The Irish Stew podcasters venture across Westmeath one last time, to the county’s eastern reaches to explore the picturesque village of Tyrrellspass, where they once again find a story of community commitment…and a bog.
The community leader giving cohosts John Lee and Martin Nutty the grand tour of his charming town is Eugene Dunbar, a retired teacher who never retired from educating anyone who’d listen about the treasures unique to Tyrrellspass.
After meeting Eugene at the town’s centerpiece castle tower, the trio followed the signs to the Cloncrow Bog & Village Trail.
“I came here in 1972 as a geography teacher, and I was absolutely intrigued with the whole system of the bogs and having one so close to us here in Tyrrellspass,” he says.
“It’s what they term an intact raised bog, with the same vegetation that would have been on it 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,000 years ago. So, you're looking at a unique landscape that hasn't changed in millennia.”
Eugene tells of how people moved from viewing bogs purely as fuel sources to recognizing them as vital carbon sinks and ecological wonders, driven locally by the volunteer effort known as ETHOS - Everything Tyrrellspass Has On Show. Refusing to be bogged down by bureaucratic challenges, Dunbar and the other ETHOS volunteers created the interpretive raised boardwalk through the raised Cloncrow Bog and the following trail that highlights the village itself, including its picture-perfect town green, with its evocative 1970 Imogen Stuart sculpture of three schoolchildren representing the future of the new Ireland.
After a restorative pint (or maybe it was two) in the snug, welcoming Willie’s Bar, Eugene took the podcasters back to his inviting home, decorated with the paintings of his wife, Josephine, who served the trio tea and scones while the podcast recording began in earnest.
You can listen to Eugene Dunbar on the Irish Stew Podcast here:
Add signature Irish hospitality to Everything Tyrrellspass Has On Show!
During the holidays, Glucksman Ireland House advisory board president and former C-suite executive Ted Smyth returned to Irish Stew to provide perspectives on the year in politics, discussing shifting current political trends and persistent issues in housing and affordability in both the US and Ireland. Ted concludes with an optimistic call to action, arguing that strength comes from grassroots engagement and maintaining democratic values during challenging times.
You can listen to Ted Smyth on the Irish Stew Podcast here:
Then it’s off to Longford next week when Irish Stew adds a mysterious Iron Age road to its Off the Beaten Track Road Trip itinerary as they explore the Corlea Trackway, discovered in 1984 by workers digging peat in the local bog--yes, again with the bog!
For more information, visit IrishStewPodcast.com. You can listen to "The Irish Stew Podcast" wherever you get your podcasts.