0:00:05 > 0:00:07It's all around us, it connects us.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Should it be wind from the west,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12rain from the east or the sun above,
0:00:12 > 0:00:13it's our weather.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40'Today, I'm in County Down to meet up
0:00:40 > 0:00:43'with organic farmer John McCormick.'
0:00:43 > 0:00:45- How are you? - I am very well, thank you.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Perfect weather for the garden, isn't it?
0:00:48 > 0:00:50It's beautiful, a beautiful day.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54'John is passionate about growing organic food, locally produced
0:00:54 > 0:00:58'and completely dependent on our Northern Irish climate.'
0:00:58 > 0:01:00John, a nice big tunnel here of cherry tomatoes.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02They've done well with our weather this year.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Yes, I'm very pleased with them.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08They are called Sakura, they are a very sweet tomato, so it would
0:01:08 > 0:01:11be incredibly popular with children, as you can well imagine.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15And you've got your normal amount of crops for this year?
0:01:15 > 0:01:20Erm, yes, by and large the cropping would appear to be good.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23We normally go for seven or eight trusses - this is a truss.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25They start at the bottom and work right up
0:01:25 > 0:01:27to the last truss at the top.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29This would be the eighth truss on this,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32So eight trusses is actually a very good yield if that,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35between now and the middle of October, grows and ripens.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37What doesn't ripen will go to chutney,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39- but they're actually doing very well.- Very well.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42So another few weeks left and these boys will be ready to pick.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Five, six weeks before I start taking them out.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Food is a requirement for all life,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52but we need the right weather to grow it.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55County Down is one of the driest counties in Ireland -
0:01:55 > 0:01:57it must have some benefits for your farm.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Well, I am very surprised to hear you say that!
0:02:00 > 0:02:06Because while parts of County Down are dry, we are in Helen's Bay,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08and Helen's Bay has a lough on one side
0:02:08 > 0:02:10and the hills on the other side
0:02:10 > 0:02:13and regularly, when it is raining here,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16I would phone my friends in Donaghadee or Newtonards, even,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18and the sun would be shining,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20and we would be sheltering from the rain.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24What can you do here that you can't do in the west?
0:02:24 > 0:02:26I suppose we are blessed, in the sense that
0:02:26 > 0:02:29if you want to be a vegetable grower, certainly you are far
0:02:29 > 0:02:30better off here on the east coast
0:02:30 > 0:02:32than you ever would be on the west coast.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36We can just about grow everything, except bananas and citrus.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39What I have noticed is, we seem to be getting extremes.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41We are breaking records left, right and centre.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44We're getting the hottest days that ever happened in the year,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47we're getting the wettest days that have ever happened in the year,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and this does throw particular problems at farmers.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00These nets, John, do a good job protecting against pests
0:03:00 > 0:03:01and rabbits, that kind of thing,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04but they also protect against our bad weather.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07That's right, we are finding increasingly
0:03:07 > 0:03:09that in the summertime we are getting
0:03:09 > 0:03:12very, very heavy rainfall, and the result of that is
0:03:12 > 0:03:15it splashes the mud back up all over the lettuce and makes it unsellable.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19So the nets act as a barrier, so when the rain hits that,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21it diffuses and you don't get that splash.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33You've even had to dig trenches to keep the rainwater
0:03:33 > 0:03:36away from your greenhouses because they were flooding.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Yes, what you find is, in the summertime, the ground is very hard.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41In the wintertime, the ground is soft
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and you tend not to work machinery.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46And when the ground is soft, it will absorb the rain
0:03:46 > 0:03:48and filter it and allow it to flow away.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50But when it's hard, as it is in the summertime,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53it hasn't got the capacity to do that.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55The water hits it and has to flow over the surface,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57rather than percolate through.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01So with this intensity of rain, what we are finding is, it is
0:04:01 > 0:04:04actually flowing into the tunnel and flooding our tunnels.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19You also keep bees here. How has the weather affected them?
0:04:19 > 0:04:232015 has not been one of the great bee years.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27We had a cold May, which wouldn't have been nice for the bees,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30but they were busy enough and survived it
0:04:30 > 0:04:32and managed to build up to a decent brood size for June.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36And we had a nice June, a good June.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39So the bees were very busy in June, and there was plenty of nectar
0:04:39 > 0:04:43and pollen around and they started to bring in a lot of reserves.
0:04:43 > 0:04:44But then July turned wet.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47And by the end of August - we had another wet August -
0:04:47 > 0:04:50they had already started to eat into those reserves.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53There can be up to 50,000-60,000 bees in a colony
0:04:53 > 0:04:55and they all need to be fed every day.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57And if they can't get out to feed, they will eat the reserves.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00So we won't be taking much honey off the bees this year,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02simply because we want to
0:05:02 > 0:05:04leave them with the reserves that are there.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13so from earth to plate, I'm going to sample John's organic produce.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Not often we get the sea air dining alfresco-style,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19food straight from the field.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- You ready?- I am indeed, yes. - Let's tuck in, eh?
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Very sweet. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like tomatoes,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35- but THAT I could eat all day. - Wonderful.- Very nice.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Why don't you try a carrot, see what you think of the carrots?
0:05:38 > 0:05:39Very traditional.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- Any difference of flavour, these? Just normal?- You tell me.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48- Very nice, very sweet. - It's nice and sweet.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Well, the secret to retaining the sweetness in both tomatoes
0:05:51 > 0:05:55and carrots is, eat them fresh and don't cool them.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58The minute you put them in the fridge,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00they start to lose their sweetness.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02So if you can keep them at room temperature,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04they will always retain that sweetness for much longer.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Everything you see on this plate, bar that bread, is actually
0:06:07 > 0:06:10grown within 40 metres of here.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- Brilliant.- I feel very privileged - I eat this every day for lunch.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Well, thanks very much for letting me join you.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17- It was delicious.- My pleasure.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22# Well, my momma told me there'd be days like this... #
0:06:22 > 0:06:25But she also told me there would be days like this too.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Rain, rain, go to Spain, never show your face again.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Nope, doesn't work.
0:06:32 > 0:06:38# Into each life some rain must fall... #
0:06:38 > 0:06:40In the wettest areas of Northern Ireland,
0:06:40 > 0:06:45over 55 days of rainfall is the norm in the three months of winter.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47And over 45 days in summer.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50I'd like to be able to report that the sun shines
0:06:50 > 0:06:53continuously in summer, but that just wouldn't be true.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57# All the ducks are swimming in the water... #
0:06:57 > 0:06:59You'd be disappointed if I didn't say it,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01so I'm not going to let you down.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03It's great weather for ducks.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06# All the ducks are swimming in the water... #
0:07:06 > 0:07:08And this isn't an old wives' tale.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Research has confirmed that ducks like hanging out
0:07:10 > 0:07:14there in the pond to enjoy the rainy weather.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Something else that relies on rain is bogland, and the blanket bog
0:07:17 > 0:07:20of Cuilcagh Mountain in County Fermanagh
0:07:20 > 0:07:22is one of the finest examples in Western Europe.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34This may look like a nice scenic path
0:07:34 > 0:07:36for the ordinary rambler, but of course
0:07:36 > 0:07:39it's doing something important for the conservation of this area.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Yeah, the sole and only reason we put the boardwalk in is
0:07:43 > 0:07:45to help conserve the habitat.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48What was basically happening was, the footfall of walkers was
0:07:48 > 0:07:53eroding this rare blanket bog, so we had to take some remedial action.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Today is quite a nice day here, but it's not great for the midges here.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59We're being eaten alive. I think we need to go for a higher altitude.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Yes, I think so, try and find a bit of breeze.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09- We're halfway up.- Mm-hm. - It's longer than it looks, isn't it?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- Yes, indeed.- But some of the views, they are spectacular.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14The views are certainly worth it, there is no doubt.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16You're looking right across Fermanagh here,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20out into Donegal, Sligo, it's pretty breathtaking, all right.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31- So no trees.- No trees, no.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Peat is not a very good growing medium, so it is only
0:08:33 > 0:08:38specialised plants that can tolerate those nutrient-poor conditions.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46We are almost at the top.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48BARRA EXHALES
0:08:48 > 0:08:51'The trail across the bogland is over 7km long
0:08:51 > 0:08:55'and takes us to the summit of Cuilcagh Mountain, but so far
0:08:55 > 0:08:56'it's been worth it.'
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Well, here we are, Richard.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05Up to the top, 660 metres. And it's still quite squelchy, isn't it?
0:09:05 > 0:09:07You can really tell that the rainfall
0:09:07 > 0:09:09shaped this land in front of us.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Yes, it has a profound effect on the landscape around us.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14'And how important is the bogland and why?'
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Well, the bog is important in its own right for its biodiversity
0:09:17 > 0:09:19and its intrinsic environmental value
0:09:19 > 0:09:22but, equally, it acts as a carbon store.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25This blanket bog and other bogs in Ireland are literally storing
0:09:25 > 0:09:27millions of tonnes of carbon.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30The peak is basically vegetation which hasn't completely rotted,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33so it is locked away in the bog over thousands
0:09:33 > 0:09:36and thousands of years, so this is almost playing
0:09:36 > 0:09:39the same role as the Amazon rainforest
0:09:39 > 0:09:41in helping with climate change.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43This is a European protected habitat,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46and without that level of rainfall, it wouldn't exist.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48So essentially, you don't mind Fermanagh being called
0:09:48 > 0:09:50one of the wettest counties of Northern Ireland,
0:09:50 > 0:09:52- if not Ireland?- At times.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54No, on me day off I would rather it is a bit drier
0:09:54 > 0:09:56sometimes, but what can you do?
0:09:56 > 0:09:58But still, today the views are breathtaking, aren't they?
0:09:58 > 0:10:00It's fabulous, it really is.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13And from a breathtaking but treeless landscape, to a lush forestry,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16and my pathway to the underground, where the waters fell
0:10:16 > 0:10:20in Cuilcagh bogland have made their way to the Marble Arch Caves.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24- Michelle, how are you?- Hello.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25God, that's some walk. SHE LAUGHS
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Great weather for it, though, isn't it?
0:10:27 > 0:10:29- Yes, ready to go underground? - I am indeed, let's go.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- Follow me, we will head on in.- Perfect.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34'Michelle is going to be my guide through this fascinating
0:10:34 > 0:10:40'natural underworld of waterfalls, rivers, caves and winding passages.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42'It is beautiful and brilliant.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46'We are deep below Fermanagh, and you may be forgiven
0:10:46 > 0:10:48'for thinking that the weather above won't affect us, but it does.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Yes, it does.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52The rainwater that falls on Cuilcagh Mountain,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55it's actually the catchment area for the three rivers that
0:10:55 > 0:10:57flow into the Marble Arch Caves.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00We are actually making our way up one of the rivers,
0:11:00 > 0:11:01which is called the Cladagh Glen.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05So you can imagine that the weather that we experience in Fermanagh
0:11:05 > 0:11:09and in particular up on Cuilcagh Mountain has
0:11:09 > 0:11:11a large impact in relation to the show cave.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14We are able to come comfortably through this cave, but it all
0:11:14 > 0:11:18depends on the amount of rainfall that we get above, doesn't it?
0:11:18 > 0:11:20This cave tour is very much weather-dependent.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22There are days where we have to opt that we don't
0:11:22 > 0:11:24have a cave tour available.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26It really depends on the blanket bog,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29whether the blanket bog is dry or if it's saturated.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32It depends if it's a local rain or it has fallen at a distance,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and also depends what the rivers are like,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36if they have had a period of time where they have dried up
0:11:36 > 0:11:40or there is no water in it, that is why the staff that work here
0:11:40 > 0:11:42monitor the weather forecast on a daily basis.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44You're actually going outside
0:11:44 > 0:11:47and visually looking at Cuilcagh Mountain to see
0:11:47 > 0:11:50if it is under a cloud, if it's raining, what you think is
0:11:50 > 0:11:53happening on the mountain, because it has its own little climate.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56In terms of weather, what is your perfect scenario?
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Best-case scenario is probably the rarest situation that we
0:12:02 > 0:12:03ever have, a heatwave.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I knew you were going to say that. SHE LAUGHS
0:12:05 > 0:12:09But even at the moment, we have had a period, a whole week now,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12where we have had just dry weather. It's not hot, it's not sunny,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14but there has been no rain up on Cuilcagh Mountain,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16And that changes everything.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It changes the amount of water coming off the mountain,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21it changes the atmosphere in the cave.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25I really like it when we have had a little bit of rainwater
0:12:25 > 0:12:28and it is coming into the cave and the rivers are rising slightly,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30and you can hear the rumbling of the river.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32And that is part of the experience
0:12:32 > 0:12:34and the excitement for members of the public.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36So people who do arrive on a rainy day,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39I don't think they are losing out, I think they are seeing it
0:12:39 > 0:12:42in a different way, and to me that is what it is all about.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- Every cloud has a silver lining. - Yes, we could say that.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47THEY LAUGH
0:12:49 > 0:12:52The relationship we have with the weather is a complex one.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56We do enjoy sunshine, and we might complain about days being wet
0:12:56 > 0:13:01and cold, but rain is refreshing and wind is bracing.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04So I like to think that there is no such thing as bad,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06only different types of good weather.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11There is scientific evidence that the profusion of red hair,
0:13:11 > 0:13:16fair skin and freckles is the result of living in a sun-starved climate.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19I'm living proof. So there you have it,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22no doubt that the weather is part of who we are, what we are.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Until next time, bye-bye.