Get a taste for new elderflower cordial

Wild elderflowers are seen by most as the thug of the hedgerow, but not by entrepreneurs David and Martina Burns of Richmount Cordials.

For David and Martina of Carrickboy, just inside the Longford county border, near Abbeyshrule, being surrounded by elder plants couldn’t be more valuable, as it’s the main ingredient in their award-winning Special Recipe Number 9 Elderflower Cordial.

Ella McSweeney of RTÉ’s Ear to The Ground travelled to the Burns’ farm in Carrickboy to find out what makes a good cordial, and she even helped make the first batch in the couple’s brand new facility.

See the whole story on Tuesday November 10 at 8.30 pm on RTÉ One.

Also on the programme:

Darragh meets Esther and her 800 cows

A force to be reckoned with in Irish agriculture, Esther Walsh is in a league of her own.

She has risen to the top of the Irish Dairy Industry and isn’t planning on slowing down any time soon.

Esther grew up on a suckler farm in Rathgormack in Waterford.

She took up milking to earn pocket money and fell in love with it - so much so that she’s now managing an 800 cow herd in Lismore in County Waterford.

Darragh McCullough went to Lismore to visit the very busy Esther, who showed him how a herd that size is managed and how she finds time in her hectic schedule to relax.

Rural crime – Is there a solution?
Helen travels to Tipperary to ask what can be done to combat the rise in crime in rural Ireland.

Like many areas around the country, the town of Cashel and its surroundings has long been suffering from burglaries and theft.

So much so that the locals have joined together to form networks to protect their property and belongings.

Helen met with one group who share their ideas on how to tackle the issue, such as a change to trespassing laws and bail conditions, and the introduction of electronic tagging.

As three-quarters of these crimes are being committed by those already on bail, are these options feasible?