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.

The Mountain Gate

The Mountain Gate - Winter Reflections

 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.

The Mountain Gate - Autumn Walks

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.

Spring in the Dromara Hills

The Mountain Gate (Trailer)

A gentle reflection on life in the beautiful Dromara Hills in County Down, Northern Ireland. When you go through The Mountain Gate with Maggie Doyle, you'll hear stories about this landscape and the natural world. In this Spring episode, Maggie is reunited with a friendly starling, explores the history of the Red Kite population (www.redkitetoursni.com) and talks to artist Rachel Fitzpatrick about finding inspiration in birds nests (www.rachelfitzpatrickdesign.com) Finally, she reads a poem called Dechomet Mountain written one hundred years ago by a young poet called Michael McKay.

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The Mountain Gate

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