0:00:20 > 0:00:23Today I'm on a journey that weaves a path
0:00:23 > 0:00:27across the border between Northern Ireland and Eire,
0:00:27 > 0:00:33beginning here in the west, deep underground, and ending high in the mountains of the east.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38I'm starting my journey deep beneath the border
0:00:38 > 0:00:41in the Fermanagh and Cavan caves at Corralea.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43When I emerge, I'll head east to Aghalane,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46then follow the border, hugging the Ulster Canal,
0:00:46 > 0:00:52before ending my journey in the Mourne Mountains near Hilltown.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55And along the way I'll be looking back at the very best
0:00:55 > 0:00:58of the BBC's rural programmes from this part of the world.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Welcome to Country Tracks.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07This area of Northern Ireland is one of the country's hotspots for caving,
0:01:07 > 0:01:12with vast networks of tunnels and caverns up to 100 metres deep
0:01:12 > 0:01:14and as much as seven kilometres in length.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17- Hi, Marius. Good to meet you.- Hello. - Is this the cave?
0:01:17 > 0:01:21'My guide today is Marius Leonard, a qualified cave leader
0:01:21 > 0:01:26'who regularly takes visitors into these caves from his activities centre in Corralea.'
0:01:26 > 0:01:30- You OK?- 'This particular cave is known as Coolarkan.'
0:01:30 > 0:01:31Wow! This is amazing.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Yeah, it's quite a nice cave.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39'It enters the hillside at the bottom of a 15-metre waterfall.'
0:01:39 > 0:01:42OK, we're gonna need our lamps because it's very dark.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46- Let me just turn your light on. - There we go. All set up.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50- OK, that's us. Just be careful where you walk.- Will do.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53'Now, I must admit that descending into subterranean tunnels
0:01:53 > 0:01:56'wouldn't normally be my first choice for a day out.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59'But I'm actually getting quite excited.'
0:01:59 > 0:02:03This is absolutely amazing. It's nice and spacious, isn't it?
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Yes, it is, it's big at this point.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I'm really grateful you didn't take me down a squeezy cave.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Well, there are small caves as well, actually, with small passages.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16But this one here is quite an easy cave. It's a beginner's cave.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20- So, this part of Ireland is really good for caves?- Yeah, it is, yeah.
0:02:20 > 0:02:26Fermanagh/Cavan is one of the principal areas for caving, along with Clare, down south.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30And what is it about the geology of the area that forms all these caves?
0:02:30 > 0:02:35Er, we've got...it's basically limestone, limestone rock,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37that the caves are formed in.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41And what you've got is...you've got a reserve of water up on the moor,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43which is flowing off the moor.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47And as soon as it hits the limestone it'll find cracks in the limestone,
0:02:47 > 0:02:53and hence it makes that larger and larger throughout time, and hence we've got a cave.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58- And all the different types of caves as well that that brings... - Yeah, that's right, yeah.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01It'll bring vertical caves, or it'll bring horizontal caves.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05'The cave is chock full of fascinating rock formations,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08'such as flowstone, stalactites and stalagmites.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12'And there are some unusual deposits on the cave walls.'
0:03:12 > 0:03:15What are those shiny white bits on the ceiling?
0:03:15 > 0:03:17- Er, that's called cave silver.- Wow!
0:03:17 > 0:03:21And, er... you won't find it in every cave.
0:03:21 > 0:03:27It's unique to some caves, where you get a certain amount of humidity.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29And it's a bacteria that's growing on the ceiling.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33- So it's not actual silver? - No, it's not real silver.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36And you get droplets of water on it.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41And therefore, when you shine your light, it appears very silvery and sparkly.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45Goodness! It's a really, really good example.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48'Deep underground, in these magical caves, I can already sense
0:03:48 > 0:03:53'that this part of Ireland, not normally known as a tourist destination,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55'has a lot to offer visitors.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58'The landscape above ground is magical, too, as Adam Henson found
0:03:58 > 0:04:02'when he went on the trail of one of Ireland's best-known poets.'
0:04:09 > 0:04:13I've come to the Irish Wild West, on a mission.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15On a mission for adventure.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Known as the Land of the Horse, I'm planning a trek from the Atlantic,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22round Ben Bulben mountain, to Glencar Lough -
0:04:22 > 0:04:28following in the horsesteps of the great Irish poet Yeats, who once called this place home.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34County Sligo is in the north-west of Ireland, near the border with Ulster.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Riders are lured here by the chance to gallop on empty beaches, and a freedom to explore.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Tilman Anhold set up the Horse Holiday Farm here 34 years ago.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- So, what's this one called, then, Tilman?- This is Doonbeg.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Doonbeg is seven years old. He's an Irish draught.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55We bought him as a two-year-old, and we have him now five years.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58For leisure riding, you can't get a better horse than the Irish draught.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Ideal for what we're doing here, going cross-country,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04the jumps, going on the beaches, going on the stones and all that.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07- You can't beat them for that. - Pretty sure-footed?- They're very...
0:05:07 > 0:05:11They have five legs, you know, they always find another one!
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Just lead him around there...
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Here you have your map for the day, you see.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Just go down to the shore, take a left. Go as far as you can go.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24You see a little car park there. That is where people bathe a lot.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29- Go up about half a mile, mile. - Oh, what freedom.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Back again into Grange, where you stay tonight.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- Great!- All right? - So, who's riding with me today?
0:05:34 > 0:05:38Ian is for a couple of days. He's doing the same trek. He's a local guy.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- Hi, Adam, how are you doing? - All right, yeah.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45'It's a rare opportunity to go on a real adventure, with just a map and Ian as my guide.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48'I'm free to explore at my own pace, starting with the Atlantic.'
0:05:48 > 0:05:52And how long have you been riding?
0:05:52 > 0:05:5324 years.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Wow! Since you were two!
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Ha! Yeah! I like you!
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- Are those seals over there? - Yeah, yeah.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Wow, look at that!
0:06:06 > 0:06:09OK, so the shoulders back, the heels down.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11No problem, don't lose your nerve now.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14So, are these beaches free to ride on, Ian?
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Yes, all beaches are owned by the state, so they're completely free to ride on.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19But no bathers on this one?
0:06:19 > 0:06:22No bathers on this one.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25With the Atlantic coming in there, there's too many swells.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29It's something you don't come across much in England, being able to ride on the beaches.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32This is a real treat.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35That's great, isn't it? Fantastic!
0:06:35 > 0:06:40- They were a bit nervous going in the waves there, weren't they? - Yeah, yeah, they're coming in fast.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44'Some friendly Irish cowgirls explained how to cross to Dernish Island.
0:06:44 > 0:06:50'It needs to be done carefully, at low tide, to make sure you don't get stranded.'
0:06:50 > 0:06:54That's really good, Ian! What's this range of mountains called, then?
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- This is the Dartry range.- So, that's Ben Bulben at the end, is it?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- That's Ben Bulben at the end, yes. - Oh, what a magnificent sight.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- We'll ride around the back of it there.- A lovely strip of sand here.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10'Ireland is famed for training racehorses.
0:07:10 > 0:07:17'And, with all this hard sand, even novice jockeys like me are inspired to let fly.'
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- We'll go straight across there. - Yeah.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Oh, it's just so exhilarating!
0:07:27 > 0:07:31It's just fantastic fun. Wide-open spaces.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Check out the view. Unbelievable!
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Good boy!
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Oh, I think I might have clouted my family glory there a little bit!
0:07:39 > 0:07:41THEY LAUGH
0:07:41 > 0:07:46'Feeling saddle-sore, it was time for this red-haired ranger
0:07:46 > 0:07:50'and his horse to find a watering hole, in the small town of Grange.'
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- It's a bit like a horse car park, then?- Something like that!
0:07:54 > 0:07:58'This is a popular stop for all wannabe John Wayne's on the trail.'
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- So, what's next? - Head up the mountain, I think.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09You can have a drink here.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12There's a good lad. Go on, then.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Good boy. Go on.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17There's a good boy. Amazing.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22You've got a whole river, and you want his bit?
0:08:22 > 0:08:24I can see the bottom in here.
0:08:24 > 0:08:30'I could soon see what the local poet WB Yeats called bare Ben Bulben looming up ahead.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34'We just had to find our way around it today.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38'We came across what I thought were wild horses running free.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42'It turned out they were actually being bred up here.'
0:08:42 > 0:08:44There's a lot of horses here, Ian!
0:08:44 > 0:08:45Take your pick!
0:08:45 > 0:08:49- I suppose we'd better crack on. - Yeah.- Come on, out the way, horses!
0:08:52 > 0:08:55D'you know how high it is?
0:08:55 > 0:08:572,113 feet.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- You're making that up?- I'm not!
0:09:02 > 0:09:052,113 feet. Look at that!
0:09:05 > 0:09:08'After a long day in the saddle,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11'it was time to find my bed for the night, and say farewell to Ian.'
0:09:11 > 0:09:16- So, I think the road takes us down now to the horse bed and breakfast, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- All right, well, thanks a lot. - Good to see you.- Take care.- Bye-bye.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Thanks for looking after me.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27There you go. A bit more of a brush.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31What a spot to spend a night, eh?
0:09:31 > 0:09:33I suppose you're used to it.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37COCK CROWS
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Thank you very much.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43That's wonderful.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49A keen horseman, Yeats was inspired by the landscape of County Sligo.
0:09:49 > 0:09:55And the Nobel-prize-winning poet is a major attraction for the area.
0:09:55 > 0:09:56So, this is Yeats country?
0:09:56 > 0:10:03Yes, this is the country which is called after WB Yeats, and which he immortalised in his poetry.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08This wonderful countryside that he got to know when he was a schoolboy.
0:10:08 > 0:10:14His family came from this part of the world, and he spent so many of his holidays in his childhood here,
0:10:14 > 0:10:19that it became part of his life, and he said afterwards that he never
0:10:19 > 0:10:22wrote any poetry without having something of Sligo in it.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26And when it came to the end of his life, and he knew he wasn't going
0:10:26 > 0:10:30to last much longer, he asked that he might be brought back,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and be buried here in Drumcliff churchyard.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37Right, Adam, well, this is where we've arrived now at Yeats' grave.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Probably one of the most visited graves in the world.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43There's a very interesting story about this, because in 1938,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47just before he died, he wrote a long poem called Under Ben Bulben,
0:10:47 > 0:10:52and in that poem he gave full instructions about where he was to be buried,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54and what was to be put on this tombstone here.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55And he says...
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Under bare Ben Bulben's head,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05An ancestor was rector there Long years ago, a church stands near
0:11:05 > 0:11:07By the road an ancient cross
0:11:07 > 0:11:10No marble, no conventional phrase
0:11:10 > 0:11:15On limestone quarried near the spot By his command these words are cut
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Cast a cold eye On life, on death.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Horseman, pass by.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Well, thank you very much, Stella, that was lovely.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- It's probably time for this horseman to get back on his way.- I think so!
0:11:31 > 0:11:36Today, I'm heading to Glencar Lough, where I've arranged to meet the owner, Tilman.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38All I've got to do is find the way.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45'As I head up into the remote parts of the Irish Wild West,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47'I'm armed only with a small camera.'
0:11:48 > 0:11:53I'm climbing up Ben Bulben now, which is known locally as King's Mountain.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56The change of scenery is just fantastic, from being on the beach.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59It's a lovely time of year now, all the trees have got
0:11:59 > 0:12:02fresh green leaves, and the spring flowers have come out.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Little butterflies fluttering around.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07One man with his horse.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09It's just great, really.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11It's real escapism at its best.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14My route up took me along an old cart track.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19There were no signs, so you have to be careful where you go, as a lot of the land is private.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Although a lot of the beaches are free to ride on,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24quite a lot of the farmland is blocked to riders,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27although there are some permissive access routes.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30And unlike in England, where there's right to roam,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33here, farmers are quite protective of their land.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35'My plan was to reach the summit,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37'then make my way down to Glencar Lough.'
0:12:37 > 0:12:42Well, I've finally made it to the top. And what a view!
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Going back a few years, it must have been great being a stockman up here,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51working on horseback, or up in the forests.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53It's real wild country.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Amazing! There's Glencar Lough!
0:12:59 > 0:13:00Beautiful!
0:13:00 > 0:13:02And here comes Tilman!
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- How are you keeping? - All right, yeah. Good to see you.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10- Good to see you.- How are you doing, my friend? How are you?
0:13:10 > 0:13:12- Good, good, good. - Isn't it wonderful?
0:13:12 > 0:13:17This year, we've had it exceptional, we've had good weather since the middle of March, really.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19I thought it was always sunny in the west of Ireland.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Not always, but it's getting better!
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Look at all them shamrocks here, acres of them.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27- Lucky shamrocks, hey? - Lucky they are!
0:13:27 > 0:13:30The horses like them, they really like them.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37- Wow! What a view, Tilman, Glencar Lough, is it?- It is, it is.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39- Look at the mountains.- Wonderful.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41And then the lough runs into the sea?
0:13:41 > 0:13:42Runs down to the ocean.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45And that's a great river then for salmon.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49It's not hard to see why this place was such an inspiration for poetry.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54From the hills above Glencar
0:13:54 > 0:14:00In pools among the rushes That scarce could bathe a star
0:14:01 > 0:14:04We seek for slumbering trout
0:14:04 > 0:14:07And whispering in their ears
0:14:07 > 0:14:10We give them unquiet dreams
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Leaning softly out From ferns that drop their tears...
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Adam, in Yeats country.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Er, so, hence the name White Fathers Cave...
0:14:27 > 0:14:29'A few miles from the caves of Coolarkan,
0:14:29 > 0:14:34'south of the border, Marius and I are heading underground again.'
0:14:34 > 0:14:37So, the name of this cave is called White Fathers Cave.
0:14:37 > 0:14:43And it's named after the monastery, which is just above us,
0:14:43 > 0:14:48where the White Fathers missionaries stayed.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50And hence it gets the name White Fathers Cave.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56The big difference here is that the entire cave floor is a river.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00So, we're gonna get a little bit wet.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Erm, initially,
0:15:02 > 0:15:04up to your welly boots.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06- Wellies I can handle.- Yes.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10But then unfortunately, it goes up to your knees.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Oh, goodness! I don't like the sound of where this is going.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17And then it goes to your...hips.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Oh! Sounds...
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- You'll love that!- It sounds cold.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25But the water is tropically warm.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28I don't believe a word you've just said there, Marius.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Although you are launching in with quite a cavalier attitude.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36- I'm trying to teeter around where my boots don't...- There are palm trees round the corner.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41Right! I'm waiting for that moment where it breaches the boots.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45- It's coming, I can feel it.- Oh, yes, it's arrived! Over the feet!
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- Ah!- Cold!
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Ice-cold!
0:15:50 > 0:15:54That's FREEZING! And that's just the boots!
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Oh! People do this, do they?
0:15:58 > 0:16:01'OK, so I might be feeling soggy and cold,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04'but the formations here are truly wonderful.'
0:16:04 > 0:16:08So, what we've got here is a formation called flowstone.
0:16:08 > 0:16:14And it's the calcium carbonate, which is brought with the water.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19And as it flows along, the water flows along, it deposits the calcium carbonate onto the rock.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23And hence gives this formation.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26The formations certainly make up for the cold water.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Well, you know, actually, they do. This is amazing.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- Again, more flowstone. - That's incredible.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36It's different again, we've come round another corner, and it looks different again.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Yeah. It's beautiful here. You've got a different type of formation,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43on the ceiling, like a stalactite, only it's oozing out of the rock.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47And then below it, we've got again some flowstone,
0:16:47 > 0:16:52where the water's flowing, depositing calcium carbonate as it moves.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55- And the layers are so clear on here, it's amazing.- Yeah.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57And you've got these little pools.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Sometimes I imagine it looks like little paddy fields.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02It really does.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07And it's just kept in very pristine order. A lot of cavers,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10we don't go near it, we don't walk on it, we don't touch it.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13You know, it's great to see that you come down here as often as you do,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17and you act as a guardian and a custodian of the formations here.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20It's like the best field trip, coming down here. I love it!
0:17:20 > 0:17:24- Up to your knees... - Up to YOUR knees! Up to my thighs!
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Nice and slowly...
0:17:32 > 0:17:35And how long would this beautiful parasol here have taken to form?
0:17:35 > 0:17:42It's difficult to say, really. But generally, one thinks about a centimetre taking about 1,000 years.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47So, roughly, give or take, depending on the flow of the water,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and of the concentrate of the calcite in the rock.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52It's worth getting blue toes for.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55- It is certainly, yes.- Almost!
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- Shall we go on? - Shall we go on, yep?- Yep.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00'The peace and tranquillity of these caves
0:18:00 > 0:18:03'hasn't always been matched above ground, along Ireland's border.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08'Against the backdrop of some of the most beautiful countryside in the British Isles,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12'violence has blighted the lives of many communities living here.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16'In 1997, the peace process was in its infancy.'
0:18:16 > 0:18:18This is border country,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Because of the fear engendered here,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27many farming families fled to places that were safer.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32And now, despite all the uncertainties around the peace talks, which are due to start tomorrow,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34the process has begun of trying to persuade
0:18:34 > 0:18:37many of those families to come back.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42For nearly 30 years, since bombs and shootings became commonplace,
0:18:42 > 0:18:47the army has patrolled these lovely country lanes along the Ulster side of the border.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Despite the current ceasefire, there's still tension here,
0:18:50 > 0:18:55heightened last week by the IRA's refusal to accept the decommissioning of arms.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58But there is also talk of reconciliation.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02The farmers who fled from this predominantly Catholic area
0:19:02 > 0:19:05were all Protestants, people like William Long.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09He was also a part-time member of the Ulster Defence Regiment,
0:19:09 > 0:19:14as was a neighbour and friend murdered by the IRA in 1972.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19The security forces told me they couldn't protect me indefinitely.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22And the advice was to move to a safer area.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- What, as quickly as possible? - As quickly as possible, yes.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27So, how long after your friend was murdered did you move?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Nine days, exactly.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32And how much have you personally missed the farm?
0:19:32 > 0:19:35I mean, this has been in the family for 200 years or more, hasn't it?
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Oh, I don't know. I couldn't explain how much I missed it.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43I ended up, as you know, in the security forces, a full-time member of the security forces.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46But I wasn't a soldier. I was a farmer at heart.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51Some farmers in similar situations emigrated. Others moved to the towns.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Recently a Protestant group was set up
0:19:53 > 0:19:58to help those families who think they should now return to their land.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Now is the time we feel to take an opportunity to get together,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04and take in their experiences, and provide support to them,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06be it financial or emotional.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10And we realise that it is a very tender time in the peace process,
0:20:10 > 0:20:16but we're hopeful that we can get things moving, and we're not going to let the peace process
0:20:16 > 0:20:19get in the way of trying to do something positive for the community here.
0:20:19 > 0:20:24You've applied for funding, haven't you, to the reconciliation fund?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Why do you need this money?
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Well, really because the land hasn't been cared for, as it were.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33If the farmers had been there on site, they would have cared for it lovingly.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37As it were, they had to leave it, and let it out in many cases,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40so it was not cared for as an owner, if you like.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43So, drainage hasn't been taken care of.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Outhouses haven't been looked after as well as they should have been.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Concrete lanes weren't put in.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50All of that sort of area has to be looked at.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53And presumably the houses as well have been abandoned.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Yes indeed, these have to be looked at as well.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01The family who lived in this farm fled for their lives
0:21:01 > 0:21:04after a terrorist attack nearly a quarter of a century ago,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07hurriedly leaving behind many of their possessions.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10They started a new life many miles away.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Could you be tempted to move back into this house?
0:21:15 > 0:21:19- Yes, I think I could. - What would it take?
0:21:19 > 0:21:20Well, as you can see,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22the house is in a very bad state.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26So, a bulldozer to level it and build a complete new house.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29That would take a lot of money, wouldn't it? Have you got that cash?
0:21:29 > 0:21:35Well, we would hope the Government might provide us with some grant towards the cost of that.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38And you wouldn't be worried now about any danger in moving back?
0:21:38 > 0:21:41We're in a new situation now.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Plus the fact that I'm out of the UDR now for six years,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48I don't think it would be any great problem.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51John McClure is back rearing cattle on his land.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55All he wants now is to live here as well.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00This used to be one of the main roads across the border in County Fermanagh.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04But as you can see, it's not been used for a long time now.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09And the reason is that this bridge across the canal,
0:22:09 > 0:22:14which marks the border here, was blown up in the early 1970s.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18It was demolished to try and stop terrorists coming across from the Republic.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22And it happened shortly after a Protestant farmer and his wife
0:22:22 > 0:22:26were murdered just a short distance from here.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30One of their neighbours, who was related to the couple, lives here,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32in the nearest house to the blown-up bridge.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36Despite the horror of the killings, and threats to her own family,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39she and her husband decided to stay.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44But after your relatives were murdered, you must have been tempted to leave here?
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Yes, indeed, I was. And even coming up to that,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51there were times when I felt, what's the point of staying?
0:22:51 > 0:22:54There were so many instances, it just started off in a small way,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58and then there were buses being hijacked, and then there were buildings bombed.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00And then the murders happened.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04And there was also some claymore mines left at the back gate.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07- On your farm?- Yes, well, it's just outside the back gate,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09and it was just going into the hedge.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12I really felt that was a very sinister act.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- Buses were being hijacked, set on fire...- That's right.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18On one occasion, the fireman reversed back here
0:23:18 > 0:23:20with the bus still on fire.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23And then the terrorists started to fire, you know.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27And the bullets were whizzing past as well, so it was really quite a frightening time.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32- And yet you still stayed here? - My husband hadn't any intention of leaving,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34and I certainly wasn't going to leave him here on his own.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39He was like a lot of Irish men, he just said he wasn't going to move.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44Mrs Bullock, now a widow, still runs the farm with her sons.
0:23:44 > 0:23:50One of them has begun to repair the long-empty house of his murdered relatives, and intends to live there.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53It's part of a new, positive mood along the border.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56The road checks are still there. Precautions are still taken.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01It's too early to talk of things returning to the way they were before the Troubles.
0:24:01 > 0:24:07But the fact that Protestant farmers who fled now do want to come home
0:24:07 > 0:24:10is welcomed by all sections of the community here.
0:24:10 > 0:24:11Well, it'll be seen as the beginning
0:24:11 > 0:24:14of a rebuilding of relationships.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17You have to understand that the families who left here did so
0:24:17 > 0:24:19at the height of the Troubles,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22when there was a great deal of fear and tension in this community.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25That was during the 1970s and part of the 1980s.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29So, there is a feeling that it is time now
0:24:29 > 0:24:32that the conflict has ended, to begin the work of reconciliation.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35But there are long memories around here, aren't there?
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Yes, and reconciliation is something that is going to take a long time.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44Before the Troubles, relations in the community were very good.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48And I have no doubt that we can get back to that situation.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52For John McClure, if the talks starting tomorrow
0:24:52 > 0:24:56do bring permanent peace, the years of waiting to go home will be over,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58as they will for William Long.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03My father and my wife's people were both farming people.
0:25:03 > 0:25:09And it was terrible to have to leave it, and do something that you really didn't want to do.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14It would be great to be able to come back, and that there was peace in the country. I would love it.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19'12 years have passed since that report was made.
0:25:19 > 0:25:20'And although things are more peaceful,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24'none of the farmers featured have moved back into the area.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27'But Joan Bullock still lives here,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30'and I've come to find out from her how things have changed.'
0:25:30 > 0:25:34So, Joan, how does it feel seeing that archive piece, when we were here last, 12 years ago?
0:25:34 > 0:25:39Oh, well, it's much more peaceful now, and we're much more at ease.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42And with the opening of the road here,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45in 2000, it's made a big change as well.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49It opened up the whole countryside, and there's more coming and going.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53How have things been for you, and for the community, in the 12 years
0:25:53 > 0:25:56- since we were last here? - Oh, there's been a big improvement.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01You know, there was years of plenty, and now we're more in years of famine!
0:26:01 > 0:26:03But things were going very well.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06But the last few years it hasn't been so good on the farming scene.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11We saw how the farmers left the area and potentially wanted to come back. Did they do that?
0:26:11 > 0:26:17Well, some of the farmers who, erm, had to leave because of the Troubles, they haven't come back.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19But some of the other ones,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I think their sons have maybe taken over the farm,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24because they would be pensioners now.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29The renovation of Joan's son's house is now complete.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34But a general downturn has meant that he can no longer rely on a good income from farming.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35What other changes has the area seen?
0:26:35 > 0:26:40Well, just, erm, when the road opened here in 2000,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43four or five years before that, the canal opened.
0:26:43 > 0:26:49And they built new lock gates, and it's navigable now from Enniskillen right on.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52I think you can nearly go to Limerick, but it opened up
0:26:52 > 0:26:57a whole new tourist potential for the area.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00So have you seen more people using that and coming through the area?
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Yes, especially the first two years it was open,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04it was a wonderful summer.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07And everyone was interested in it, not only foreign people,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10but also people from the Republic, from Dublin,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13roundabout there. And they were all very keen.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16And we had some of the narrowboats over from England as well.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17It was really a lovely time.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20And more and more people are choosing to holiday in Britain,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24so potentially see some homespun tourists as well?
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Well, we haven't just the same infrastructure as you have round your canals in England.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31But it's beautiful countryside, and people really like it.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35It sounds very appealing to me, I'd certainly enjoy that.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Tourism may be the future.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41But traditionally, the land surrounding the border has been mainly used for agriculture.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45Just a few miles from Joan's house is Lough Erne,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47the home of some local pigs.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Go on, on you go!
0:27:54 > 0:27:56So, Pat, which island are we heading out to?
0:27:56 > 0:27:58We're heading out to Inishcorkish Island
0:27:58 > 0:28:01It's a trip approximately half a mile long.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04And it'll take us probably half an hour, you know, er...
0:28:04 > 0:28:08And it's very good grazing, isn't it? The food is good.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Well, the food really is natural. You've got natural herbs.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15Why should human beings tell a pig what to eat?
0:28:15 > 0:28:19How long have farmers been bringing pigs out to the islands to graze?
0:28:19 > 0:28:24We're right on the M1 here, of Lough Erne, it was the M1 of Fermanagh, hundreds of years ago.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26This was a thriving community of, you know,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30pigs coming out to islands, and other animals going out to islands.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34So, basically, you are doing what has been done in these parts for centuries?
0:28:34 > 0:28:36We're going back to understand about food,
0:28:36 > 0:28:40and we're bringing it into the future, to create a better food.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53Come on!
0:28:53 > 0:28:55You're free!
0:29:00 > 0:29:02How many pigs will you have on the island?
0:29:02 > 0:29:04Well, this is the first batch.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08We normally bring them over in dozens or twenties at a time.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10And it'll probably go up to 200 pigs, 250...
0:29:10 > 0:29:14- And how long will you graze them? - 10 to 11 months,
0:29:14 > 0:29:18- whenever they're ready for the next phase of their life.- Yeah.
0:29:18 > 0:29:25- How old are the pigs?- They're roughly about 12 weeks old, when they come onto the island, you know?
0:29:25 > 0:29:30And really, at the end of the day, they find that they will live 90% of their life here.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35Do you think because you graze them in this way, in such a natural way, that the meat tastes better?
0:29:35 > 0:29:39All the herbs they eat out here and various other thingies that they get
0:29:39 > 0:29:43will really create a bacon that we will be proud of, you know.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47So it's a signature of Fermanagh, really, it's fantastic.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50They were tucking into the nettles down there, so will they eat anything?
0:29:50 > 0:29:54- Well, have you ever tried nettle soup?- I haven't.- I think you should!
0:29:56 > 0:30:00Pat comes every evening for the first couple of weeks to feed the herd.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03They're then left to fend for themselves.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05We've only been here a couple of minutes and already
0:30:05 > 0:30:09the pigs have disappeared. There's no sight of them at all.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Well, you know, here, it's very, very easy to lose yourself.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Most of the pigs arrive here, that's them, they're away.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19I suppose like children arriving in a playground.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23- That's how you can describe it. - There's no housing here for them.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24Where do they sleep at night?
0:30:24 > 0:30:28At night, pigs generally will go into the undergrowth.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30They organise themselves head to toe,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33so one would have his head this way, another head is at their toes.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36They organise themselves in a long line.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38It's absolutely fantastic.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40So they have this life but then, ultimately,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42they're going to be bacon.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44To me, it's a love-hate relationship.
0:30:44 > 0:30:50Really, you get very attached to the animals, particularly out here.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53They do live a very nice lifestyle but eventually,
0:30:53 > 0:30:57you know, the Fermanagh Black Bacon has to survive.
0:30:57 > 0:31:02Some of your bacon is unique, isn't it, it doesn't contain any nitrates, any additives?
0:31:02 > 0:31:04Why adulter perfect food?
0:31:04 > 0:31:07We want flavours and tastes that are natural
0:31:07 > 0:31:09and we want our customers to be healthy.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19If there are around 200 pigs on the island here,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21how do you round them all up?
0:31:21 > 0:31:24Well, we've the biggest party you ever did see.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28First of all, you have to round up all the children from around Enniskillen.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32You bring them out here and they go through the island and at the end, when you get all pigs on,
0:31:32 > 0:31:35we've the greatest autumn party you ever did see.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39It's absolutely fantastic fun and they love it and the pigs love it!
0:31:45 > 0:31:49I started my Irish border journey deep in the caves at Corralea,
0:31:49 > 0:31:51before heading east to Aghalane.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56Now I've come to Benburb and the remains of the Ulster Canal.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06Back in 1841, the canal was built to link the Shannon-Erne Waterway with Lough Neagh.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09But its success was short-lived.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Today, it is all but invisible in places,
0:32:12 > 0:32:16but enthusiast Brian Castles has an ambitious dream
0:32:16 > 0:32:19to reopen the waterway as a pleasure ground for tourists.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24So, Brian, why is it important to open up this stretch of the canal?
0:32:24 > 0:32:29Well, the canal isn't all about boats.
0:32:31 > 0:32:36This will become the tourist icon for the future.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39This is the project that hopefully will rival
0:32:39 > 0:32:43the Giant's Causeway for visitor attractions in Northern Ireland.
0:32:45 > 0:32:51There were seven locks originally in this section of the Ulster Canal.
0:32:51 > 0:32:58And here you can actually see what remains of those seven locks.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01- Some of them have disappeared completely.- Wow.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05- You can see how narrow the lock itself was.- Gosh!
0:33:05 > 0:33:07You can see the wall,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10covered with lichen, covered with moss.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12It looks like something out of Lord Of The Rings.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Nature's taken over, hasn't it?
0:33:14 > 0:33:18Nature has taken over. Some of them have disappeared completely.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23- In fact, there's one or two which it's questionable where they are.- Oh, really?
0:33:23 > 0:33:26They're buried literally under earth
0:33:26 > 0:33:28that has been piled up on top of them.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32My idea is, rather than reinstate the locks themselves,
0:33:32 > 0:33:38to have a continuous boat lift from the bottom of the valley up to the top,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42- where the boat actually sails into a cradle.- Wow.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46And the cradle is taken along the gorge section, along the valley,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49right up to the mill at the top.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51And you can think of what this could be.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55This could be the Falkirk Wheel of Ireland.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59It could be the Anderton Boat Lift for this area.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03People are going to come and see this attraction.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07It will be quite spectacular in itself.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10People will sail here especially to use it, I should think.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15I would have thought so. Everybody will want to go and come and sail
0:34:15 > 0:34:17and see this section and experience the thrill
0:34:17 > 0:34:19of being part of a boat lift.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22One reason for the canal's failure was that it was originally
0:34:22 > 0:34:27built too narrow, a major problem when it comes to bridges and locks.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30Brian has a solution.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34So the plan is to retain the original structure,
0:34:34 > 0:34:36remove the towpath.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39That will give us adequate width.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42It will give us an extra five feet,
0:34:42 > 0:34:46making the navigation about 17 foot wide.
0:34:46 > 0:34:52When we come to the locks, it's a matter of moving the lock walls just that little bit further apart.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57The locks will have to be dismantled, stones numbered and put back
0:34:57 > 0:35:00in the same position as they were originally.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02But the lock walls, further apart.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04All the original stones will be used?
0:35:04 > 0:35:07All the original stones will be used.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10And luckily, that means this bridge will be able to stay?
0:35:10 > 0:35:14That means this bridge and the majority of the bridges along the canal will survive,
0:35:14 > 0:35:19because fortunately, most of the heritage structures are still in existence.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Fantastic.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26'Even previously unused areas could fit into Brian's new plans.'
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Wow, this is beautiful here.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32Well, this is the quarry area,
0:35:32 > 0:35:37part of the gorge again. This is where the stones were quarried,
0:35:37 > 0:35:40the stones for the bridges, the stones for the locks,
0:35:40 > 0:35:42the stones for all the infrastructure along the canal.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46It's a little bit overgrown. What are the plans for this quarry?
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Well, this could be a marina.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53What an iconic place for that, with floating berths
0:35:53 > 0:35:56around the old quarry itself.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00And boats being able to overnight here, to moor here.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05Brian's cross-border project has the support of the Inland Waterways Association Of Ireland,
0:36:05 > 0:36:10but the cost will be an estimated 120 million euros.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12It's a huge amount of work, the plan and the vision
0:36:12 > 0:36:16and driving the whole thing forward, getting the money together.
0:36:16 > 0:36:17What do you get out of it?
0:36:17 > 0:36:23Well, dare I say, Ellie, old men dream dreams.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26- Ah!- It's a vision of mine.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29I've been lobbying for the reopening of the Ulster Canal
0:36:29 > 0:36:32for virtually 25 years.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36I would hasten to add that perhaps at the start of that,
0:36:36 > 0:36:41folk would laugh at you, at the idea of re-opening such a canal.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44But today, they take the dream seriously.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49Because already the Republic's government have committed 34 million
0:36:49 > 0:36:52towards the first section of the canal being reopened,
0:36:52 > 0:36:56that from Loch Erne through to Clones. So suddenly,
0:36:56 > 0:37:00the vision is becoming a reality.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02And when will that work begin, the very start?
0:37:02 > 0:37:05That work will begin, diggers in the ground,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07hopefully by the end of next year.
0:37:07 > 0:37:13And by 2013, again we will see boats sailing on the Ulster Canal.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16So I can just see you in the marina somewhere there,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18having a cappuccino on your boat.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20- Or a latte.- Or a latte, exactly.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26If Brian's plan comes to fruition,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29the canal will once again run into Lough Neagh,
0:37:29 > 0:37:31the largest freshwater lake in Northern Ireland.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35For centuries, local communities have survived on eel fishing,
0:37:35 > 0:37:40but back in 2005, low level stocks were threatening their future.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46Eels spawn in the Caribbean waters of the Sargasso Sea,
0:37:46 > 0:37:49then the babies return to North America and Europe.
0:37:49 > 0:37:55Lough Neagh is famous for its eels which have provided a livelihood for generations of fishermen.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00It takes a year and a half for the eels just to get here
0:38:00 > 0:38:03to Lough Neagh, and if you want to catch them,
0:38:03 > 0:38:04well, you have to be up pretty early.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08It's five o'clock in the morning and we've been here for hours.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11There were once 250 boats on this water.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15In the 1980s, the number of eels across Europe suddenly crashed.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Though efforts have been made to replenish the lough,
0:38:18 > 0:38:20there are now just 53 boats
0:38:20 > 0:38:24and the future for Martin and his son, James, is far from certain.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26So, how many years have you been doing this?
0:38:26 > 0:38:30Well, I've been fishing from 12 years of age.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32I'm 40 now, almost 30 years.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34So why do you do it?
0:38:34 > 0:38:36I'm actually a fourth generation of the Donnelly family
0:38:36 > 0:38:38fishing eels on Lough Neagh.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41I love the outdoor life. Fresh air.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46So what's changed then, in the 30 years you've been on this water?
0:38:46 > 0:38:51The stock of eels has changed, drastically.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55It's nearly completely extinct in Lough Neagh, the eel.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58The Lough Neagh Fishermen's Co-operative runs eel fishing
0:38:58 > 0:39:03but the Donnellys and some other eelmen have reformed their trade union
0:39:03 > 0:39:07because they're unhappy with the way the co-op's managing the fishery.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09It's a disaster at the moment.
0:39:09 > 0:39:15Active fishermen have reported that this is the worse year so far.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17This was once a very lucrative business.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21So it's very, very worrying at the moment.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Where do you think, then, the co-op has been going wrong
0:39:25 > 0:39:27and what needs to happen now?
0:39:27 > 0:39:31Well, the first thing is that we feel there needs to be
0:39:31 > 0:39:34more silver eel escapement,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38that is that the mother eel be allowed to escape to spawn,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41because that will then be natural recovery.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45But in the meantime, what the co-op and the government need to do
0:39:45 > 0:39:51is to fund the recruitment of elver eels, of baby eels.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55The co-op points out it has introduced restrictions on fishing
0:39:55 > 0:39:59and research shows that substantial numbers of silver eels do escape.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02It's not just Lough Neagh that has suffered a decline
0:40:02 > 0:40:04in elver recruitment.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07That is European-wide and probably worldwide.
0:40:07 > 0:40:12The difference is that in Europe, they didn't buy any elvers to replenish stocks,
0:40:12 > 0:40:16they just left it until it got into a state of total crisis.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19We here have bought 70 million.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23To say that we have recruited millions of elvers
0:40:23 > 0:40:29sounds adequate, sounds big, but it's clearly not enough.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31The co-op now wants government help.
0:40:31 > 0:40:36Scientists say this local problem needs an international solution, so what caused it?
0:40:36 > 0:40:38The simple reason is we don't know.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42The very fact that it happened all over Europe at the same time
0:40:42 > 0:40:44in the 1980s would suggest very strongly
0:40:44 > 0:40:48that something's happened in the oceanic phase of the life cycle.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52What we do unilaterally on Lough Neagh
0:40:52 > 0:40:55doesn't really make a huge difference on its own.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58It's what's done over Europe as a whole that makes a difference.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01We need to restore the entire European spawning stock
0:41:01 > 0:41:04and many of the lost habitats and everything else on a European basis.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07So we're talking about a very long-term programme.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10It's local fishermen who are feeling the pain.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13Martin can keep less than half of the morning's catch.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17The rest he has to throw back because they're still too small.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21He claims 90% of them will die, as they're too damaged by hooks to feed.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23As to the future, he's not optimistic.
0:41:23 > 0:41:28There'll be a drastic finish to the livelihoods of a lot of people.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32And the youth, the children coming up, there's going to be nothing there for them.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36It's the end of a tradition if it keeps going the way it's going.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40By the evening, the eels will be in London or Amsterdam.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Jellied or smoked, wild Lough Neagh eels are a delicacy,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45but an increasingly rare one.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Over the past decade, catches have fallen by 50%
0:41:48 > 0:41:52and no-one's too confident about what will happen over the next decade.
0:41:54 > 0:41:59The latest figures show that restocking still continues in this heavily managed fishery
0:41:59 > 0:42:02and the Chief Fisheries Officer tells us that he doesn't think
0:42:02 > 0:42:06eel stocks have dwindled since 2005.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09My journey so far has taken me from
0:42:09 > 0:42:13beneath the border in the Fermanagh and Cavan caves at Corralea,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17then to Aghalane before following the route of the Ulster Canal.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21Now I've arrived at the majestic Mourne mountains,
0:42:21 > 0:42:25which have a striking man-made feature, the Mourne Wall.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29At 22 miles in length, the wall took 18 years to complete
0:42:29 > 0:42:32between 1904 and 1922.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Built by the Belfast Water Commission
0:42:35 > 0:42:38to enclose the water catchment in the Mournes,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42some argue that it's quite useless as it fences off about 9,000 acres
0:42:42 > 0:42:45of barren and desolate mountain.
0:42:45 > 0:42:50However, it brought welcome employment to those who toiled over its construction.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57I'm getting quite out of breath just walking up here in my backpack,
0:42:57 > 0:43:01so I can only imagine how tough it was for the poor souls that had to come up here,
0:43:01 > 0:43:05right to the top, to build the impressive Mourne Wall.
0:43:05 > 0:43:11You can walk the entire length of the Mourne Wall in one day, which is quite a challenge.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14But I'm told it's THE walk of the Mourne mountains
0:43:14 > 0:43:17and one of the finest in Northern Ireland.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22However far you decide to walk, the Mournes are easily
0:43:22 > 0:43:26the most picturesque mountain district in Northern Ireland.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30The views from any one of the 12 peaks are breathtaking.
0:43:30 > 0:43:36From up here, it's hard to imagine that Ireland's border has ever been anything other than peaceful.
0:43:37 > 0:43:42To symbolise the long and twisting path to peace,
0:43:42 > 0:43:46this maze has been constructed in Castlewellan Forest Park
0:43:46 > 0:43:50from 6,000 young yew trees.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54And the design is based on ideas from children all over Northern Ireland.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02My design is basically the difficult part at the start,
0:44:02 > 0:44:05kind of like a chicane that goes up and down.
0:44:05 > 0:44:10And it shows the ups and downs to peace and how hard and difficult
0:44:10 > 0:44:14it actually is, and how all the different ways there is to go.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18# All we are saying
0:44:18 > 0:44:22# Is give peace a chance... #
0:44:22 > 0:44:26Well, this pathway divides the two halves of the maze.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28And a lot of children in their entries said
0:44:28 > 0:44:31they wanted a divide because the people of Northern Ireland
0:44:31 > 0:44:35would have to cross a divide if peace is going to be permanent.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38And Mellissa, your winning entry isn't here yet, is it?
0:44:38 > 0:44:40- No, it's not.- What's it going to be?
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Well, it's going to be a water fountain symbolising how
0:44:43 > 0:44:46Catholics and Protestants drink from the same water and the same source.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50# All we are saying
0:44:52 > 0:44:55# Is give peace a chance. #
0:44:55 > 0:44:57And what is your fountain going to look like?
0:44:57 > 0:45:02Well, we're going to have little peace doves and hands clasped, sort of like that,
0:45:02 > 0:45:06to symbolise that the two religions are one and they can hold hands and be peaceful.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09And are you disappointed that your fountain isn't here yet?
0:45:09 > 0:45:13Well, peace takes a long time and the maze continues to grow every day
0:45:13 > 0:45:15so I'm sure it will be added soon.
0:45:19 > 0:45:24Well, this bell right at the end of the maze was your idea, wasn't it? Why a bell?
0:45:24 > 0:45:27So that it will encourage people when they hear the bell,
0:45:27 > 0:45:29to keep trying when they're lost.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32Me and Aaron thought of this together
0:45:32 > 0:45:35and when people get to the end, they could ring it
0:45:35 > 0:45:38to let people know that they've got to the finish of the maze.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41Well, give it a ring then.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45This is trying to convert ideas which are very raw
0:45:45 > 0:45:47into something which is very workable.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51And it has made something which is completely unique, I think.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53The hedge won't be more than 5ft high
0:45:53 > 0:45:55because we want people to be able to see across the top
0:45:55 > 0:45:57and not get this claustrophobic feeling
0:45:57 > 0:46:00that quite a lot of people do experience in mazes.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03And also, that they can get eye contact and shout across.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05We want people to shout, you know,
0:46:05 > 0:46:09we want people to actually engage with it in a very sort of vocal way.
0:46:09 > 0:46:10And why yew trees?
0:46:10 > 0:46:13Well, it has to be yew trees really. They're evergreen.
0:46:13 > 0:46:17I mean, we couldn't have a deciduous hedge here. We want evergreen peace.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20We don't want six months on and six months off!
0:46:20 > 0:46:23You'll notice that there are tall, thin ones and short, fat ones,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26that's because they are not horticulturally cloned
0:46:26 > 0:46:27but they're raised from seed,
0:46:27 > 0:46:30which means that they're all genetically individual.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34They, in themselves, symbolise a population of people,
0:46:34 > 0:46:38if you like, boys and girls growing together, forming that hedge.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42Here, we've got the rocky road in the peace maze. What do you think this means?
0:46:42 > 0:46:45You have to take your time as you go through it
0:46:45 > 0:46:49and sometimes you might stumble, but you have to get up and try again.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52THEY GROAN
0:46:52 > 0:46:53The road to peace isn't an easy one.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58Try not to fall off the rocks.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03It shows you that you have to go through different ways
0:47:03 > 0:47:06and sometimes you'll go the wrong way and come to a dead end and have to go back,
0:47:06 > 0:47:11but it's like there is always a path to get there if you try.
0:47:11 > 0:47:16It may seem strange, but this maze is one of Northern Ireland's best-kept secrets.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20And the reason is that it was officially opened last year
0:47:20 > 0:47:24on September 12th, when the attention of the world was not on peace,
0:47:24 > 0:47:29but on a terrorist outrage many thousands of miles from here.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32It has taken time for news to filter out that it's actually here.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34I think once we go for the world record,
0:47:34 > 0:47:38- there will be a lot of mileage in that.- The biggest maze?
0:47:38 > 0:47:40The biggest maze in the world.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44It's 1.1 hectares, which is 2.7 acres.
0:47:44 > 0:47:463.5km of hedge, 3.5km of path,
0:47:46 > 0:47:49the biggest in the world that we know about.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52A lot of people, particularly children, tend to come in here
0:47:52 > 0:47:57and treat the whole thing as a race, who can get there first.
0:47:57 > 0:47:58You see a lot of adults coming in
0:47:58 > 0:48:01and they are studying which way to go, this way or that.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03But it's a great leveller,
0:48:03 > 0:48:06because it doesn't matter if you are a highly qualified person
0:48:06 > 0:48:08or simply a child,
0:48:08 > 0:48:11finding your way can be a large element of faith and luck.
0:48:11 > 0:48:16And when you finally do get to the centre of the maze, you don't have to go all the way out again, do you?
0:48:16 > 0:48:20No, you have a straight way out, straight over the bridge.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23It was one of the things that we found very anti-climactic,
0:48:23 > 0:48:25that having found your way into mazes,
0:48:25 > 0:48:27you then had to find your way out again.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31The idea of the bridge came straight from the schools' design competition.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Once you've achieved peace, it's a straight road ahead.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Hopefully, yes.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45Seven years on and the 6,000 yew trees have matured nicely
0:48:45 > 0:48:48and the peace maze is now officially recognised
0:48:48 > 0:48:52as the largest permanent hedge maze in the world.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59For the final leg of my journey,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02I'm still in the Mourne mountains just a stone's throw from the maze.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06The Mournes may be one of the most beautiful areas in Northern Ireland
0:49:06 > 0:49:09but they can also be one of the most dangerous.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13Tonight, I've been invited to join the local mountain rescue team
0:49:13 > 0:49:15to see how they train.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17OK, Paul
0:49:17 > 0:49:21if you can do casualty this evening.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25The exercise is a basic search...
0:49:25 > 0:49:28Tonight's exercise will be a sweep search.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32One of the team will play the part of the victim and then it's up to the rest to find him
0:49:32 > 0:49:34and bring him safely off the mountain.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36So as he disappears into the hills,
0:49:36 > 0:49:40I've got a chance to chat to the team's chairman, Ed Kilgore.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42What kind of area do you cover?
0:49:42 > 0:49:46Basically, we tend to treat just the Mournes as our main area.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48We will go anywhere in Ireland.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51We have been on call. We were on call for 9/11, so we'll go international.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55We link with the teams in Scotland, England and Wales and they with us.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59We're all sort of in the mountain rescue council, so we all kind of link across.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03So we're available anywhere. But mainly we call the Mournes our patch.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05But they're an area which has to be treated.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09Even though they're reasonably small in height, the weather can change.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13Even today, you can go from this to mist and fog in half an hour or so.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16And if you haven't plotted where you are, you're in trouble.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20Even some of our own guys have not been sure where they were.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23With the volunteer victim well out of sight on the hillside,
0:50:23 > 0:50:26it's time for the rescue team to mobilise.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30So you've got no idea how far away the victim could be?
0:50:30 > 0:50:34No. In a search situation, the victim could really be anywhere.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37What you have to do is try to prioritise
0:50:37 > 0:50:40where you think they may well be and work towards that.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43So it could be anywhere within this mountain range.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47You could be out here for a long time, you really don't know where the casualty is?
0:50:47 > 0:50:49No, we do prioritise the areas where we are searching.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52This particular area, we have identified
0:50:52 > 0:50:57or narrowed it down to this area before we commit the resources that we have done for a sweep search.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59Because as you can see, it's slow,
0:50:59 > 0:51:02it's very manpower consuming and can take a lot of time.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06You need to be confident that your casualty may well be in that area
0:51:06 > 0:51:07before you commit those resources.
0:51:07 > 0:51:13So tonight is a practice run. What kind of real call-outs do you get?
0:51:13 > 0:51:15We get everything.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19When you're called, that's one of the challenges of mountain rescues,
0:51:19 > 0:51:22you never know what you're going to be faced with when your pager goes.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25- Sure.- We've had from the very serious
0:51:25 > 0:51:27right down through to the very silly,
0:51:27 > 0:51:32someone's batteries dying in their head torch or somebody's tent flooding during the night,
0:51:32 > 0:51:36or something as simple as someone's just disorientated
0:51:36 > 0:51:41and can't find their way back to their car in the middle of a Forest Park.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43So it does go from the very simple
0:51:43 > 0:51:46right through to the very extreme and more serious incidents.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Of course, the weather conditions tonight
0:51:49 > 0:51:52make this search relatively straightforward.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54But it's vital that the team hone their skills
0:51:54 > 0:51:56for when the serious calls come in.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04Today, I've been on a journey across the borderland
0:52:04 > 0:52:06between Northern Ireland and Eire.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10I began underground in the caves near Corralea.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12I travelled to Aghalane and then followed the border,
0:52:12 > 0:52:17hugging the Ulster Canal before reaching my final destination,
0:52:17 > 0:52:19the Mourne Mountains near Hilltown.
0:52:19 > 0:52:23I've been taking part in a mountain-rescue training exercise
0:52:23 > 0:52:25and now I've returned to the car park
0:52:25 > 0:52:30to see how new technology is helping to revolutionise mountain rescue techniques.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34Ed, it's really hi-tech in here, what's it all for?
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Basically, I'm tracking the guys out on the hill.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38Each circle is an individual.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40I mean, I can go as far as putting their names on
0:52:40 > 0:52:43so I know who each person is.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46And as they move, you can actually see them working across the hill,
0:52:46 > 0:52:47this is the search pattern.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51As they move forward, you can see them moving on the actual map.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54This is showing where the actual people are walking.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57So what is it that the guys have got on them to send a signal?
0:52:57 > 0:53:00Basically, their radio microphone has a GPS transceiver.
0:53:00 > 0:53:07Their little radio simply picks up GPS and when they send a radio signal back to me, I get that information.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10The computer gives me a circle and just joins up the dots as they walk.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14- And it's as easy as that.- How does the technology help you do your job?
0:53:14 > 0:53:17Basically what it does, it cuts down a lot of radio traffic
0:53:17 > 0:53:19and a lot of people on the ground having to stop
0:53:19 > 0:53:21and constantly check and tell me where they are.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25I can see exactly where they are and as the search goes on,
0:53:25 > 0:53:28I can, on occasion, see areas that may have been missed.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30In the past, we wouldn't have known that.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34So it can speed up the search, but also in the dark of night,
0:53:34 > 0:53:37it means that we are watching them and keeping them safe.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39This is really what this is about,
0:53:39 > 0:53:43it's us looking after our own people as much as the casualty.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46Once I find a casualty or they find a casualty,
0:53:46 > 0:53:48I have a grid reference to where they are straightaway.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51I can pass that to helicopters or other agencies,
0:53:51 > 0:53:54or to the other teams and tell them exactly where to head to.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58Out on a hillside, it looks like one of the team has spotted something.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00Casualty located.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03And that shows up immediately on Ed's computer.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07There's a bit of a change there, so I would say roundabout this stage
0:54:07 > 0:54:09I'd be suspicious that there's a find been made.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13- Cos the formation has changed? - The formation has changed and that...
0:54:13 > 0:54:18Because they've broken into their search groups, I'd say there has been a find made at that place.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21There you are, they have all moved in.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Everybody's in now and they're into the first aid stage.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28So a good outcome. Thanks to the hard work, dedication
0:54:28 > 0:54:33and expertise of the mountain rescue team, and help from their new technology,
0:54:33 > 0:54:37our volunteer casualty is carried off the mountain safe and sound.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41My journey has woven a path along the border
0:54:41 > 0:54:43between Northern Ireland and Eire,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46and I've been absolutely wowed by its natural beauty,
0:54:46 > 0:54:49from the calcite formations deep underground in the west
0:54:49 > 0:54:52to the windy mountains high in the east.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57And from a troubled past, I've been really struck by a very positive outlook for the future.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd