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Temple Street, Inis Mór Half Marathon 2013

temple street inis mor 2012 (122)

April 20th 2013 will be my 3rd year fingers crossed of my running crawling doing the Temple Street Childrens Hospital half marathon. There are of course reasons why Temple Street is very close to my heart, but that may be is a story best told over a cup of coffee.

To my getting there the wee Angels of the Childrens hospital are asking that each runner participant raise €650. As a by the way, last years funds were used to purchase 2 ICU Specification Patient Monitoring Units and here’s what the team wanna do with this years dosh:

This year we are hoping to raise €60,000 to purchase 4 diathermy machines to be used in theatre. These machines are necessary pieces of equipment for the operating theatre and provide optimal support for operative procedures in virtually all medical fields. The diathermy machine is used in theatre and is employed in a controlled manner during surgery to seal small blood vessels by coagulation and to cut through layers of tissue.

In the meantime, I’ve set up a My Charity Page  were you can donate any amount securly online. If however you are feeling a little extra groovy and maybe wanna bigger bang/ some return for your buck ? I’m more than open to any suggestion and my details are below. Try me…. also I make great caffeine and it’s good to talk. 😉

listen to ‘The SodShow meets Inis Mór with @Temple_Street’ on Audioboo

Last year I took The Sodshow microphone and of note maybe its best to suggest you scroll to 21:17 minutes and hear Padraic O’Céadaigh speak a little more indepth and how it all started.

Contact Peter Donegan

Further info:

Image below: Bank of Ireland, Inis Mór.

temple street inis mor 2012 (15)

 

 

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The Garden Group Visits Sonairte

Sonairte is the type of place I like to go as a horticulturist. As a green minded person, it’s also where I go with my daughter, as a Father; horticultural qualifications not worn on my sleeve, on them days.

listen to ‘The Sodshow visits Sonairte Ecology Centre part 1/ 2’ on Audioboo

There’s something periodic table of the elements type simplistic about solar-powered reflector satellite slow cooking, frogs as a method of pest control and bicycle powered electricity. Kermits favourite colour aside, the setting, even when it’s not a glorious day at Sonairte, is absolutely stunning.

If you are looking for comparables, Sonairte Ecology Centre is a little The Centre for Alternative Technology crossed with River Cottage Farm, but yet Irish and still neither of the above. My visit on this occasion was a first for the garden group that I have run for the 3 last years.

listen to ‘Sonairte Ecology Centre meets The Sodshow Part 2/ 2’ on Audioboo

The Garden Group in short: There’s no membership, there are no costs and it attracts more non gardeners than botanists. A bit different, you may say. I kind of like it that way, though some say it’s very silly of me. We’ll see… but for the now, it’s all good.

Sonairte may be many things imperfect to some, you’ll understand what I mean if you go there. That, that imperfectness though is allowed at times and here I find it suits this landscape. With your garden in mind, what Sonairte allows you to witness is en mass extremely diverse biodiversity, that in the real world works.

wind turbine

There are elements of Sonairte that also exist in my garden, and vice versa. They are touches that may make my space outdoors appear to some, slightly uncouth maybe, when compared with the ye olde type formal – though they always existed in pre 19th century garden design.

Domestically, garden planning in mind and far more important is that I know it is possible to take a little of the unscrupulous and allow it fit within your space outdoors, for the greater.

From garden feature ideas to growing your own and from the very thought provoking to what maybe, may surprise you to see children smile at, Sonairte really is one of Irelands hidden gems.

On a slight side note, The Sodshow garden radio microphones came along for the garden groups journey and our afternoon out will go to air this Friday and next in 2 parts. There was that much to take in.

A large note of thank you to nice guy and green buddy Trevor Sargent who was our guide for the afternoon. Also to the wonderful volunteers at Sonairte who are and were yet again just lovely. Also and by no means forgetting you who have, may and did come along.

Of Note: The first two images are courtesy genius photographer Jennifer Farley. I highly recommend a browse through her genuinely amazing photographs of the garden groups day out.

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Wicklow Mountains, Wild Camping

wicklow mountains

Saturday 10th December, The SodShow teamed up with Gelert and Millets Mary Street to take five people and record the journey as we hiked, trekked and wild camped overnight, without tents, in The Wicklow Mountains.

Why do this for Dublin’s Garden Radio Show The SodShow ?

We have spoke many times on The SodShow about my Hedgerow walks, eating from the wild, native Irish plants and trees, the garden groups outings and [ordinary] camping. We thought it a good idea to somehow and in someway, join them all together.

In this case and of note we went to a [Wicklow] National Park. From a horticultural perspective, it contains many pre mapped nature trails including a flower walk and tree walks. Eight of the Park’s plants are in fact classified as threatened – three are vulnerable and five are rare. We also wandered much of its forestry and slept only with what nature could surround us with. Also we don’t think this has ever been done for radio before and – the landscape is absolutely stunning.

That aside, if the equipment and clothing used will more than suffice overnight in December in Ireland, without tents, in the Wicklow Mountains – it should do you well whilst out for a[ny] walk or work in the great outdoors.

Note:

  • The five are very experienced in [in short] the great outdoors.
  • The audio recorded will be aired as a mini series of sorts for The SodShow.
  • All equipment used was supplied by Gelert Ltd and Millets of Mary Street.
  • It is not recommended you do this unless you are experienced.
  • Wicklow Mountain safety and no trace guidelines were followed at all times and more info can be found at Wicklow National Park Website inc. notes on wild camping.
  • Mini series set to air: on radio/ podcast for 4 weeks from Dec 23rd & Jan 6th – 20th. There will be no SodShow December 30th

Our journey timelines are as follows – Saturday 10th December

  • 08:30 Meet for debrief and equipment check at Millets Mary Street
  • 10:15 Arrive Wicklow Mountains and final checks
  • 10:30 Depart from base and begin Wicklow Mountain trek
  • 16:35 Establish base camp
  • 10:15 Sunday – Leave No Trace final checks and depart Wicklow Mountains

A separate post will explain the kit and equipment that we used. These images should help in visualising the audio as the story is told over the coming weeks.

It is one thing to encourage you to try this or any more simplified variation of, but it is better to encourage you to do it with the correct preparation.

The #SodShow Friday 23rd December. Dublin Garden Radio Podcast (mp3)

The #SodShow. Friday January 6th 2012. Dublin’s Gardening Radio Podcast (mp3)

The #SodShow. Wild Camping, The Finalé – Dublin Garden Radio Podcast. Fri 13 Jan ’12 (mp3)

Links of Note:

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David Rodgers of Rodgers Potato Growers

My interview with David will aired on The SodShow this Friday 11th November.

The #SodShow. Friday 11th November. Irish Garden Radio & Podcast (mp3)

On Wednesday 9th I made my way to the Rodgers potato yard to meet and interview David Rodgers. David’s Dad, Joe Rodgers is the gentleman and the name that appears on the many bags of poatoes sold all over the country of Ireland.

With audio sometimes it’s a good thing to help paint the surrounds in which our conversation took place and just what will create a certain amount of ambient noise in the background on Friday’s on air interview.

There are also these images….. if you have never seen it before, take a closer look and see just how tall the crates are stacked !

To give you a taster, this was just one field of the Rodgers rooster’s that I did a short video of back in July 2011.

For the home or more domestic potato grower there are some topics that have been covered on The SodShow previously. That said I still wanted to personally hear and highly recommend David’s thoughts on chitting, cropping, flowering and his advice for the grow your own potato folk.

The following are those parts of the interview and also them that will not air on Fridays show.

Potato Growing Advice (mp3)

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Fingal Independent – July 6th 2011

For those who have asked…. Despite the media report [below] I still own my lawnmower. Also, I still use it and didn’t trade it in. I am still a gardener, landscaper, garden designer or anything else that maybe describe one who works with plants.

Nonetheless, The fingal Independent did write this piece this week 😉

Donegan’s gardening radio show sparks rave reviews

By Robin KIELY

Wednesday July 06 2011

HE’S more used to hedgerows than headphones, but now a Fingal gardener has turned over a new leaf on the airwaves.

Award-winning landscaper, Peter Donegan, has traded in his mower for a microphone, fronting a weekly gardening radio show, which has drawn rave reviews.

Indeed, so popular is the ‘ Sod Show’ podcast that it regularly beats off competition from a host of international stations and programmes in the download charts.

Airing live on Dublin City FM every Friday, the Ballyboughal native aims to open up the world of gardening to everyone, mixing expert guests with local enthusiasts and businesses.

‘I’ve been doing the podcast on its own for about a year and the Sod Show has been on radio nearly six months,’ Peter explained.

‘We do it live and then it goes straight to a podcast on iTunes. It’s got a happy vibe and is a feelgood gardening radio show.

‘It’s for people who like the great outdoors. Brian Greene, who has 20 years of radio experience behind him does the sound and audio.

‘We’ve done a couple of good specials. We have Jane Powers on, who writes for the Irish Times, and we had the guy who grew shamrock for Barack Obama.

‘We’ve also had locals on. Ann Lynch from Ballyboughal Hedgerow Society was on, as was Phillip Murtagh who was talking about making elder flower champagne, both from Ballyboughal.

‘We’re aiming to make gardening and the show a fun place to be and it seems to be working well.’

A glance at the download charts on iTunes certainly emphasises that fact, where the Sod Show’s podcast regularly claims the number one berth in the ‘outdoor’ category.

What’s even more impressive is its standings in the ‘sport and recreation’ section, where it’s pulling in more hits than the likes of gardening shows on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Ulster and Sky Sport’s ‘Sunday Supplement’ podcast.

‘It’s phenomenal really,’ Peter reflected. ‘It’s important to recognise the amount of work being done locally in Ballyboughal and it’s nice to be able to get that out on the airwaves.

‘ We’re mixing local guest with nationally and internationally known guests. The show really is open to everyone.’

It’s another chapter in an impressive story for Peter, who celebrates 10 years in business this year and he’s still as busy as ever.

He passed on his knowledge at a number of talks with Fingal Libraries earlier this year and addressed 250 people on the benefits of podcasting at a recent south Dublin event.

And on the gardening front, he spent the weekend demonstrating garden displays in the middle of the city centre, as part of an urban living event in Wolfe Tone Park.

-The Sod Show is broadcast every Friday at 3pm on Dublin City FM.

– Robin KIELY