold.

Petrichor is the name of the unmistakable earthy, musty scent with a hint of moss, that always comes with freshly fallen rain after a long dry spell.

We meet members of the Bó Riabhach Cattle Society, who are passionate about native Irish breeds. Picture from https://boriabhachsociety.ie/