The poet Seamus Heaney once said, "I think of the bog as a feminine goddess-ridden ground, rather like the territory of Ireland itself."

And that territory is 14- to- 21 percent bog.

So, on their fourth day “Off the Beaten Craic in the Hidden Heartlands,” Irish Stew cohosts John Lee and Martin Nutty head to Shinrone in Offaly near the Tipperary border to the farm of Donie Regan, a demonstration site for Peatlands for Prosperity, the brainchild of Douglas McMillan and his Green Restoration Ireland Cooperative team.

Doug explains how centuries of peat extraction left expanses of degraded bogland, often dismissed as wastelands. But they’re fields of dreams for Doug who outlines how rewetting bogs halts carbon loss, restores biodiversity, and opens the opportunity to the wet farming techniques known as paludiculture.

Using Donie’s farm as a showroom for how paludiculture can restore economic value to bog land, Peatlands for Prosperity is testing potential hydrophilic cash crops such as bog berries, cranberries, even lettuce and celery, as well as common wetland plants like bullrushes and common reeds which can be renewable sources of building and packaging materials. Both believe wetland agriculture can offer farmers meaningful new income streams from both these kinds of crops and from earning carbon credits for maintaining carbon-sequestering bogs.

The conversation probes the challenges of farmer hesitancy, policy confusion, cultural ties to turf cutting, and how the demonstration site helps other farmers see the program’s potential.

Donie speaks passionately about witnessing wildlife return to his land, and the team discusses educational outreach, including bringing schoolchildren onto the bog to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards, the ecotourism possibilities of restored boglands, and how transforming Ireland’s peatlands could be a win-win for climate, biodiversity, farmers, and rural communities alike.
But let’s give Seamus Heaney the last word from his poem Bogland:

Our unfenced country
 Is bog that keeps crusting
 Between the sights of the sun

Next week Irish Stew reports from Birr Castle with a focus on the groundbreaking science done there, exemplified by the world’s largest telescope for 72 years, the mighty Leviathan of Parsonstown.

Links
Green Restoration Ireland 

• Website
• Peatlands for Prosperity
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Bluesky
• X
  
  

Douglas McMillan

• LinkedIn

Hidden Heartlands Travel Resources

• Ireland.com
• Discover Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands

Irish Stew Links

• Website
• Episode Page: Peatlands for Prosperity
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• X
• Facebook

How did Ireland become a food destination? Thanks go to chefs like John Coffey of Athlone’s Thyme Restaurant and Belfast’s Niall McKenna of the Waterman House, both past Irish Stew guests.

But ask those chefs that question and they’ll thank their lucky stars for the local producers who supply the fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, seafood, and dairy that make their cooking soar.

So Irish Stew went Off the Beaten Craic to Daingean, Co. Offaly, to talk with two farmers on the vanguard of Ireland’s organic agriculture boom in an historic Georgian farmhouse at the heart of Mount Briscoe Organic Farm.

Margaret Edgill set aside her marketing and event planning career in Dublin to take over Mount Briscoe, which her family has farmed for seven generations. Joining her for the conversation was her Geashill, Co. Offaly neighbor Pippa Hackett, also an organic farmer and Ireland’s former Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Margaret describes the privilege of stewarding Mount Briscoe and the many ways she’s infusing renewed life and new ideas into the land with a mix of organic beef production, upscale B&B accommodations, a shade more rustic “glamping” experiences, artisan food production, memorable farm-to-fork experiences, and public programs designed to celebrate the traditions and vitality of rural life.

Pippa draws on her background in science and public service to champion greener, more sustainable farming practices, sharing insights shaped by her years on the farm and in government. “If you have a healthy environment and a healthy farm, you’re going to have healthy animals and produce healthy foods,” she says, adding that with organic farming, “There's a great sort of magic in it--you actually have to do less work to get more."

The pair delve into Ireland’s “Origin Green” brand, the ongoing debate between organic and conventional farming methods, the lopsided economics that farmers juggle, the benefits of Irish people consuming Irish produce, and how hands-on rural experiences can counteract the growing urban disconnect with what’s on their plates.

Margaret offers her “wellies-on-the-ground” perspectives as both a farmer and owner of an agritourism business adding to the Hidden Heartlands tourism mix, talking up Ireland's potential as a green island destination, sharing how North Americans come to Mount Briscoe seeking heritage, tranquility, and authentic farm experiences, how guests look to disconnect with a digital detox, and how as climate change is making traditionally hot destinations less appealing, she’s seeing first-hand the growing appeal “cool-cationing” in Ireland…even with its rainy days.

And it was a rainy day indeed when Irish Stew visited Mount Briscoe Farm, but to cohosts John and Martin, the lush fields looked all the greener for it.

Next week Irish Stew visits another Offlay farm and slogs through a bog to explore the innovative Peatlands for Prosperity initiative.

Links

Margaret Edgill

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook

Mount Briscoe Farm

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

Pippa Hackett

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Despite the “Off the Beaten Craic” theme to the current Irish Stew podcast series, on this episode hosts Martin Nutty and John Lee follow the well-worn track of history that flows through Athlone like the broad River Shannon.

Their guide is the affable Vincent Harney of Athlone Guided Tours, a well-researched, perceptive storyteller who peels back the layers of the Athlone story from atop Athlone Castle, while crossing the Shannon, and as they trod the ancient streets back into the very heart of Irish history.

Along with local history, Vincent shares his story of growing up in a big farm family in nearby Cornafulla, the post office his parents operated, his own time as postmaster, and lessons learned working the family farm.

“In the post office, I loved hearing the old people’s stories and hearing about their history. And we would know the history of the fields around us, like the one field given away for a loaf of bread during the famine,” Vincent recalls.

Inspired by those stories, Vincent started a new career leading historical walking tours to share how Athlone’s origins as a river ford placed it at the crossroads of Irish history, how Norman and Cromwellian armies both marched over its first timber bridge, about the accommodation built into the stone bridge for the gentry's sail boats, and why the railway bridge was considered an engineering marvel of its day.  

Vincent reveals Athlone's surprising connections to the Titanic disaster with the sad tale of the ill-fated passenger Margaret Rice, whose body could only be identified by the shoes she wore, purchased from the venerable Parsons of Athlone in the red brick building that still stands today at the corner of Custume Place and Northgate Street.

Vincent spins a happier tale about Athlone native John McCormack, tracing the singer’s unlikely rise from a working-class family to global fame as one of the greatest tenors of all time.

The episode wraps with Vincent making a compelling case for visiting Ireland and coming to Athlone when you do, reminding us, “the history of Ireland is here in Athlone.”

Next week, Irish Stew talks organic farming and agritourism in Offaly with Margaret Edgill of Mt. Briscoe Farm and Pippa Hackett, former Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Links

Athlone Guided Tours

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Tripadvisor

Hidden Heartlands Travel Resources

• Ireland.com
• Discover Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands

Irish Stew Links

• Website
• Episode Page: Vincent Harney
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• X
• Facebook
• TikTok

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 32; Total Episode Count: 135

The oldest pub in Ireland, Europe…the world?

Lend an ear as we explore the legend and lore of Sean’s Bar with the pub’s official storyteller Timmy Donovan. A central character in the Sean’s Bar story for the past 37 years, Timmy flips the calendar back to AD 900 when Luain Mac Luighdeach set up an inn on the banks of the Shannon which would evolve over the centuries into the Sean’s Bar of today.

He points out the ancient wicker-and-wattle construction unearthed in the venerable pub’s plaster walls and the slanting floor that carried medieval floodwaters through the bar down to the nearby river as just two signs of the pub’s antiquity.

Of the eye-catching memorabilia layering the pub’s walls, Timmy may be the proudest of the Guinness World Record certificate proclaiming Sean’s to be the oldest pub in the world.

That and the monster trout on display that Timmy himself landed in the nearby Lough, evidence of the prime fishing that has long drawn anglers to the region.
Timmy tells the saga of the Vikings sailing up the Shannon deep into the Hidden Heartlands, how for local monks distilling whiskey was doing God’s work, why hundreds of police uniform patches festoon the pub walls, and how American football fans are beating a path to Sean’s door.

Sean’s Bar not only dispenses a full range of pints and pours, the legendary pub also serves its own Sean's Whiskey, now an integral part of the pub's identity, for which Timmy is a most compelling spokesperson.

The monks would be proud, Timmy. 

Sláinte!

LINKS

 Sean’s Bar

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram

Hidden Heartlands Travel Resources

• Ireland.com
• Discover Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands

Irish Stew Links

• Website
• Episode Page: Timmy  Donovan
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• X
• Facebook
• TikTok

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 31; Total Episode Count: 134

Taste Ireland…more specifically, taste the Hidden Heartlands of the Irish Midlands through a completely original cuisine designed around the fresh local produce from surrounding farms, on offer at Athlone’s Michelin Bib Gourmand culinary destination, Thyme Restaurant.

Chef John Coffey conjures up his ever-evolving menu around the vegetables local organic farmer Shannon is pulling or plucking from her nearby farm that day.
Local flavors, regional aromas, beautifully presented courses all plated by the Chef/Owner himself, the lively chatter of diners sitting down to what they know will be a memorable meal, the warm welcome and flawless service from the staff and the understated, unstuffy, intimate surroundings combined to provide a multisensory sendoff to Irish Stew’s “Off the Beaten Craic" series, the audio chronicle of podcast hosts John Lee and Martin Nutty’s eight-day ramble through Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, starting in Athlone, the geographic heart of Ireland astride the River Shannon’s “brightly glancing stream.”

Chef Coffey relates how he opened Thyme in November 2007, just months before the financial crisis devastated Ireland's economy, surviving days with no customers, weeks of no salary, and months of operating with a skeleton crew. Maybe it was his unwavering commitment to hyperlocal sourcing that pulled him through. The menu changes constantly depending on seasonal availability of local produce—plums for three weeks, game in autumn, heritage potatoes in varieties like Purple Rain that supermarkets abandoned decades ago. Coffey's outlook is based on community interdependence, where farmers, butchers, and their families create a self-sustaining economic ecosystem.

Don’t look for Reality TV chaos in the kitchen, as Coffey creates an aura of focused calm in his domain, even when diners fill all of Thyme’s 56 seats.

On the podcast, Chef Coffey explains why he’s rejected expansion opportunities, so you’ll have to get to Athlone to sample his ballotine of quail with yuko leaf and heritage potatoes or anything else he creates.

So, lend an ear to Irish Stew as it begins its Midlands meanderings with a celebration of Ireland's culinary transformation and the growing appreciation for slower-paced, ingredient-focused Irish dining experiences that await in the Hidden Heartlands.

Go raibh an bia blasta!
 

LINKS

Thyme Restaurant

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

Shannon's Eco Farm

• Instagram

Hidden Heartlands Travel Resources

• Ireland.com
• Discover Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands

Irish Stew Social Media

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• X
• Facebook
• TikTok

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 30; Total Episode Count: 133

Your cohosts are back from an eight-day road trip through Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, where instead of profiling a person, they went “Off the Beaten Craic” to explore a place - the Irish Midlands.

Some tourists might view it as "drive-through country,” as they motor west from Dublin to the Wild Atlantic Way, but John and Martin found just a fraction of what they’re missing in Offaly, Westmeath, Longford, and Leitrim. And by traveling at a leisurely “slow tourism” pace during the quieter fall “shoulder season,” they found little traffic, uncrowded restaurants, more of a local vibe to the pubs, and had legendary historic sites almost to themselves.

The peripatetic podcasters conversed with almost two dozen Midlands guests, capturing stories about local history, organic farming, biodiversity, greenways, Shannon river cruising, farm-to-table dining, slow adventure travel, hospitality, archaeology, astronomy, entrepreneurship, and civic pride, while at times going knee-deep into the distinctive bogs that shape the Midlands landscape.

Your hosts also brandished their selfie sticks to add sights to their sounds on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok.

The “Off the Beaten Craic in the Hidden Heartlands” series was made possible through the support of Tourism Ireland, which markets the island of Ireland overseas as a compelling holiday destination, and the guidance of Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, with a tip of the hat to the Leitrim County Council for their warmest of welcomes.

Join us “Off the Beaten Craic in the Hidden Heartlands!”

Links:

Hidden Heartlands Travel Resources

• Ireland.com
• Discover Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands

Irish Stew Social Media

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• X
• Facebook
• TikTok

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 29; Total Episode Count: 132

Guest Overview

John Davis, the inquisitive everyman, serves as the perfect foil to economist David McWilliams on Ireland's beloved David McWilliams Podcast. Known for his genuine curiosity and ability to ask the questions listeners are thinking, Davis brings a unique perspective shaped by decades in the music and media industries.

Episode Journey
Join Martin Nutty and John Lee as they trace Davis' fascinating career through sound - from the music studios of Dublin and London to international productions further afield. This wide-ranging conversation explores how a music industry veteran transitioned into becoming one-half of Ireland's most successful podcast duo.

Key Topics Explored

• From Studios to Airwaves: Davis' evolution from music production to broadcasting, including his formative years working on studio albums and film soundtracks.
• BBC World Service Years: His international media experience before returning to Irish shores.
• Podcast Genesis: The story of how a childhood friendship with David McWilliams sparked one of Ireland's most popular podcasts.
• Behind the Microphone: Davis opens up about his initial discomfort with being the voice behind the mic and facing live audiences at podcast events.
• The Magic Formula: How the natural chemistry between McWilliams and Davis creates their signature approach - making complex economics accessible without sacrificing substance.

Special Moment
The episode builds to a deeply personal and moving conclusion with Davis delivering a heartfelt "Seamus Plug" for As I Am, Ireland's leading autism charity. This emotional segment reveals a cause that holds profound meaning for Davis personally, offering listeners a glimpse into the man behind the microphone.

Why This Episode Matters
A rare, intimate look at one of Irish podcasting's most recognizable voices, exploring how genuine friendship, professional adaptability, and personal passion combine to create compelling audio content that resonates with tens of thousands of listeners weekly.

Links

• Seamus Plug: As I Am
• LinkedIn
• David McWilliams Podcast
• Music Extract: Love Shines - Dave Stewart And The Spiritual Cowboys

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 28; Total Episode Count: 131

With the Aer Lingus College Football Classic last month and Ireland’s first NFL game at the end of this one, Neale Richmond kicks off the episode with a timely gridiron tale.

“I'm not just a very old and average rugby player, but I'm the only member of the Irish Parliament who's played American football. I was a defensive tackle for the Dublin Rebels and proud holder of a Shamrock Bull medal from 2016,” says the Fine Gael TD for the Dublin Rathdown constituency and Ireland’s Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora.

The sport-mad Minister shares examples of the ways these imported American events boost Ireland’s economy and provide an ideal platform to advance his ministerial goals of fostering stronger international relations, diaspora engagement, and economic growth.

He tells of growing up in a Protestant family with Ulster-Scots roots, right down to his Orange Order grandfather, which hasn’t blunted his fatherly pride in his son’s embrace of Gaelic Football and the Irish language or his own commitment to a united Ireland.

“I'm a passionate United Irelander. I want our country to be united as an independent republic, as part of the European Union. I think that it’s in the interest of the over 7.2 million people of all backgrounds that live on this island,” he says, adding, “but one thing I'm really very clear about is that United Ireland will be different. It'll be a new Ireland; it won't be like the republic that I proudly live in today.”

He highlights the significance of Ireland's international aid programs particularly in Africa, the evolution of Ireland’s diaspora, and the necessity of supporting Irish citizens abroad, including the extension of voting rights for the diaspora in presidential elections.

He wraps with an unorthodox “Seamus Plug” for the United Nations, saying that despite its problems, the UN provides a critical forum for international dialogue and that the work of its agencies for Human Rights, Refugees, Family Planning for Women, and its World Food Program all remain vital.

Join us!

Links:

• Fine Gael Webpage
• Instagram
• Facebook
• X 
• LinkedIn

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 27; Total Episode Count: 130

In something of an epilogue to our “Lost in Belfast” series, former U.S. Congressman and U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland Joseph Kennedy III joins Irish Stew for a wide-ranging conversation on politics, peace, and public service. From the streets of Belfast to the tumult of Washington, Kennedy reflects on the lessons Northern Ireland can teach the wider world, the legacy of his famed family, and where his own journey is headed next.

Joe provides his deeply personal perspective on the remarkable transformation of Northern Ireland from conflict to cautious cooperation. While acknowledging the divisions that remain, he points to the extraordinary resilience of its people and leaders. For him, Northern Ireland offers a living example of what can be achieved when reconciliation and restraint guide politics, a message that resonates far beyond Ireland’s shores.

On a more personal note, Kennedy reflects on the deep imprint of public service in his own family story. He describes it as more of a calling than a career choice, whether through elected office, advocacy, or movements like the Special Olympics. His commitment continues through the Groundwork Project, an initiative supporting civic engagement in often-overlooked communities across America, seeking to rebuild trust between citizens and the political process through a strategy rooted not in messaging alone but in genuine listening and local empowerment, and through Citizens Energy, the green energy nonprofit his father founded.

Looking ahead, Kennedy sees promise in Belfast’s growth, from education and innovation to its growing spirit of community, bridging past struggles with future possibilities.

For Kennedy, service remains the thread tying it all together, whether in politics, community work, or renewable energy.

Join us for this Global Irish Conversation on politics, peace and public service in Belfast, Boston, and beyond with #JK3.

Links:
Joe’s “Seamus Plug”

• Wave Trauma Centre

Social media

• Instagram
• BlueSky
• X - Twitter
• Facebook

Groundwork Project

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• X - Twitter

Citizens Energy Corporation

• Website 

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 26; Total Episode Count: 129

Today, we hear the story of an American congressman who changed the lives of thousands of Irish people, the foundation created to honor his legacy, and the big event this fall that will celebrate that legacy.

To tell the tale, we have two Irish individuals who benefited from the Morrison Visa program, spearheaded by Congressman Bruce Morrison: Feargal O’Sullivan, CEO of the outsourced sales and marketing firm USAM, and Elaine Brennan, Executive Director of Global Strategic Partnerships for Northwell Health.

Since Morrison Visas helped thousands of young Irish people, Elaine, Feargal, and a stellar group of diaspora leaders created the Morrison Legacy Foundation and will honor the Congressman at the Morrison Visa 30th Anniversary Celebration, Wed., Oct. 1, at the legendary Rainbow Room, high atop New York’s Rockefeller Center.

Get all the details at the links below.

With that, we wrap until the fall when we’ll come back strong on September 7th in an episode with former U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, Joseph Kennedy III.
Talk to you then!

Links
Morrison Legacy Foundation

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram

Elaine Brennan

• LinkedIn
• Northwell Health

Fergal O'Sullivan

• LinkedIn
• USAM Group

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 25; Total Episode Count: 128