0:00:02 > 0:00:06This is Donegal - one of the most beautiful counties in Ireland
0:00:06 > 0:00:09and a magnet for thousands of northerners
0:00:09 > 0:00:12who break for the border every chance they get.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15I know that any time I've been I've really enjoyed it.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25This is Jake O'Kane.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27We've known each other for over 20 years.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30He lives in North Belfast and really hates the idea of leaving it.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Jake just doesn't get Donegal. Well, we'll see about that.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41So I'm taking Jake way out west for the weekend to explore the county
0:00:41 > 0:00:45the guidebooks, but no-one else, calls the Fort of the Foreigners.
0:00:45 > 0:00:46Except, he doesn't know it yet.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- Where are you taking me? - Donegal.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Aaah-ah-ha-ha!
0:00:52 > 0:00:53What?
0:00:53 > 0:00:55You said Ibiza!
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Who wants to go to Donegal?! There's nothing in Donegal.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01There must be something in it. Look, everybody goes.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04They own caravans there, they're building wee houses everywhere.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06There must be something to it.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08I like it. Any time I've been, I've liked it.
0:01:08 > 0:01:09JAKE GROANS
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Ah, stop moaning.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15It better be better tomorrow. It better be better tomorrow.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18It better be better tomorrow. It better be better tomorrow.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20- SAT NAV:- 'Say house number, street and town.'
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Fanad.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23Fanaaad.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24'I didn't get that.'
0:01:24 > 0:01:25Oh, for f...
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Excuse me...
0:01:27 > 0:01:28I don't know what I came in for.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36I go hundreds of miles. That's a holiday.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40I don't want to meet anybody I know, don't want to see anybody I know...
0:01:40 > 0:01:42- Daniel.- What?- Daniel.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Take me to see Daniel and that'll do.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46I've always wanted to meet Daniel O'Donnell.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Move the cars out of the way. We're going to Donegal.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55There's a big section of people watching this
0:01:55 > 0:01:57would think that we're going abroad.
0:01:57 > 0:01:58JAKE LAUGHS
0:02:03 > 0:02:06- There's no signs for the border, right?- No.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I can feel when we cross.
0:02:09 > 0:02:10Wait for it.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13- Wait for it.- Very nearly.- I think...
0:02:13 > 0:02:15- You can feel it. Can you feel it? - Wait.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Free at last! Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last!
0:02:18 > 0:02:20COLIN LAUGHS
0:02:20 > 0:02:22You can't tell the difference any more either
0:02:22 > 0:02:23whenever you cross the border.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26It used to be the roads were worse. Remember the roads?
0:02:26 > 0:02:30- It was like the mountains of... - North, North, North, North, South!
0:02:36 > 0:02:37'We're only minutes over the border
0:02:37 > 0:02:40'and Jake's already finding reasons to be unhappy.'
0:02:40 > 0:02:44This is what I'm talking about! This is exactly what I'm talking about.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46This is June and we're going to get hypothermia.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49We have photographs of us on holidays in Donegal.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53One of them I'm standing in the sea up to my knees with a coat on.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Where are we staying?
0:02:57 > 0:02:59In the heart of Downings.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00Downings. I've heard Downings is nice.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Right in the centre of the action. Authentic.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06That's what I've chosen.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10- The hotel?- To the... Not that one. It's a wee bit further on.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Here we go.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15Oh, yeah.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Come to Donegal, you've got to live the dream.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- You're joking. Aren't you joking?- No.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24To get the full Donegal experience,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27you've got no choice but to stay in a caravan.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32I don't know which one it is though.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Mayfair Super!
0:03:41 > 0:03:431961, maybe.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Enter the spacious lounge area...
0:03:48 > 0:03:51with seating that probably turns into a bed.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Serving area through here.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57Here we go - kitchen...ette.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00This is like Grand Designs.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04I like the stain on the mattress.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06The stain on the mattress, that's...
0:04:10 > 0:04:11Master bedroom.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12That's where I'm staying.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16You can stay in that one, I'm staying in the big one.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18There's a bunk bed, look.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20This is the thing - it's the privacy,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24that's my favourite thing about these places.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Listen. Can't hear a thing. Hear that soundproofing?
0:04:28 > 0:04:30What did you say?
0:04:30 > 0:04:33- Is this everything you dreamed of? - Everything I dreamed of and more.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35I'm not staying here. I'm not staying here.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39I'm not going to sit here looking at you. Pub, any pub.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- You don't even drink. - I don't care. It's better than this.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47The caravan parks in Downings are full of Northerners,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51which means at the weekend the pubs in Downings are full of Northerners.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53So we're popping in to meet one of them.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00- Colette, you have a caravan in the place where we're staying.- Yeah.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02You come up here a lot?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Eh, yeah, I would come up...
0:05:04 > 0:05:05Well, I take five weeks off in the summer
0:05:05 > 0:05:07and I come up for five weeks in the summer.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09So you save your holidays up
0:05:09 > 0:05:10- and do them in one? - So where do you teach?
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Oh, I don't teach. Sorry...
0:05:12 > 0:05:14THEY LAUGH
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Why have you kept coming back?
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Because you develop your own friends.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24For the people who have been here for 30, 40 years,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28it's just the way of life that we have led.
0:05:28 > 0:05:29It's what we know.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33You know, I have friends who have good jobs,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35but at the same time they still love the caravan site
0:05:35 > 0:05:37as opposed to building a house.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Is there a rivalry between the people
0:05:39 > 0:05:41with the different caravan parks?
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Cos there's more than one caravan park here.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- Is there certain rivalries? - No, no, no, no.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- I don't think there is. - "Are you not at the front?"
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Well, there is a bit of that, I think, to be fair.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Of course there is. Are you one of the front ones?
0:05:52 > 0:05:54- The very front, yeah.- Oh, excuse me.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58- Very front, with glass.- We're not. - You're all right. You'll be OK.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01You can come and visit me if you want to look at the sea or anything.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- You're all right. - Some of them are quite swanky.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05- Some of them are. - Not ours, I have to say.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Not the one that we're in tonight. Nothing swanky.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10- There's nothing wrong with it. - Have you no central heating?
0:06:10 > 0:06:12- What? BOTH:- No central heating?
0:06:12 > 0:06:14- There's no central heating. - I didn't...
0:06:14 > 0:06:16know you could get central heating.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Yes, central heating and double glazing.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- What?!- And double glazing.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28My choice tomorrow night. My choice tomorrow night.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29Colette has central heating.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Colette's got a caravan, but Colette's got central heating.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34What do you get? Hypothermia Hotel.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35I didn't know they had central heating.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36You could have checked!
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Tomorrow night we're staying in a hotel. I'm serious.
0:06:39 > 0:06:40I'm not messing about with this.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42We're staying in a brick building with central heating.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44COLIN MUTTERS Yeah, yeah, exactly.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47It better be better tomorrow. It better be better tomorrow.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49It better be better tomorrow. It better be better tomorrow.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- Say it again.- It better be better tomorrow. It better be.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53- Sh. Sh!- There's nobody here!
0:06:53 > 0:06:55There's nobody to hear us, that's the point.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- We're the only people here. - That's not right.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Well, that's the one good thing about nobody else being here -
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- it's that nobody's looking out at us.- And nobody can hear me scream.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09That's true. In Donegal, nobody can hear you scream.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11That should be the tourist board slogan.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19SPOON CLANGS You snore.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20- I didn't hear anything. - I'm happy for you.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Despite all the slagging, all the messing yesterday,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25it was comfortable, wasn't it? I slept like a log.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29- You snore.- What? - You snore loudly. All night.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- I know.- Yeah.- So, breakfast?- Food.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34As in, did you bring breakfast?
0:07:34 > 0:07:36I didn't bring breakfast.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39You didn't bring any? Seriously?
0:07:39 > 0:07:40Oh, for...
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- Go to the shop, go to the shop.- OK, I'll go for a pee and then we'll go.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Hurry up. OK.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48COLIN HUMS
0:07:48 > 0:07:51URINE TRICKLES
0:07:51 > 0:07:53JAKE GROANS
0:07:53 > 0:07:55At least it's stopped raining.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I know a place we can buy some breakfast,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06but finding the road to it, or any actual road,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08is proving a wee bit tricky.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Oh, look at this! Ooh.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15We've got grass in the middle of the road.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16That's a Brazilian.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18THEY CHUCKLE
0:08:18 > 0:08:21This is the difference. Weather changes, this place changes.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25That is glorious. I think we might actually be lost.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27We are lost. The roads are getting narrower.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29SAT NAV BEEPS
0:08:29 > 0:08:30Navigate to Fanad.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34- SAT NAV:- 'Say house number, street and town.'
0:08:34 > 0:08:36- What?! - Fanad.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37Fanad.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Fanaaad.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40- 'Falkland...'- Falklands?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- Back!- Back.- Back.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43SAT NAV BEEPS
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- 'Sorry, I didn't get that.' - Back.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50No. How can we no... That's even stupider than this. No, stop.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- Stop! - I'll do it as Patrick Stewart.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55- IMITATES PATRICK STEWART:- Fanad!
0:08:55 > 0:08:56Main Street, Fanad.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59'I didn't get that.'
0:08:59 > 0:09:01- Oh, for f...- Fanaaad!
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Yes.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08'Main Street, Main Street, Main Street, Main Street.'
0:09:10 > 0:09:11Up you, GPS.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20At last, a classic Donegal shop. O'Kane is going to love this!
0:09:23 > 0:09:24- Hello.- Hello there.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Good afternoon.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27Jesus.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37I don't know what I've come in for.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Whatever it is, it's here. That's the thing.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43What don't you supply?
0:09:43 > 0:09:45It'd be easier to actually say what you don't sell.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48We like to do a wee bit of everything here.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50I suppose it's a real country store here,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53so we try and accommodate everybody and leave nobody stuck.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59This is the original Lidls.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02We met a fella outside. He said, "That's a great shop in there.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06"You can buy half a pound of nails and a pound of butter."
0:10:06 > 0:10:07THEY LAUGH
0:10:09 > 0:10:10What's the weirdest thing you have?
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Yeah, what's thing that you bought, "This is definitely going to sell"
0:10:13 > 0:10:15- and you've never sold any of them? - Em... It's funny.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Stuff can sit there for about two or three years
0:10:18 > 0:10:20and the next thing you'll sell two or three of them.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22We sold a couple of plungers this morning.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26It must have been a rough night up at the pub last night.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27- Plunger you've got.- Yeah.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29- Varnish?- Yeah.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- Bread obviously.- Yeah.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33- Light bulbs?- Yeah.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38Not one type of...but two types of raffle tickets.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44- Wellies.- Yep.- The boots? - Yeah.- Are you serious?- Yeah.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47No, no. No, you're kidding me.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49JAKE LAUGHS
0:10:51 > 0:10:52- A wreath.- Yeah.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55How long are yous here?
0:10:55 > 0:10:59- About 150 years. - Are you serious?- Yeah.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00It's been a long time.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01That is brilliant.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Excuse me.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07Ah.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12- I thought of something. - Go.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15What about the old...condoms?
0:11:15 > 0:11:17JAKE LAUGHS
0:11:18 > 0:11:19He looked this direction.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22I'm not too sure, boys, but there used to be ones up there.
0:11:22 > 0:11:23- There used to be?- Yeah.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Where are yous off to next?
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Em...surfing.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Surfing?
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Surfing is one of the main reasons why people from Northern Ireland
0:11:39 > 0:11:42love Donegal, so it's only right and proper that we give it a go.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45This is Duncan - a buff surfer boy from Bangor who's showing us
0:11:45 > 0:11:47the ropes...and his pecs.
0:11:48 > 0:11:54- So a board for us, something with... - Middle-aged written on it.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- Yeah. And stabilizers.- Fat.- Fat.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59When we're starting lessons,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01we generally use the softer boards here.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Nice, easy waves, get you guys up on your feet.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Heaps of fun.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- Do you live here now?- I do, yeah. Yeah, I live here all year round.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- And surfing is the thing that keeps you here?- Yeah, pretty much.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14You can surf pretty much every day of the year.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18And do you get many people from home here?
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Yeah, most of our clients will come over from Belfast.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I'm from Bangor and I've moved up here so I can surf more.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24We'll get a lot of people.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26It's only two-and-a-half hours down the road,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28so there's a lot of people coming up.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31And do people from Northern Ireland have a natural ability and balance?
0:12:31 > 0:12:32No.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37OK, guys, so we're just going to grab the boards and bring them out
0:12:37 > 0:12:41to about waist-depth - so just where these waves are breaking.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42Nice and slow.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Once we've done three or four waves, we'll get you guys up to your feet.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Plan? Happy enough?
0:12:52 > 0:12:55I know Jake can't swim, but can he surf?
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Ah!
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I think I swallowed something.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Dear Lord, I will never do this again.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10That was brutal. My back's wrecked. Wrecked!
0:14:10 > 0:14:14- It was fine. It's going to take me THEE osteopath...- THEE osteopath?
0:14:14 > 0:14:16THEE osteopath.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18As we say in North Belfast, THEE.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20We are not staying in a caravan tonight.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23I am arranging accommodation tonight.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25You don't do caravans, North Belfast.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27I pass Twaddell every day.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I wonder if anybody's mistaken that as a campsite.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Seriously, I wonder if any tourists...
0:14:34 > 0:14:38- AMERICAN ACCENT:- Oh, look there's a place we can park up in our RV.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40A hotel is, "Oh, can I have dinner?"
0:14:40 > 0:14:44"Oh, sorry, it's 9.10, we stopped serving at 8.00."
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Nobody wants dinner after 8 o'clock.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Well, it's better than having to make your own dinner.
0:14:49 > 0:14:50Breakfast at 8.30 in the morning.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Better than having no breakfast at all.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57Twitter suggestion - check out Brendan in Fanaghy.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- Where?- Fanaghy.- Dunfanaghy? - Is that what it is?- Yes.- Oh, right.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06I don't do Twitter, but Jake's followers are sending us
0:15:06 > 0:15:09to some fella who's guaranteed to bring out Jake's inner child.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12He says he's got fairies at the bottom of his garden,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I don't do Twitter.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24JAKE MUMBLES
0:15:27 > 0:15:29- Brendan.- Oh, hello. How are you doing?- Jake.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31- You're very welcome, Jake.- Colin.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Colin, how are you? You're very welcome.
0:15:33 > 0:15:39Can't help but, eh, notice... Is it a designated day?
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Well, as it happens, it is one of those days
0:15:41 > 0:15:44when we have more English or British people here than normal.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48So whatever is the predominant number of people we have,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50we fly their flag on the day, yes.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52That's a system people might adopt.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55That may be something that would go.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58This is beautiful.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01But it's unusual in the sense that you have things here that
0:16:01 > 0:16:05maybe you wouldn't have in a Northern guesthouse. You have a fairy grotto.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Yes. When people arrive with their children
0:16:07 > 0:16:10and I mention about the fairies, the eyes light up, so I point
0:16:10 > 0:16:14out on the skyline that perfectly conical hill
0:16:14 > 0:16:16is called Crocasidhe. It means the hill of the fairies.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- That's right. I want to see the grotto.- Great.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27You said you've had poets and writers and things
0:16:27 > 0:16:29that have come down here for a bit of me time.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32People come to practise music, write their poems,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34pray, meditate, whatever they like.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35It's just a quiet spot.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Of course, if you knew nothing about all the things I've said, it's just
0:16:38 > 0:16:42a nice, quiet, natural spot with only the sound of the little stream.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49I'm not sure... A very positive man, a very positive man.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Do you ever think of having something down here,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54maybe just for a laugh, tell them all of this
0:16:54 > 0:16:57and then put a little speaker up somewhere
0:16:57 > 0:17:00and then you could be up in the house and go, "I'm behind you"?
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Well, I'll tell you something that I actually do get.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06About four times a year, I get a letter addressed to
0:17:06 > 0:17:10My Fairy Godmother at Corcreggan Mill, Dunfanaghy.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13It's from a little six-year-old girl in the North.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15There's no stamp on it, so I have to pay double the postage.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Then she's telling me about all the things that are happening at home
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- and please could you fix this or fix that.- Ah.- Really lovely.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24It's nice to have magic. I don't know whether it's true or not,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27but it's nice to have the thought of it. I like this too.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29But I'm a bit freaked out,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32cos I'm waiting for somebody to tap me on the shoulder.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Sitting in that grotto, you were sort of...
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- What? Were you starting to feel something?- Could be something.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45But it might be the seawater I drank earlier.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47- It could be that.- Mm.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Could be mild dysentery.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55So, unhappy with last night's sleeping arrangements,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Jake's sorted tonight's accommodation,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01though, I'm telling you, that caravan will take some beating.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- Where did you find this?- Oh, now...
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- Was it a recommendation? - It's a recommendation.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10- It's like one of your caravans up near the front.- Oh, yeah.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12- You know, rather than where we were. - Yeah.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Anyone can get in!
0:18:17 > 0:18:19As long as you pay the price.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Dump the bags, and we'll head in to Donegal.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Actually you'll probably leave the bags at reception
0:18:25 > 0:18:28- and a little man will take them. - Oh, someone will come and...- Yeah.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30It's one of those hotels.
0:18:30 > 0:18:31Is this expensive?
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Holy Moley.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Cabaret!
0:18:35 > 0:18:36Are we on?
0:18:43 > 0:18:45# Well, Danny was a young man... #
0:18:45 > 0:18:49So we've dropped our bags and headed into the big smoke - Donegal Town.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51It's Saturday night, and again
0:18:51 > 0:18:53the place is full of people from our side of the border.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56They're here for the dancing, and to enjoy the headline act -
0:18:56 > 0:18:59a fella from Portaferry with the showbiz name Stephen Smyth.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02# ..bring him home. #
0:19:02 > 0:19:05We've been watching, and I was thinking, "Some of these people
0:19:05 > 0:19:07"aren't going to last till two in the morning,"
0:19:07 > 0:19:08but you said that's not true.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11They'll be here at two o'clock in the morning, trust me.
0:19:11 > 0:19:12- Seriously?- Absolutely.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Stephen, it's a big draw for Northerners,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21an awful lot come across the border specifically for this weekend,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23- they'll book themselves in, be here. - Very much so.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25This thing is a Friday-Saturday-Sunday.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28You've two bands Friday, two bands Saturday,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30and you've Sunday afternoon and you can stay here in the hotel
0:19:30 > 0:19:33on the Sunday night for an extra tenner or something.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37- It's the Woodstock of country. - Absolutely!
0:19:40 > 0:19:42HE SINGS
0:19:42 > 0:19:45We were talking earlier about Uncle Hugo,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48and how important Uncle Hugo is.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51You were saying he's the man, he's the John Peel of country music.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55- Cos I can see, can you not see that there is...- Don't insult the man.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Right?
0:19:58 > 0:20:00There was something about...
0:20:00 > 0:20:02He doesn't have half as much jewellery.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Or half as much money, I guarantee.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05As Uncle Hugo.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10If it weren't for Hugo, country music wouldn't be as big
0:20:10 > 0:20:12in Northern Ireland, or Donegal, for that matter.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17# Every Monday morning he'd be sitting in his home... #
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Probably one of the biggest experts from Donegal
0:20:19 > 0:20:22- has got to be Daniel.- Oh, Daniel! We're meeting Daniel.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26He has opened up a lot of doors for a lot of different bands
0:20:26 > 0:20:28and he has made so many fans worldwide,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30but a lot of people come to Donegal
0:20:30 > 0:20:33because of that connection with his name, as well.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41This is people coming out for a good time,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44and people have met at our dances and they've got married.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46If you ask somebody where they met, you know...
0:20:46 > 0:20:47This is the Grindr for country?
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Absolutely!
0:20:49 > 0:20:50THEY LAUGH
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Do you even know what Grindr is?
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- Do you know what that is?- I heard it somewhere!- I certainly don't.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00- You do? Ohhh!- I said I don't!
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- I think he meant Tinder! - Tinder? Is it Tinder?
0:21:03 > 0:21:05All right, OK.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07- Grindr's a whole other world.- Is it?
0:21:07 > 0:21:08Yeah!
0:21:12 > 0:21:14It was like being at a wedding
0:21:14 > 0:21:16when you didn't know who was getting married.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- And you can't dance.- It was bizarre! - You don't know how to dance.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- Nobody gets turned down. There's hope for you.- There's hope for me.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Doesn't matter what age you are, if somebody asked you to dance,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- the women never, ever said no.- Good.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39- Thank you very much. Thank you. - Would you like some black pepper?
0:21:39 > 0:21:41No, that's lovely. Thank you.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46What's this?
0:21:46 > 0:21:48This is breakfast. This is civilised breakfast.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50No caravan, no making it up.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53This is my Donegal.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56You have your Donegal - this is my Donegal.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59- Can't sleep in here, though. - I slept upstairs.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Do you know, there was a hallway into my room.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04First time in my life, there was a hallway!
0:22:04 > 0:22:06There was a coat stand on the way into my hotel room!
0:22:07 > 0:22:11My wife phoned me, it took me about three minutes to get to the phone.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13I ran.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15I ran up the...
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Took me two seconds to run the length of the room.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Only a spade would do that.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- Gentlemen, is everything OK for you? - Lovely, thanks very much.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25- Cheers, thank you.- Enjoy.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33HE MIMICS WAITER'S ACCENT
0:22:33 > 0:22:36"Milady!" Ooh!
0:22:36 > 0:22:39"I'm not worthy to be here!"
0:22:39 > 0:22:40Ssh!
0:22:40 > 0:22:42CONTINUES MIMICKING WAITER
0:22:45 > 0:22:48"It's lovely of you to have us here."
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Look at this.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55I think this bit of Donegal people don't realise is here.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59See these places? You could be saying, "What for like does it take
0:22:59 > 0:23:02"to get me a cup of tea?" - they will come with your tea,
0:23:02 > 0:23:03- "Thank you, sir."- They won't,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05cos they won't understand a word you've said!
0:23:05 > 0:23:09- IN STRONG IRISH ACCENT: - Can I get a wee cup of tea, like, know what I mean?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Lovely. Beautiful, so it is.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12This is the last day.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14This is the perfect way to start the last day.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Now, you promised me Daniel.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Well, we'll go to the place and see.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20There's a visitor centre or something.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Shrine. The word you're looking for is shrine.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Do your Daniel.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31HE IMITATES DANIEL
0:23:33 > 0:23:36- Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet?- No. - Are we nearly there yet?
0:23:36 > 0:23:38- Are we nearly there?- Yes.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41'And for the perfect end to Jake's weekend,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44'we arrive at Daniel's Den of Antiquities.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46'But this ain't no Graceland.'
0:23:51 > 0:23:52Jumper.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- Jumper.- Donegal uniform.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58He's the only man in the world famous for jumpers.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00That's hand-knit.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- That's not, that's Dunnes. - That's not Dunnes! That's hand-knit.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Some wee woman's got arthritis in her fingers knitting that.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- That's brilliant.- Trend-setter.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11That's Donegal! You wouldn't be wearing a suit in Donegal.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16"Sometimes I don't look my best in live pictures
0:24:16 > 0:24:18"because when I'm singing, there's no time to pose."
0:24:22 > 0:24:23That's quite grungy.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25That's quite...
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Most other performers put something down their trousers.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31- Daniel doesn't need it! - He took something out.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Big day.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Oh, whoa.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41This is all a bit personal.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44But that's what they want. That's what his audience,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46- they want...- He does let people in.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Look, there's the wedding video!
0:24:48 > 0:24:49You're joking.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54That's their wedding video!
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- That's very private stuff. - This is what they want.- I know.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03It's like you broke into his house.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08You don't realise how big he is.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12- Three million.- In America? - Three million.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14- I didn't know that. - Do you know the other thing?
0:25:14 > 0:25:16This is the thing gets me.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19He hasn't aged. This is clean living. You should pick up on this.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22- Think it's a wee...? - I don't think he does.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Genuinely, I don't think he does get work done.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27- Oh! I never knew he got an OBE. - Did he?
0:25:27 > 0:25:30He couldn't go in to Buckingham Palace to get that.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- Prince Charles came to Dublin... - Why couldn't he go in to get it?
0:25:33 > 0:25:34He's an Irish citizen.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- So he's not allowed to go into... - Buckingham Palace?
0:25:37 > 0:25:41- Yeah.- No, they wouldn't trust you. - Wow!
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- Hello.- Is he here?
0:25:45 > 0:25:47No, sorry, Daniel's not here.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48Daniel's in Tenerife.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51- Tenerife?- Tenerife.- You said he was going to be here.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53I said there was a possibility!
0:25:53 > 0:25:56It's like going to visit Elvis and Elvis is not here.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58He's dead! Elvis is dead!
0:25:58 > 0:26:01I know, well, Daniel's alive! But he's in Tenerife.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03I'll take a mug for the wife.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05I have them already pre-packed.
0:26:05 > 0:26:06Oh, you're good.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08I'm ready for you.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11I actually do want a mug for the wife.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13She says I never bring her anything back!
0:26:15 > 0:26:17- What's that?- Ten euro, please.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Ten euro. Thank you very much.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22- Thank you.- No wonder he's in Tenerife!
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- Know what I love about the countryside?- What?
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- Quiet.- Tis.- Collect your thoughts.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41- Peace and quiet.- Meditate.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42Meditate.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Drink it all in.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Jesus. Midges!
0:26:52 > 0:26:54What's that?
0:26:56 > 0:26:58- Give us some.- Nope!
0:26:58 > 0:26:59- Oh, come on.- Nope!
0:26:59 > 0:27:02- Give me some!- Nope!
0:27:02 > 0:27:04- Give me some midgie stuff!- Nope!
0:27:04 > 0:27:06- For God's sake!- Ten euro.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08- What?- Ten euro!
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Give me ten euro and I'll give you the midgie stuff.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Unbelievable.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24- It doesn't work, by the way.- What?!
0:27:24 > 0:27:26It's deodorant.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31So have you been converted, then?
0:27:31 > 0:27:33- I've been converted. It is nice. - It is.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35It's been surprising. All right, sir?
0:27:35 > 0:27:36- How's it going?- All right.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37And you?
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Not too bad, not too bad.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Getting eaten alive, but not too bad.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44- Friendly locals! - Yep, friendly people.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46They wave at you, they talk to you.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49- You wouldn't get that at home.- No.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- So you're converted then, you like Donegal?- I like Donegal.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Donegal's a nice place.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55- Can you see why people come here? - I can see why people come here.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58- I can see why people stay here! - Yeah?- Yeah.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00But I want to go home!
0:28:01 > 0:28:05- You've only been away a weekend. - I know, but I want to go home.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07I yearn for...asphalt.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Street lights.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15It would be lovely if they moved it closer to Belfast.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16That's all I'm saying.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21- And killed off the midges.- Yeah.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27- Are you bored?- Yeah.- Yeah.