RTÉ TV show Home Grown visits Glin Castle

RTÉ's series Home Grown returns to RTÉ One with a brand new third series celebrating Irish horticulture.

In its seventh and final episode, the show will visit Glin Castle to uncover the horticultural legacy of the FitzGerald women.

The show follows presenters Kitty Scully and Colm O'Driscoll as they travel the country in this popular series, searching for stories that highlight the very best in the Irish horticulture industry.

In tonight’s episode, Kitty visits Glin Castle and speaks with the wonderful Olda FitzGerald, author and widow of Desmond FitzGerald, the 29th Knight of Glin. 

She shares the castle’s rich gardening history with Kitty, and talks about the generations of women who have shaped them. 

Current owner and landscape Architect Catherine FitzGerald walks Kitty through the gardens, explaining how each generation has added its own layer to the gardens' design and legacy, ensuring that the gardens of Glin Castle are a sanctuary of natural beauty and historical significance.

Glin castle and the generations of women who have shaped Glin Castle Gardens will feature on RTÉ One tonight, Wednesday April 16 at 8pm.

READ MORE: Immersive walking trails reveal stories of the past in Limerick

Home Grown series 3 explores everything from innovative growing techniques to the extraordinary people shaping Ireland's green spaces, profiling small producers, and highlighting the generosity of community gardening for a good cause.

This seven part series also goes behind the scenes at Ireland's largest horticulture festival Bord Bia Bloom, highlighting the resilience and ingenuity of Ireland's horticulture industry, looks at the intrigues of creating habitats for animals, and explores many other stories that inspire growth and connection.  

Presenter Colm O'Driscoll said, “Last season we saw how vulnerable Irish growers are to weather extremes, so it was interesting to visit Met Éireann to see the work they are doing to bring advance weather warnings to growers sooner, to help them cope with our ever changing climate. I also visited several enterprises that are bringing us new technology and innovations that aim to improve the sustainability of the industry. From autonomous driving tractors to carbon sequestering fertilisers, the range of innovation is inspiring.”

Kitty Scully added, “With twenty years experience in Ireland's horticultural sector, and my third season working on Home Grown, I  continue to be amazed by the industry's ongoing growth and innovation. This season the sheer diversity of horticulture in Ireland truly stood out. From the grandeur of historic castle gardens, meticulously maintained for generations, using time honoured techniques, and inspiring inner city parks landscaped using repurposed materials; to cutting edge rooftop gardening projects harnessing AI driven robotic weeding technology to maximise efficiency and shorten food supply chains.

“The series highlights not only how horticulture shapes our daily lives, through food, public spaces and biodiversity, but also how every citizen plays a role in protecting and enhancing this dynamic, yet often overlooked, industry.

This season is a powerful reminder that horticulture is woven into every aspect of our world.”