The Mountain Gate Margaret Doyle

A gentle journey into the Dromara Hills, Co Down with Maggie Doyle. In this episode, she celebrates the return of the cuckoo to the area, the fragrant May hedgerows and reads an extract from her nature diary 'Mountain Notes'. She also meets the local, award winning poet Jim McElroy who has released his first collection featuring poems based on his childhood on the family farm in Dechomet and his memories of his father Bernard McElroy. Jim's writing has been described as 'distinctive and compelling' and he was the 2021 winner of the Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing and the 2020 Francis Ledwidge Poetry Award. He was nominated for the Pushcart and Forward prizes and his work has been recognised by other award bodies including the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Poetry Ireland. You can order his book published by Smith|Doorstop from poetrybusiness.co.uk and you can order Maggie's book by emailing magysfarm@gmail.com. You can also read more of Jim's poems on the website magysfarm.co.uk.



The Mountain Gate is produced and presented by Maggie Doyle and the music 'Dree' was arranged and performed by Matt Curran.

The podcast will return with an Autumn edition later in the year.

A gentle journey into the Dromara Hills in County Down, Northern Ireland.  In this episode, Maggie Doyle meets John and Elaine McCombe who work and live at The Turnip House, a craft workshop and tea room in Benraw at the foot of the Windy Gap in the Mournes Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. www.turniphouse.com 

 Maggie also reads extracts from her book 'Mountain Notes - A Nature Diary' which was written in 2020.  It's a poetic journal about her return to live on the family farm in Dechomet, her reconnection with the landscape there and the re-imagining of the farm as a place where music can grow.  www.magysfarm.co.uk

You can buy the book directly from Maggie by emailing magysfarm@gmail.com and you can purchase it in The Turnip House and other local bookshops in County Down.

A gentle reflection on life in the Dromara Hills in County Down, Northern Ireland.  In this second episode of The Mountain Gate, Maggie Doyle meets Karen and Stephen Malcolmson who have created the 'Red Kite Retreat' a new, eco-tourism development on Dechomet mountain.  The project includes the newly planted 'Warrior's Wood' walkway.  She also meets hill walker and Trek Ni writer Derek Flak on the slopes of Slieve Croob to talk about the range of walks in this beautiful, rugged landscape.

A Magysfarm production.  See magysfarm.co.uk for more details.  Other links; trekni.com.

Maggie celebrates the return of early morning birdsong in Spring. Artist Rachel Fitzpatrick praises the art of nest building and Shelagh Henry explains how the glorious Red Kites have settled on Dechomet Mountain.