THE BLESSING OF THE CATTLE

BBC RADIO 3, 2 JANUARY, MIDNIGHT

When winter comes, most hill farmers take their cattle off the high ground and place them in sheds until spring. Geology allows them to do things a little differently on the Burren.

In County Clare on the west coast of Ireland, the Burren is a flower-rich limestone plateau. In summer, the rock absorbs the heat and, like a giant night-storage heater, it radiates warmth in the winter. That makes life pretty agreeable for the region’s beef cattle. Each year, the season to move the cattle is marked by a festival. The local priest sprinkles holy water on their coats and a chosen farmer walks his pregnant cows up the green road to the mountain grazing, followed by hundreds of locals and tourists eager to see the delighted leaping of the cattle as they reach the fresh grazing of their winter home.

BBC Radio 3 follows the journey of the cattle for its new Slow Radio slot. The sounds of the cattle walking a route travelled for hundreds of years provide a relaxing half hour that will transport you to the beauty and tranquillity of Ireland’s west coast.