Reality TV isn’t easy — but good craic
We were back on the TV screens on March 24 with the opening episode of the new season of Raised by the Village on RTÉ One. The show quickly reminded me of the glorious sunshine we had during filming in July of 2023. In many ways it feels like it’s been raining ever since and the reality is the weather since September has been horrendous.
I can honestly say I never struggled to graze cows as Easter Sunday approaches. We are grazing during the day but cows are housed every night. I can only hope that weather will dramatically improve fast — farmers are exhausted after such a long winter and cows long to be able to lie down in the sunshine, chewing the cud.
As farmers, we are no strangers to challenges and when producers approached us about getting involved in Raised by the Village, we called a family meeting and the unanimous decision was made that yes, it would be a challenge but also an opportunity to welcome a young person who perhaps had never experienced farm life.
We didn’t know whether we would be hosting a boy or a girl we would until their arrival day. Luckily they also informed us that 15-year-old Karl was into tech and gaming,
I think what gave it away to me was the burner phone — the first phone he handed me had been through the mill, and so I knew there had to be a fancier smart phone stashed away.
Reality TV isn’t easy; when you drag yourself out of bed at 5.30am and there is a film camera capturing you drinking coffee while rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you know you’re in for a long day.
Despite the long days, we did have mighty craic with the entire film crew. It is always great to work with people who understand how busy a farm can get and don’t get frustrated when you dash of from an interview with the microphone power unit still in your arse pocket and don’t appear back for two hours.
Karl, the Mullingar teen we hosted, was super, in fairness — yes, he was out of his comfort zone at the beginning and also didn’t like cows but he grasped the main house rule from the word go, which is, ‘if you are not happy with something, say it’.
We worked around any frustrations he had with tiring days spent filming and made it quite clear to him: ignore the TV camera and just be himself.
We treated him the same as if he was family — everyone helps around the farm and everyone helps around the house.
There was an air of sadness as Karl departed on the final day but the plan was in place to reunite when we went to the Tullamore Show — he seemed to get past his dislike for cows as we met at the dairy section of the National Livestock show and he returned to Cork with us for a camera-free week on the farm. He has kept in contact since and it is fantastic to hear how his school grades have improved.
Reaction
The reaction to the show was fantastic, we got so many positive messages — Paula and Georgie went grocery shopping the following day and were approached by so many people congratulating us as a family.
It seemed to me that some thought we were ‘perfect parents’. Far from it, our kids fight like cats in a barrel at times but as parents we also have the view that the girls need to grow up with a good work ethic, have confidence in themselves, follow their dreams and surround themselves with good mentors.
Kids, especially teenagers, listen and take guidance from good mentors when often they don’t listen to their parents.
The main question that arose after the show was, where was Becky during filming? Some viewers might have thought that she didn’t want to be filmed.
However, she had been given a last-minute opportunity to show heifers for another farm. Some parents may have stopped her grasping the chance and insisted she was at home for filming, but we allowed her prioritise her dreams and it was the right choice for her as she became national champion handler two weeks later.
Georgie didn’t fair too badly either, as she also won her class at the national championships. Perhaps Karl bought some good luck as Dream, the calf he was showing on TV, also went on to win at the three national shows.
During filming, we had a wonderful morning chatting with Dr Richard Hogan, the psychotherapist who works on the TV show. He gave some great advice — for Karl, he felt it important to create a space away from gaming.
Indeed, it’s important for all of us to create some space to clear our minds. It has been a nightmare spring in how the weather has challenged farming but the thing that keeps myself and Paula going is that we have some time planned away from the farm, some space away from the wellies, early-morning alarm clocks and late nights in the farm yard.
The show highlights the importance of community, and we are very lucky to have a great neighbour in Peadar McDonnell, who built the stone wall with Karl.
The Barryroe Show committee was very accommodating when we asked them if would be OK to bring a film crew with us and they are a great example of how the rural agricultural shows are a vital social occasion on rural community calendars.
As we were all tired from filming, it was a welcome break from filming to escape to nearby Ballyhass Lakes where they allowed us take their kayaks out on the water for an hour.
If you missed our episode of Raised by the Village, you can find it on the RTÉ Player and you can catch the rest of the series on Sunday evenings at 6.30pm on RTÉ One — I know some of the fantastic families involved so it should make for some great TV.