Flower power

Lifestyle – A new series, starting on RTÉ One on Monday night puts Ireland’s wildflowers in the spotlight, exploring their importance, their names in Irish, the folklore associated with them and their role in cookery, medicine and craft. Presenter Aedín Ni Thiarnaigh and director Anne McCabe tell JUDY MURPHY abut Faoi Bhláth.

Ireland’s wildflowers in all their glory, filmed in their natural habitats are the subject of a new 13-part series that begins on RTÉ One television on Monday night at 7.30pm.

Faoi Bhláth is the work of Indreabhán TV company, Abú Media. Directed by Anne McCabe, formerly of TG4 and Ros na Rún, these bilingual half-hour programmes are presented by Inis Meáin resident Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh.

Galway contributors to the series include basket-maker and artist Joe Hogan who explains why he uses plants such as heather to create his bird-nest sculptures. Sheep farmer and weaver Carina Coyne of Joyce Country Wool, who dyes wool using colours derived from local plants – sloes, blackberries, furze – explains their role in her unique creations. Beekeeper Paddy Finnerty from Rosmuc outlines the importance of wildflowers to native honeybees and why it’s crucial that Irish honeybees survive.

Medical herbalists Jörg and Karin Mueller, who founded Solaris Botanicals in Galway in 2003, explain how they use herbs in their specialist organic teas and drinks which are stocked in restaurants, hotels and spas in Ireland and abroad.

The role of plants in medicine is explored by Limerick GP Freda Ní Catháin, while Darach Ó Murchú from Baile an Fheirtéaraigh in Kerry shows how to make tinctures, also used in herbal medicine.

“It’s the sort of programme people will watch and then meet someone the next day and say ‘did you know fishermen used to make lobster pots out of heather?”, says Aedín happily about the eclectic information it contains.

The Wexford woman describes the relationship between herself and Abú Media as “a match made in heaven,” as she explains how the series fell into place.

Abú’s creative producer, Bríd Seoighe, instigated the idea for a series about Ireland’s wild plants which she planned to pitch to RTÉ.  Bríd, who has a real grá for nature, wanted a like-minded person to present it.

The ideal person had to be knowledgeable about flowers and they had to have Irish.

She’d never heard of Aedín, but when Bríd discovered that the young woman was responsible for the Instagram account ‘blathannafiana’, which specialises in Irish wildflowers and folklore, the experienced producer knew she’d hit gold.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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