Burren Winterage- Looking to the Past to Protect the Future

Farmers in the Burren have been moving their cattle onto 'Winterage' pastures for thousands of years. Over the past decade The Burren Winterage Weekend has been established to celebrate this practice and everything about it. But the journey hasn't been without some bumps along the way. In this audio documentary I speak to an archaeologist, an ecologist and a number of farmers, all of whom have a deep understanding of how important this practice is to the Burren.

 

At a time where biodiversity loss in Ireland is occurring at a frightening rate, the practice of Burren Winterage offers hope for the future. It shows that farming, when carried out in a certain way can protect the environment and preserve biodiversity within the Burren. Central to these activities being maintained are farmers and their cattle. This is the story of the Burren Winterage and those who are ensuring it continues. 

 

Speakers

 

Michael Davoren

Aoife Forde

Patrick McCormack

Elaine Lynch

Brendan Dunford

 

Music Credits

 

Intro and Outro Track: Yorgan by Circus Marcus, https://freemusicarchive.org/music/CIRCUSMARCUS/single/Yorgan/, CC-BY-NC 4.0