Official Synopsis
This film shows the living cultural heritage of transhumance in Europe: moving livestock to different grazing grounds in a seasonal cycle that goes back as long as people have been farming in the region. In Clare County of Ireland, the filmmaker follows the Burren Beo group through their Winterage Festival celebrating this ancient tradition that allows the region’s unique plant and animal life to flourish. Here, the highlands are grazed in the winter and the lowlands in summer. This is contrasted with the movement of livestock in the north Italian Alps, that are taken to the mountain pastures for the summer.
Filmmaker Biography
Filmmaker(s): Christopher O’Donnell
Christopher O’Donnell is an Irish documentary director and heritage consultant specializing in traditional agricultural practices, winterage grazing, and living cultural landscapes.