Revolution with roots in TG4's new gardening makeover series
Réabhlóid ar Chúl an Tí, a seven-part series that kicks off on TG4 this Sunday April 19, aims to shake up gardening in a way that incorporates wildlife.Presented by Inis Meáin resident and wildflower expert Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh, this stunning series offers an antidote to all that's wrong with the word at present.
All the gardens have been reimagined by acclaimed landscape designer, Mary Reynolds who launched her career at the 2002 Chelsea Flower Show. Mary, who has "come full circle with garden and landscape design", is now a bestselling author, speaker, occasional television presenter and founder of the global movement 'We are the ARK', which works to shift matters in nature’s favour.
ARKs — Acts of Restorative Kindness to the Earth — are at the heart of this series. They involve creating vibrant, native ecosystems out of manicured lawns or overlooked spaces. From patches of grass to forgotten corners of concrete, each transformation allows native plants and wildlife to return and flourish alongside humans.
"The time for gardens as canvases for our creative pleasure is over," says Mary. "Everything must change and if we are to save the planet, we must start with our own patches of it." Aedín agrees that perfect lawns and pristine flower-beds belong in the past, as she explains that this series redefines garden beauty by inviting nature back.
The title 'Réabhlóid ar Chúl an Tí' was partially inspired by Seán Ó Ríordáin's poem 'Cúl an Tí', in which he wrote 'Tá Tír na nÓg ar chúl an tí, Tír álainn trína chéile / 'At the back of the house is a land of youth, A jumbled beautiful space'.
But this isn’t a passive garden makeover show, hence Reabhlóid or Revolution is also in the title. Across the series, all involved got their hands dirty and drove every stage of the transformations that were designed by Mary.
Aedín points out that there is no word in Irish for 'lawn', which reflects the relationship Irish people once had with land, saying it’s time to rediscover that. And, she adds, such transformation affects everyone and creates flourishing communities.
Originally from Wexford and resident on Inis Meáin, journalist and TV presenter Aedín has a deep knowledge of wildlife. She previously presented RTÉ One’s ‘The Summer Show’, as well as that station's series ‘Faoi Bhláth’ which celebrated Ireland’s biodiversity, as well as uncovering the folklore and uses of native plants.
She’s delighted to be working with the first-time guardians on this series.
Like all makeover programmes, there are powerful storytelling, emotional journeys and before-and-after shots of the gardens, but ‘Réabhlóid ar Chúl an Tí’ turns people into environmental changemakers.
Episode one, on Sunday night, is The Lighthouse Keeper’s Garden with Eimear Ní Mhathúna and Des Fegan, about the transformation of a domestic garden on Donegal's north coast, where the front lawn is exposed to the elements.
Episode two features a Suburban Garden Shake-Up in Raheny, North County Dublin, where Philip Sexton's traditional back garden has a central lawn surrounded by plants and trees.
The Language of Nature with Eoin O'Floinn Craobh Inse Cór, Inchicore, Dublin, (epidode three) focuses on a small garden next to a GAA hall in a disadvantaged, built-up area. Episode four brings viewers to Kerry's Dingle peninsula for New Beginning on Old Ground with Léan Fírtear and Micheál Ó Móráin. They have a rural garden, newly built on a family farm near a small village.
It's back to Donegal for The Island School, with Derval Newman and Florence Calais, in which the garden of Gairmscoil Mhic Diamada, Arainn Mhór is transformed. A new-build on a family farm in Wexford, is the focus of episode six, A Farmyard Revolution, with Neasa Ní Chiarán and Richard Freyne. The final episode, Gardeners to Guardians, will feature Mary and Aedín visiting Wexford and the other sites.
‘Réabhlóid ar Chúl an Tí’ is on TG4 from this Sunday and is also available on TG4.ie.