The Island, A Prospect: The Burren, with Dr Brendan Dunford

This is the fourth in a series of five podcasts to accompany the National Gallery of Ireland exhibition Shaping Ireland: Landscapes in Irish Art. In this series, artists and experts, in conversation with Mark Cantan, will talk you through an area of the country that has special relevance to their work and life. These places of personal significance will also be digitally mapped, allowing listeners to embark on their own adventures into the Irish landscape. This week's guest is Dr Brendan Dunford is the founder of Burrenbeo Teo. From a farming background in Co. Waterford, Brendan has spent the past 20 years living and working in the Burren region. In 2001, he completed his doctorate on the impact of farming on the heritage of the Burren, later published by Teagasc as ‘Farming and the Burren’. He led the award-winning BurrenLIFE Project (2005-2010); its successor, the pioneering Burren Farming for Conservation Programme (2010-2015); and currently manages the new Burren Programme. Brendan is also secretary of the Burrenbeo Trust, Ireland’s only landscape-based charity. Image: Barrie Cooke (1931-2014), Mullaghmore, 1979. Collection of Antoinette and Patrick Murphy. © The Estate of Barrie Cooke.