0:00:20 > 0:00:25Today I'm travelling along the east coast of Northern Ireland, discovering the agriculture,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28landscape, history and culture
0:00:28 > 0:00:31of this unique part of the British Isles.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37My journey begins in the potato fields of Comber
0:00:37 > 0:00:39before heading to Newtownards.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I'll drive the spectacular Antrim Coast Road from Larne to Glenariff
0:00:43 > 0:00:45and visit Dunluce Castle
0:00:45 > 0:00:49before ending my travels in the seaside town of Portrush.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Along the way I'll be looking back
0:00:50 > 0:00:54at the best of the BBC's rural programmes from this part of the world.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56This is Country Tracks.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04Between 1845 and 1851, Ireland was blighted.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09A potato famine killed over a million men, women and children,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11while over a million fled the country.
0:01:11 > 0:01:17But despite its grim history, the potato has remained an important staple food to this day.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23Garth Horner's family have grown potatoes in the fields of Comber for over 300 years.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Today I'm helping out on his rather noisy harvester.
0:01:27 > 0:01:28So, Garth, what are we doing here?
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Well, Ellie, potatoes are going to come up this elevator here
0:01:32 > 0:01:35and we're going to pick the potatoes into this one, all the good ones,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37and leave all the rubbish to go out this elevator here.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42- Have you got to work quite quickly? - We have to. They're too expensive to let over into the soil.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Yeah, yeah, you're not kidding.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48These are no ordinary spuds.
0:01:48 > 0:01:55The potatoes from this area are so sought after that the earliest harvested can fetch up to £50 a bag.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57What is it about these potatoes that are so special?
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Northern Ireland people pride their potatoes.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05These are the first potatoes out in the year. They're full of flavour.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10I'd say they're the best. I've travelled all over the world
0:02:10 > 0:02:14- and I'd say that these are the best potatoes I've ever tasted.- Oh, wow.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Garth isn't the only one to think that Comber spuds are the best in the world.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25Some local farmers are campaigning for recognition under the EU protected food name scheme
0:02:25 > 0:02:30so that their potatoes can enjoy the same status as champagne or feta cheese.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It's quite fast work.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Oh, aye, you get used to it.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36- Got to work quick.- That's it!
0:02:36 > 0:02:41With such a reputation, I want to taste these Comber potatoes for myself.
0:02:41 > 0:02:47Local chef Stephen Taylor-Winter has offered to cook them up for me in the farm kitchen.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49So Stephen, what are you making here?
0:02:49 > 0:02:55We're going to make you a nice pot of champ, which is a good, Northern Irish traditional dish.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57It's spring onions, potatoes,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00which you've just seen, and some butter and some cream, of course.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Traditional champ would be lumpy or smooth or however?
0:03:03 > 0:03:07It would probably be lumpy because traditionally they wouldn't have such,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09the modern appliances we have to spin it,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13so there would necessarily have been a bit of lumps to it, you know?
0:03:13 > 0:03:18- Irish people aren't too fussy. - It's a bit of texture, after all. - Yeah, a bit of texture.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21In here we've got a wee bit of spring onions,
0:03:21 > 0:03:26some butter and there's not cream in this one, but there's milk.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31You can put cream, because the cream is richer, more flavour, and what we've done is literally
0:03:31 > 0:03:36brought that to boil, a little bit of flavour of the scallions comes into the cream and the butter.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- So what are scallions? - Scallions are spring onions,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43which again are coming out of the ground at this time of year, which are perfect.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45- Are they local, too?- They are.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48They're literally 100 yards down the road.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50This is why it tastes so good.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52We just gently mix that through.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55You only want to put a wee bit in at a time.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57It's really lovely colours as well.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01So what is it about the potatoes here that in your opinion,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03as a professional chef, are the best for the job?
0:04:03 > 0:04:04I think it's the ground.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06It's the nutrients in the ground.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09We're very close to Strangford Lough, the soil tastes good,
0:04:09 > 0:04:15it tastes good for these spuds, and the farmer here, Garth, he has every different type of potato.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20So if I'm cooking, I'll tell him what I need and he'll either pick them for me or he has them.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25- Wonderful.- Personally, I think this is one of the better regions in Ireland for growing spuds
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and that will possibly translate to one of the better regions in the world.
0:04:28 > 0:04:34The potatoes which you picked this morning would give Jersey Royal potatoes a good run for their money.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38- They're absolutely... Well, you'll taste that in a minute.- I will. - So we'll just finish the champ.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41There's not too much butter and there's not too much cream in that.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46You can put more in. The French equal quantities of butter to potatoes into their mashed potatoes,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49- but in this day and age you can't be having any of that.- Exactly.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52What we're going to do is finish with the tops
0:04:52 > 0:04:55of the spring onions because these are nice, green things.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56I usually just throw those away.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01No, no, no. Slice those through because that will give you a nice bit of crunch and more flavour.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Very, very beautiful. Very traditional Northern Irish dish.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- The smells in here are making my stomach rumble. - Well, that's a good thing
0:05:08 > 0:05:12because we've got very, very simple food here.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Simple food can sometimes be the best.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19It's interesting because as the potatoes came out of the ground the smell was amazing and, in here,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21you've carried that wonderful smell on.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25You've got, with the potatoes picked this morning, the natural vitamins,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28the natural sweetness, it hasn't got time to dry out.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33Sometimes the potatoes that we'd buy in the supermarket have been there up to six months.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Of course, to finish the champ...
0:05:37 > 0:05:40..in Ireland, we just need a wee bit of butter...
0:05:40 > 0:05:43- Yeah.- ..and I'd just put some salt and pepper into that.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47That looks absolutely amazing.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50- Who says vegetarians have got a short deal?- That's a good point!
0:05:50 > 0:05:51That's fantastic, you know.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54That's just to die for.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Stephen, you're killing me. Please can I try them?
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- Of course you can. There's a spoon there.- A spoon here.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03This bit, I'm looking forward to.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Here we go. Dive in.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- I've got a whopping bit there. - That's OK.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- Mmm. That's fantastic.- Yeah.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17You just, to be perfectly honest, for a wee supper dish, you could just have a bowl of that.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Salt and pepper, job done.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23To read your face, you're enjoying that. That's all I need. Thank you.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24Fabulous.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Fresh, local produce at its very best.
0:06:29 > 0:06:36If that's got your taste buds going, nearby Strangford Lough is renowned for its sensational seafood.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44Local people have lived off marine life in Strangford Lough for centuries.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48Now sea farming is being brought right up to date with new research into aquaculture.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Basically, that's underwater agriculture using the latest
0:06:52 > 0:06:56scientific techniques to farm the lough in a sustainable way.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04One such example is seaweed, which people have used for centuries in a huge variety of ways.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10Dr Lynn Browne of Queen's University Marine Laboratory took me out to collect edible seaweed.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15What sort of seaweed are we looking for today?
0:07:15 > 0:07:16We're looking for a seaweed
0:07:16 > 0:07:18which is called dulse,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20the Latin name is Palmaria palmata
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and it's a red seaweed which grows in Strangford Lough.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25People have been gathering it for hundreds of years.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29They have. The fleet from Portaferry was known as the butterfly fleet
0:07:29 > 0:07:34because here were lots of little, brightly coloured punts which were rowed down the narrows
0:07:34 > 0:07:40on the outgoing tide and these multi-coloured boats looked like butterflies going down the lough.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43It can be eaten but there are other uses as well, aren't there?
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Yes, seaweed actually has lots of different uses.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50It's been used in the past in glass-making, soap making,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54in bleaching linen, and also it has medical uses.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Dulse has been shown to have some anti-viral properties.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59It's effective against herpes.
0:07:59 > 0:08:05Also, seaweed is used in making ice creams and toothpaste and lots of very familiar products.
0:08:05 > 0:08:12Gus Heath from Dolphin Sea Vegetables still harvests seaweed off the rocks in the traditional manner.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14How much have you collected, Gus?
0:08:14 > 0:08:16About 10 bags.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18That's about all for this morning.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23- How long did it take you?- Two hours. - You're very much governed by the weather, are you?
0:08:23 > 0:08:28Very much governed by the weather and the tides. This is the dulse, the most popular one.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- Can you eat it raw like this? - Yes, yes. It's crispy.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37- It's quite tasty.- Without it being treated? Let's have a look.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39I haven't actually tasted that before.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Mmm, it is.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43- It is good.- Yes.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48On the banks of the lough in Portaferry is Queen's University Marine Laboratory,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53where they're working to develop aquaculture as a sustainable industry.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56They want to enable Gus to harvest seaweed all year round.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00The team have experiments bubbling away. They're growing seaweed
0:09:00 > 0:09:04and shellfish from seed with the aim of expanding sea farming in Northern Ireland.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09Lynn has helped find a way to commercially farm dulse seaweed for the first time
0:09:09 > 0:09:14by nurturing spores from the wild and then putting them out to grow on strings in Strangford Lough.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Is there any seaweed growing on the lines yet?
0:09:16 > 0:09:20There's thousands of microscopic plants on these lines at the moment.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25You can't see them because we just put them out there about a week ago, but in about two months the plants
0:09:25 > 0:09:32will be 10 centimetres long, and after about six months the plants will be approximately this size.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36You can see this lovely, clean material that we harvested earlier on.
0:09:36 > 0:09:42This is what we'll find on our lines. We've done this over several years and it works successfully.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50One of the big aquaculture success stories around here
0:09:50 > 0:09:56is this oyster farm on Sketrick Island which is on the western shore of Strangford Lough.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59It produces 40,000 oysters every week.
0:09:59 > 0:10:05It's run by John McElreavey over here who's harvesting the oysters at the moment.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07John, you've been here for 20 years.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10You supply all the big retailers, don't you, in the restaurants?
0:10:10 > 0:10:14- Yes, we do, yes.- I love oysters but I didn't realise collecting them was so mucky.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Well, as you can see, it certainly is.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20They're growing here in as near as possible to a natural environment.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22We've just put them out.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25- This is actually matting. You can see there.- Oh yes, I can.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28The mud underneath is very soft, and if we lay the oysters in the mud
0:10:28 > 0:10:31they would just bury into the mud and smother.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35So we lay down this matting, we put the oysters on it and leave them there to happily grow.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38And when the tide comes in, it covers them?
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Yes, we're at low tide here now.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43In about 6 hours' time there will be 12ft of water over here.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Obviously that helps to nurture them, bring them on?
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Yes, there's a good flow of current here.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Good food and water, so they're quite happy here.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56How long does it take for them to get to the required size?
0:10:56 > 0:10:58With us it takes somewhere between two and three years.
0:10:58 > 0:11:05These are all come out at the same size about four or five months ago, and you see the difference there.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07- Why is that? - It's just the way they are.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08Very variable rate of growth.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12When you've picked enough and you bring them in, you wash them all off,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15but there's another process you put them through, isn't there?
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Yes, we do. We could take this oyster, simply wash the outside of the shell,
0:11:19 > 0:11:23clean it up and sell that to anyone, to a restaurant or anyone to eat straight away.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Because of the quality of the water, the water classification is such
0:11:26 > 0:11:29that these are fit for human consumption straight from the sea.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31- Because it's so clean?- Yes.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37You can't get much fresher than this.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Six of John's oysters from the waters of Strangford Lough, and on the side,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45some seaweed bread, also from Strangford.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47So here goes.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53And even more delicious
0:11:53 > 0:11:58because I've seen those lovely, clear waters that they were reared in.
0:12:05 > 0:12:12Overlooking Strangford Lough stands the impressive Scrabo Tower with a history linked to the potato famine,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15so I've travelled on to get a closer look.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22This turreted tower stands at around 150 metres above sea level.
0:12:22 > 0:12:29Its walls are over a metre thick and it's built entirely out of stone quarried from this hillside.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Erected in 1857, the tower was built by local people
0:12:34 > 0:12:40as a monument to Charles William Stewart, the third marquis of Londonderry.
0:12:40 > 0:12:46He was held in high regard for his attempts to alleviate suffering during the potato famine.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50His generosity and kindness to his tenants gained him a level of respect
0:12:50 > 0:12:54which wasn't commonly given to the landed gentry. The tower was built in his memory.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59The views up here are stunning.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Just over in that direction is the huge expanse of the sea and, on a clear day like today,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06behind me you can see right out to Scotland.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11The rest of my journey is going to take me up this coast past the town of Hillsborough,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15where Ben Fogle ate more than his fill of oysters.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20The Hillsborough Oyster Festival is in its 12th year,
0:13:20 > 0:13:25and its oyster eating championship has attracted competitors from 11 different countries.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27And me.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29This is it, the main event of the day,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32the World Oyster Eating Championships.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Last year, they managed 187 in three minutes.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Is he swallowing them all?
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Six, five, four...
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Yes! Well done, well done! Give them a round of applause,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- ladies and gentlemen. That's fantastic.- How did you do on that?
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- How many did you get?- 135.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06How is that compared to your normal sort of eating?
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Normal? I've never eaten that many.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12You get to a level where your body just says, "No more."
0:14:12 > 0:14:17When did it say that to you? After roughly how many?
0:14:17 > 0:14:18- Around 80.- Oh...!
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Go!
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Here they go.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Ben is doing all right, I think.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28I detect signs of weakening.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30I must say, Ben is very polite.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33He's cleaning his fingers after every one.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35The fellow had his lunch before he came up here.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38The stout is coming up. Always a sign of weakness.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41He reaches for the stout.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44What's the time like there? How's the time?
0:14:44 > 0:14:47A sign of good taste when you reach for the stout. Two minutes to go.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- Two minutes to go? - One, one minute to go.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52You don't know how horrible this is.
0:14:52 > 0:14:59- There's a man up there at the end. - Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03three, two, one, zero.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06No more, no more, no more!
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Argh!
0:15:09 > 0:15:11That was horrid.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13- Ben, how do you feel? Do you feel OK?- No.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15No. No.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- That was horrible.- You didn't do... - I finished a tray.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23That's about 40... About 40, I'd say. About 42, 43.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Has he eaten those or did you regurgitate those?
0:15:30 > 0:15:32That was horrible.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Ben Fogle has scored 52.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38Give him a round of applause, ladies and gentlemen. 52, yes.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40How great is that?
0:15:40 > 0:15:43- Excellent, well done.- Absolutely brilliant. There you are.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Go one, give him a big round of applause, please.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49'This year's winner guzzled an astounding 171 oysters
0:15:49 > 0:15:52'and took the cup home for Wales.'
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Well, what a brilliant day at the Oyster Festival here in Hillsborough.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Though I have to say, I think I'm going to leave oyster eating to the professionals.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03I'm going to go and have a little lie down.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Leaving the oysters of Hillsborough
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and Scrabo Tower behind,
0:16:09 > 0:16:10I've headed north to Larne.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12For the next leg of my journey
0:16:12 > 0:16:13I'm going to travel
0:16:13 > 0:16:15along the Antrim Coast Road,
0:16:15 > 0:16:16said to be
0:16:16 > 0:16:17one of the greatest
0:16:17 > 0:16:20tourist attractions in Northern Ireland.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23'And with petrol prices on the increase, I'm going electric.
0:16:23 > 0:16:29'I'm joined by Olivier Vander-Elst, whose company promotes the use of electric cars in Ireland.'
0:16:29 > 0:16:31SHE CHUCKLES
0:16:31 > 0:16:35- And off we go! As quiet as a mouse. - That's it. Just a whizz.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38So, Olivier, this is a bit of a departure, isn't it,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41to take an electric car out of a city and on to the country roads?
0:16:41 > 0:16:43It certainly is.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47In London you have all the cars, 1,200 of them, in the city.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52In Ireland we've had pioneers from all around the country driving the cars in a rural environment,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55as long as the distances are kept short.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Absolutely. From a practical point of view,
0:16:58 > 0:17:04how easy is it to have one of these cars when it comes to refuelling and recharging, rather?
0:17:04 > 0:17:06In truth, we've never had anybody run out of juice
0:17:06 > 0:17:10because most of the charging happens at night in your house.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13It's a problem when you have an apartment and you don't know
0:17:13 > 0:17:16where to charge, and running cables through the windows,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20but in a countryside environment, most people have their own driveways,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24and they can just have an extension lead and charge up every night.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25Absolutely.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30'The Antrim Coast Road was built in the mid-19th century following the potato famine.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35'It was primarily designed to make the glens more accessible, but thanks to the skill
0:17:35 > 0:17:37'of designer Charles Lanyon,
0:17:37 > 0:17:43'it also became one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the British Isles.'
0:17:43 > 0:17:47I'm having a great time here. It really is very quiet, isn't it? I love it.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50This is such a beautiful drive we've got here.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53You've got plans with your company to allow tourists
0:17:53 > 0:17:56to hire electric cars and come and enjoy these types of drives?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58That's definitely a plan.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03We just think it's a beautiful way to enjoy a natural, scenic environment like this.
0:18:03 > 0:18:09There's many other coastal routes in Ireland that we'd like to explore with electric vehicles.
0:18:09 > 0:18:16It goes really hand-in-hand with the landscape, without being an intrusive, big, combustion engine.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18- That's it. It's peaceful, it's really peaceful.- It is.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21It's quieter from the outside than it is inside.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24That's the funny thing about this specific car, anyway.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29Does that mean people step out in front of it like they would maybe a quiet milk float or a cyclist?
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Do they not even know you're coming?
0:18:31 > 0:18:34There can be a problem there. It hasn't been a problem so far
0:18:34 > 0:18:37but because they're seeing a lot of cars coming in that will be electric,
0:18:37 > 0:18:43they're going to put some fake sounds, engine sounds on those cars.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So far we've just been putting some additional noise
0:18:46 > 0:18:51that you can trigger when you're in a pedestrian zone or something.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54- And you have always got the horn. - You always have the horn.- Exactly.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56That's great. I love that.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58HORN BEEPS
0:18:59 > 0:19:02'As our journey continues up the Antrim Coast Road
0:19:02 > 0:19:05'we pass through the fishing village of Carnlough,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08'where competition in the annual gig race is fierce.'
0:19:16 > 0:19:18How long has the club been here, Alan?
0:19:18 > 0:19:22We're at this club now present, probably been in 1950s, 60s.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26It had been stopped during the war years, but they started to decide
0:19:26 > 0:19:30it would be worthwhile bringing the club back into existence again,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34so this is what we've done and we're still going now in the present.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36And how long have gigs been used?
0:19:36 > 0:19:38When did the rowing of gigs get started?
0:19:38 > 0:19:42The rowing itself, they've been rowing from the late 1800s,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44probably right up to the current day.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48- Rowing has been a long time in existence, particularly along this coast.- These are very different.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53- Tell me about them.- This basically is our traditional Antrim coast gig.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57It's actually one of the oldest boats on the Irish coast.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59It was 1903, it was built.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02We've rowed that right through. The club, this really is
0:20:02 > 0:20:05what our heritage is built upon, these boats here.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08There's not so many of them on the Antrim coast nowadays,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11but still they would be the main boat for the club to row.
0:20:11 > 0:20:16But now we'd had to evolve into a design of boat which would accommodate
0:20:16 > 0:20:19all the areas of our Irish coast and this is the boat they came up with.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23It's easier to row. Any rower can row with this boat,
0:20:23 > 0:20:28whereas this boat takes a lot more sort of skill and training to row it.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33- It's beautifully made, isn't it, of wood? Wooden oars, too?- Wooden oars would have been the original oars.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38We even sort of moved on to carbon fibre oars, as you see here.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40- This is what we use nowadays. - Light and strong.- Yes,
0:20:40 > 0:20:45but it wasn't so long ago that we did use these oars, maybe in the 1990s we'd have used these oars
0:20:45 > 0:20:46which was a nice thing.
0:20:46 > 0:20:52It would probably be nice to go back to that style again and restore these boats to their original style.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55So there's a huge amount of heritage involved. Something you sound quite proud of?
0:20:55 > 0:20:59There's a lot of heritage. You think, the boat's over 100 years old
0:20:59 > 0:21:04and the crews that have rowed this boat over the years, hundreds of crews have rowed in this boat.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07It's an honour to get to row a boat like this.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14'A highlight of the gig racing year on the Antrim coast is the Round The Rock Challenge.
0:21:14 > 0:21:21'Local teams race against the clock, rowing out to Black Rock in the bay and then back to Carnlough.'
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- What's the record for going round the rock?- 15 minutes 45 seconds.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26And how far is it?
0:21:26 > 0:21:28It's about a mile and an eighth.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30That's quite a way, isn't it?
0:21:30 > 0:21:31About two and a quarter mile.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35- And when was that set, that record? - 1926.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38How come people haven't beaten it since?
0:21:38 > 0:21:40People must now be bigger and stronger and better boats?
0:21:40 > 0:21:44That's the problem. People are much heavier, much stronger.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47But if you were over eight stone at that time, the coach
0:21:47 > 0:21:50would have put you out. The boat was sitting on top of the water.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55What was it like going back a few years, then, with the competition down here in the races you have?
0:21:55 > 0:21:57They were fantastic.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00There were boats on every village right up the coast,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02from Larne to Cushendun
0:22:02 > 0:22:05and the competition was really tight. Even within the village
0:22:05 > 0:22:09we had a boat which was out there, and the village boat,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13and the competition between them was powerful.
0:22:13 > 0:22:19'Today there's still an element of rivalry between teams, but it seems that it's all pretty friendly stuff.'
0:22:19 > 0:22:24It's friendly rivalry but you want to beat them and they want to beat us. It's good fun out of the boats,
0:22:24 > 0:22:25but when you get in the boat
0:22:25 > 0:22:30and you're looking across the start line at them, you definitely want to beat them.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I've been invited to have a go with the Carnlough team,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and this boat is over 100 years old so it's quite an honour.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43With my farming physique it shouldn't be too much trouble,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47although I've never rowed a boat before in my life, so let's hope we don't sink.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50'I'd wanted to try and race to the rock, but choppy waters out at sea
0:22:50 > 0:22:55'meant that it was just too dangerous, particularly for a first-timer like me.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59'Instead, we went for a spin a little closer to the coast of Glencloy
0:22:59 > 0:23:01'while Arnold gave me some much needed tuition.'
0:23:01 > 0:23:05OK, guys, the conditions aren't too good for rowing,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09but if you can try and get your timing good, and just keep the oar in the water.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14I know it's not easy to feather, but if you could just try and watch the stroke in front of you.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Watch Niall's oar in front and try to get the timing with him.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21'After a few tips, it was time to get up a bit of speed.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27'I was having a great time.'
0:23:44 > 0:23:48It's just wonderful when you get it right, but when you get it wrong you feel such a twerp.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51I can understand how you can get the bug for this.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53I'm tired but loving it.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Leaving Carnlough behind, we've turned off the coast road
0:24:01 > 0:24:06and into Glenariff Forest Park, where my journey with Olivier comes to an end.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11Leaving him to charge up his car, I'm heading off for a walk into the woods.
0:24:13 > 0:24:19Glenariff is considered by many people to be the most beautiful of the nine Antrim glens.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Bisecting the park are two small rivers - the Inver and the Glenariff,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27containing spectacular waterfalls tumbling through rocky, steep-sided gorges.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31The wooded glen is too steep to have ever been cultivated,
0:24:31 > 0:24:36so its natural beauty has been enjoyed by visitors for many years.
0:24:36 > 0:24:42This wooden walkway was originally built in the Victorian era, and it's afforded visitors since then
0:24:42 > 0:24:45the most wonderful views of the waterfalls.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53The spray from these waterfalls provides
0:24:53 > 0:24:57the perfect moist atmosphere for ferns and mosses to thrive.
0:25:02 > 0:25:08All along this wall is great scented liverwort, and I'm told that it has a smell that's a combination
0:25:08 > 0:25:14of mushrooms and liquorice, so I'm just going to give it a try, rub it between my fingers.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Ew! Mushroom and liquorice.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20A vile combination.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39But what I'm really interested in seeing is Semilimax pyrenaicus
0:25:39 > 0:25:43which is a really rare snail that lives only in the Pyrenees
0:25:43 > 0:25:47and a few places in Ireland, and this is one of those places.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51It has a really small shell that it can't retract into
0:25:51 > 0:25:54so it gives it the appearance of a snail and a slug,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56and I've looked all over for it.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01But it's very rare, it likes to live in the tiny cracks between rocks
0:26:01 > 0:26:03and it's nocturnal.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05I've got no chance.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12This part of Ireland has a deep-rooted connection with the west coast of Scotland.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16In fact, the shortest crossing is only 12 miles,
0:26:16 > 0:26:21and, at one time, both coastlines were part of the same kingdom.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23It was called Dalriada
0:26:23 > 0:26:25and it came into being in the third century,
0:26:25 > 0:26:29encompassing quite a large area of western Scotland
0:26:29 > 0:26:31and the northeast coastal area of Ireland.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36Strong cultural and economic links were formed between the two halves of the kingdom,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and these continued for 500 years or so
0:26:39 > 0:26:42until the Irish side of Dalriada went into decline.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46But the early Irish influence still remains strong in Scotland.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51I hate to say this, John, and I hope the Scots won't take it wrong,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Scotland received its language from Ireland.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59It received its political and legal system from Ireland
0:26:59 > 0:27:04and it received much of its culture from Ireland, from these early dates.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06- And what about whisky?- Certainly!
0:27:06 > 0:27:11The whiskey was brought over by the Irish and adapted by the Scots.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15You're only talking about 12 miles, John, just across there.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18It was easy for them to go across by boat
0:27:18 > 0:27:21either into the Isles or on to the Mull of Kintyre.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24And when they went over there, they stayed there, didn't they?
0:27:24 > 0:27:31There were indigenous peoples living there, but the Irish had a great influence on the area
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and pushed the indigenous peoples back.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35So they became Scotsmen?
0:27:35 > 0:27:38The first Scotsmen were actually Irish.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42In fact, John, up until the 12th century, if you were speaking
0:27:42 > 0:27:46about a Scotsman, you were referring to an Irishman.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51The Scots called themselves Caledonians, and all the culture
0:27:51 > 0:27:56which was there on the western seaboard was actually Irish.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Over the water in Campbeltown, there's disappointment
0:27:59 > 0:28:04that the ferry that used to link it to Ballycastle here has stopped running.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07It means that businesses in Campbeltown can't cash in
0:28:07 > 0:28:10on the tourist boom that's going on right along the Antrim coast.
0:28:10 > 0:28:16In Ballycastle alone, visitors are bringing something like £12 million a year into the local economy.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20One of the biggest draws is the Lammas Fair,
0:28:20 > 0:28:24which has been held in Ballycastle every August for many centuries.
0:28:24 > 0:28:30These pictures of the fair were taken back in the 1960s by Stanley Matchett who lives nearby.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35The fair was originally a pagan festival to mark the end of summer
0:28:35 > 0:28:39and the beginning of the harvest and, among other things on the stalls,
0:28:39 > 0:28:44there's dulse - a dried, edible seaweed - and yellow man, a kind of cinder toffee.
0:28:51 > 0:28:56The Antrim coast has lots of ruins for visitors to roam around,
0:28:56 > 0:29:02like this place, Bonamargy Friary, with its legends of the Black Nun, Julia McQuillan.
0:29:02 > 0:29:07Apparently the entrance to the friary used to be here and it was the Black Nun's dying wish,
0:29:07 > 0:29:11round about three centuries ago, to be buried right here.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13This headstone marks the spot.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15It was an act of humility
0:29:15 > 0:29:19so that people could walk on her grave for evermore.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23She met a grisly end and became known as the Black Nun
0:29:23 > 0:29:28because her dark ghost is said to haunt the friary outside Ballycastle.
0:29:28 > 0:29:35Golf is one of the big attractions in the town which also has a newly developed marina.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40Although it's quiet at this time of year, during the holiday months the streets are filled with tourists.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Last year, close on a million people came to the Antrim coast.
0:29:44 > 0:29:51It's not hard to see why. There's one feature in particular which has made this area world famous.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57This is it. Northern Ireland's number one tourist attraction,
0:29:57 > 0:30:03the spectacular rock formation known as the Giant's Causeway. But how was it created?
0:30:03 > 0:30:07If you imagine sitting here something like 60 million years ago,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10in a river valley, and you've volcanoes
0:30:10 > 0:30:14and eruptions of lava behind us, as they flowed into this
0:30:14 > 0:30:17they formed a big, thick layer, about 300 metres deep,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20and if you think of the top of a mud pool,
0:30:20 > 0:30:24as it dries it gets cracks and they form regular patterns.
0:30:24 > 0:30:29When you have lava that thick, those patterns go right down through as it cools slowly
0:30:29 > 0:30:31and you get these columns formed.
0:30:31 > 0:30:36- How many are there? Anybody ever counted them?- Oh, 400,000, 5 million, who knows?!
0:30:36 > 0:30:40The strange thing is, they're so perfectly formed, aren't they?
0:30:40 > 0:30:42They look as though they've been hand carved.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46The crucial thing is this slow cooling which gives you this columnar structure.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50It happens elsewhere, but is particularly good here in the Giant's Causeway.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55Of course, it looks hand carved and some of the early legends reflect that.
0:30:55 > 0:30:56What sort of legends?
0:30:56 > 0:31:02The most famous one is Finn McCool, who was a warrior chief and a giant in this area.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05He heard about another warrior chief in Scotland, Benandonner,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08decided he'd build the causeway across to have a battle with him.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11The trouble was, when he got to the other side,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14Benandonner was bigger than him so he ran back across the causeway,
0:31:14 > 0:31:19went up to the missus and said, "What am I going to do?" She dressed him up as a baby, put him in a cot
0:31:19 > 0:31:23and when Benandonner got here, he said, "Where's Finn McCool?"
0:31:23 > 0:31:26She said, "He's out for today but the baby's here in the cot."
0:31:26 > 0:31:30When he saw the size of the baby, of course, he decided, "I'm out of here."
0:31:30 > 0:31:34He headed for Scotland, and broke the causeway up after him.
0:31:34 > 0:31:35Lovely story, isn't it?
0:31:35 > 0:31:38How many visitors do you get here now in a year?
0:31:38 > 0:31:43We're looking at 500,000 visitors this year coming to see the causeway and the World Heritage Site.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48Now that peace has returned to Northern Ireland, has that made a big difference?
0:31:48 > 0:31:52Yes it has. Gradually, the numbers have been building and, as I say, it's at around 500,000.
0:31:52 > 0:31:58Along with agriculture, tourism is vital to the economy of this region,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01and it's likely to become the most important source of income in the future.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04That sets up some challenges.
0:32:04 > 0:32:11To cope with the growth in tourism, you're planning a brand new visitor centre here at Giant's Causeway.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14But this is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. How do you square the two?
0:32:14 > 0:32:17There has been a long-standing problem
0:32:17 > 0:32:20to get the balance between tourism and environmental protection.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25We feel... Given our past history here, John,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28we've had our troubles, there hasn't been over-development.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31Our tourism industry hasn't grown at the same rate
0:32:31 > 0:32:34as our colleagues in England, Scotland, Wales
0:32:34 > 0:32:41and in the south of Ireland, so we're now in a position where we can look to their good practices.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Not make any mistakes that they might make.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Look at the good things they've done
0:32:45 > 0:32:49and hopefully use those good practices to develop our facilities here.
0:32:49 > 0:32:55The present one does stand out quite a bit, doesn't it? Will the new one blend in much more?
0:32:55 > 0:33:00The new facility will be highly camouflaged, even the car parking won't be that visible.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03So we have an integrated scheme
0:33:03 > 0:33:09that, by and large, marries into this very sensitive environment.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14The problem is that many visitors just come for the day to the causeway and Ballycastle,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18and now the target is to persuade them to stay for a few days.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21But certainly things are looking good for the future.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Just a few miles further north from the Giant's Causeway,
0:33:30 > 0:33:35the dramatic ruins of Dunluce Castle loom into view.
0:33:35 > 0:33:42A prime location for any aspiring warlord, the ruins have sat on the North Antrim cliffs for centuries.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45It was originally built by Richard De Burgh,
0:33:45 > 0:33:49but is best known for its long association with the Scottish MacDonald clan.
0:33:50 > 0:33:56But for the first time ever, a scientific archaeological dig is taking place here in the grounds
0:33:56 > 0:34:00to reveal more of Dunluce's remarkable history.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Would you like a bucket and trowel?
0:34:03 > 0:34:06'Archaeologist Dr Colin Breen has invited me to help out.'
0:34:08 > 0:34:11OK, we're going to start down here on the main surface of the road,
0:34:11 > 0:34:15probably the most visually exciting part of this site at the moment.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18So if we step around the trench...
0:34:18 > 0:34:22The excavations at Dunluce have caused great excitement amongst archaeologists
0:34:22 > 0:34:27by uncovering the beautifully preserved remains of a 17th-century deserted town.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31I've never done archaeological work before, so you'll have to tell me what I do.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35- We'll probably destroy some of the glamour of it.- I'm sure not.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39It's not exactly Indiana Jones explores the remote North Atlantic.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41If you take your kneeling mat
0:34:41 > 0:34:46and you take that and you just kneel on both legs,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50normally what we'll do is we'll take about a metre of area ourselves.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52OK, so that's my area.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55So you're going to trowel from there and I'll trowel from here.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59You take your trowel, but we're going to move it back like that,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01rather than digging into the surface.
0:35:01 > 0:35:06There's always the potential, if you dig into the surface, to break material,
0:35:06 > 0:35:10and there's a huge amount of artefactual material coming up from the site, so we need to be gentle.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12So it's kind of a scraping action?
0:35:12 > 0:35:17It's a scraping. You're essentially breaking up the sediment.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20I see. Why has this site never been dug before?
0:35:20 > 0:35:23There's a lot of reasons.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27It's probably the most iconic site in the whole Northern Irish coastline, as you've seen.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29- It's spectacular. - It's incredibly important.
0:35:29 > 0:35:34One of the reasons why nothing's ever happened on it is because of its importance.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37Archaeologists will firmly believe in conservation.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41We know that once we start the process of excavation, it's essentially destruction.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44You're essentially breaking down through a site.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48When we've got the site as important as this, we tend to try and preserve it in situ.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51The incredible thing about this area
0:35:51 > 0:35:56is that the whole landscape we have around us is essentially a deserted town.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00So we've focused in on one small area of that deserted town
0:36:00 > 0:36:04and begun excavating it and unravelling its secrets.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Has what you've found here been what you expected to find?
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Even more so.
0:36:09 > 0:36:16We knew from the survey that we were going to probably find house sites and remnants of the deserted town,
0:36:16 > 0:36:19but we never thought it would be as well preserved as this.
0:36:19 > 0:36:25Look in front of us, that's a beautifully preserved 17th-century cobbled surface.
0:36:25 > 0:36:32That surface was essentially abandoned in the 1660s, and it hasn't been used since that time.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36The house next to us was abandoned probably in the 1680s and it hasn't been touched.
0:36:36 > 0:36:42It's very rare within archaeology to come across a site which has been so well preserved.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Remember, we're only looking at a tiny fragment of the site.
0:36:45 > 0:36:50We estimate that we're probably excavating something like 0.5% of the whole of the town.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54If you opened up this whole area, across this whole landscape,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57you're essentially looking at the very well preserved remains
0:36:57 > 0:37:01of a 17th-century town, which has just been abandoned,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05deserted, almost like a Northern Irish Pompeii.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07It is incredibly painstaking work.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11I think I've revealed about a centimetre of a stone.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16Yeah. I think people underestimate the sheer quantity of work that actually takes place.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Absolutely right. Absolutely.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22Smaller excavations around the castle have unearthed
0:37:22 > 0:37:27even earlier material, dating back as far as Anglo-Norman times.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32As work continues, more and more of the history of Dunluce could be uncovered.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40This rope bridge which links one of the most northerly parts of Northern Ireland
0:37:40 > 0:37:42to the tiny island of Carrick-a-Rede
0:37:42 > 0:37:45was originally built by salmon fishermen.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Not sporting types who used rod and line
0:37:48 > 0:37:51but working fishermen earning a living.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54They crossed this bridge to reach their nets.
0:38:21 > 0:38:26Every year for the last 400 years, fishermen have come here to set their nets.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31What happens is that one end of a large net is fixed here,
0:38:31 > 0:38:35and the net itself is dragged out to sea a few hundred yards.
0:38:35 > 0:38:40Migrating salmon are caught in it before they get the chance to spawn in the rivers.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44Now this kind of salmon fishing could soon be coming to an end.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50Basically, there's nothing wrong with catching salmon in nets,
0:38:50 > 0:38:54except in this case, they are catching huge numbers of fish.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59They are catching fish not just going to rivers that have healthy stocks,
0:38:59 > 0:39:04but also to rivers that have depleted stocks or are seriously threatened. We can't have that.
0:39:07 > 0:39:14The campaign to save the wild salmon started here in the glacier-fed waters of the River Laxa in Iceland.
0:39:14 > 0:39:19Orri Vigfusson, millionaire owner of a vodka factory in Reykjavik,
0:39:19 > 0:39:24began to notice that in his favourite place to fish there wasn't as much to catch.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28Like many other sports fishermen, he puts everything back alive into the river.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33But he knew that commercial netsmen were catching thousands of wild salmon
0:39:33 > 0:39:36and were threatening the stocks, so he decided to take action.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39We saw the resource dwindling away,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42disappearing before our eyes, so we decided to set up
0:39:42 > 0:39:46the North Atlantic Salmon Fund and use commercial methods,
0:39:46 > 0:39:51and offer compensation to the netsmen which they couldn't refuse.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Initially, we started negotiating with the fishermen
0:39:55 > 0:39:59on the winter feeding grounds in Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01They co-operated and we won that.
0:40:01 > 0:40:06We then had to target the netsmen in this part of the world
0:40:06 > 0:40:10before the salmon were able to go back to their native rivers
0:40:10 > 0:40:14in Ireland, in the UK and European countries.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19Netsmen in Norway, Wales and south-west England have already been persuaded by the crusading Icelander
0:40:19 > 0:40:23to give up their fishing licences. Now he's turning his attention
0:40:23 > 0:40:27to Northern Ireland, where rivers like the Bush are seriously depleted.
0:40:27 > 0:40:33Already the fund, which has financial backing from anglers and landowners with an interest in salmon fishing,
0:40:33 > 0:40:39as well as from his own deep pocket, has paid out nearly £15 million in compensation around Europe.
0:40:39 > 0:40:44How much does it cost on average to persuade one of these netsmen to give up?
0:40:44 > 0:40:50We figure out how long they've been in business, what their catch records are,
0:40:50 > 0:40:54how many more years of active life they've got in the industry
0:40:54 > 0:40:56and how easy it is for them to get other jobs.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Here in Northern Ireland, what's the ballpark figure?
0:40:59 > 0:41:02I think it could be anything from...
0:41:04 > 0:41:08..£2,000 up to £200,000.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14The life-cycle of the wild salmon is an extraordinary one.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18They spend the first two years of life in fresh water, in rivers like the Bush.
0:41:18 > 0:41:24Then, they begin a long and hazardous journey which takes them first downriver to the sea.
0:41:25 > 0:41:31They swim for 1,000 miles or more to their winter feeding grounds around Iceland and Greenland.
0:41:31 > 0:41:37Then, in the spring, they return to spawn in the exact spot where they were born.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41But on the Bush, as on scores of other rivers all around Europe,
0:41:41 > 0:41:44far fewer are making it back home.
0:41:45 > 0:41:51At the government research station on the River Bush, scientists are carrying out a long-term survey.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54Young fish are micro-tagged on their way downriver.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58When they return as adults, they are counted.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01The results confirm something is seriously wrong.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03Ten years ago,
0:42:03 > 0:42:06about a third of these fish, 33%, would have made it back to the coast
0:42:06 > 0:42:09and tried to enter freshwater to spawn.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Now in the last four years, that has dropped to about 10% to 12%.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Where do the salmon netters come into this?
0:42:15 > 0:42:19Whatever fish are being produced, some are taken by salmon netters
0:42:19 > 0:42:23and are taken again when they come back, by anglers.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27When a stock is healthy, it can sustain a high level of exploitation
0:42:27 > 0:42:28wherever that happens to be.
0:42:28 > 0:42:34When a stock is under the pressures we see on the River Bush, you have to scale back on the exploitation,
0:42:34 > 0:42:38or you are chancing to drive the stock further down towards destruction.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46Salmon fishing has endured for over 2,000 years.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50Initially, it was mainly to sustain the families who settled
0:42:50 > 0:42:54all the way along our coastline in ancient times.
0:42:54 > 0:42:59Bertie McKay's family first began salmon netting here many years generations ago.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02He retired when catches began to dwindle.
0:43:02 > 0:43:09Now nearly all of Northern Ireland's 40-odd netsmen are taking the compensation and following him.
0:43:09 > 0:43:16Those who have sold out, there was no other alternative for them.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Stocks have declined so much.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22The industry was grinding to a halt.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24It just wasn't viable any more.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27The campaign has also been targeting netsmen in north-east England,
0:43:27 > 0:43:30who intercept salmon on their way to Scottish rivers.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34Talks have been going on with 52 netsmen there,
0:43:34 > 0:43:39and an announcement is expected this week, buying them out at a cost of more than £3 million,
0:43:39 > 0:43:42raised by Orri Vigfusson's fund and the government.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46A great success, but the biggest battle is still to come.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50I'm on a ferry crossing Lough Foyle, the border between
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57Lough Foyle has the biggest run of salmon anywhere in north-west Europe,
0:43:57 > 0:44:00and many of the fishermen in the Republic are not at all happy
0:44:00 > 0:44:03about the prospect of having to give up their licences.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07These fishermen spend much of the year catching shellfish.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10But for two months in early summer, they switch to salmon.
0:44:10 > 0:44:15Gerard Kelly's family is one of the oldest in this fishing community.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18It's a way of life for the people who live in this area.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21It's what they've done for generations before this.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24They are only custodians of the right to go to fish
0:44:24 > 0:44:28and they hope to pass that right on to the future generations.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31The salmon they take is not just going to the Irish rivers,
0:44:31 > 0:44:36it's going to Scotland, to Wales and all around the English coast.
0:44:36 > 0:44:41And the salmon is also going to the rivers of Spain, France and Germany.
0:44:41 > 0:44:46Why shouldn't these countries or regions also be allowed to restock their salmon stocks?
0:44:46 > 0:44:49For this project to succeed all around Europe,
0:44:49 > 0:44:53it needs all netsmen to say, "I'll call it a day," doesn't it?
0:44:53 > 0:44:58I think that's a sign of failure of management, when you have to give something up.
0:44:58 > 0:45:04We have spent a lot of time reducing our fishing effort, areas,
0:45:04 > 0:45:06access to stocks.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09We think we've got a happy medium now.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13We've got a stability in the stock and with a bit of management
0:45:13 > 0:45:17upstream in the nursery areas, it can definitely improve in this area.
0:45:17 > 0:45:22Orri Vigfusson accepts there's room for a few well-managed netting operations,
0:45:22 > 0:45:25but there are 1,400 netsmen in the Republic.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27It's the last remaining stronghold.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30He insists they can't continue on that scale.
0:45:30 > 0:45:37The objective of the fund and all my collaborators throughout the world is to fill the rivers.
0:45:37 > 0:45:43We want abundance, we want every river, every pool, filled with salmon, like we had 100 years ago.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47But in Ireland, the government has yet to show any support, so it looks like being
0:45:47 > 0:45:52a long final battle for the Icelander who could well be remembered
0:45:52 > 0:45:54as the saviour of the wild salmon.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01Since 2003, Orri has continued his work to preserve salmon stocks
0:46:01 > 0:46:06and there are now only 14 drift-net licences in operation in Northern Ireland.
0:46:06 > 0:46:12He hopes to have bought out the remaining nets in the next two to three years.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16I've left Dunluce Castle behind and travelled on to Portrush,
0:46:16 > 0:46:20where I end my journey, in a pub and with music.
0:46:29 > 0:46:35The music of this part of Ireland has a strong connection with the traditional music of Scotland,
0:46:35 > 0:46:37and indeed, this regular session here in Portrush
0:46:37 > 0:46:42is organised by Scotsman Dick Glasgow.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45What instruments form a traditional Irish band?
0:46:45 > 0:46:48The standard ones, you would get
0:46:48 > 0:46:52fiddles and accordions, you would get banjos.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Whistles, flutes, pipes.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59- Sorry, I'm miming everything!- That's all right, I'm getting the gist.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01And of course, the bodhran is very popular as well.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03The fiddle is one of the main ones.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07Especially up here. The fiddle was very popular in Scotland
0:47:07 > 0:47:09and it's hugely popular in Donegal,
0:47:09 > 0:47:12and we're sort of in-between the two spots. It's been popular here.
0:47:12 > 0:47:17The numbers of fiddle players have died down a wee bit unfortunately in this area,
0:47:17 > 0:47:21but, um, partly to do with the Troubles and things, which is a shame.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25That's the sort of range of instruments you get. And the harp.
0:47:25 > 0:47:30Not often you find a harp, but in this part of the world a couple of people play the harp in sessions.
0:47:30 > 0:47:35They're expensive and awkward in sessions. Small ones are grand.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37You can sit back with them on your knee and play away.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40It sounds like an awful lot, a huge variety of instruments.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44Does that mean there's loads of people in a band playing at any one time?
0:47:44 > 0:47:47This idea of the band, it's not actually a band.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50The session is made up of whoever feels like coming out on the night.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54There are usually two or three core musicians who tend to be there every week.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Then other musicians will come in and out
0:47:57 > 0:48:02depending on what they're doing, what's on the telly, or they have to walk the dog or whatever.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05You could have a session one week with three people,
0:48:05 > 0:48:07the next week there might be a dozen playing.
0:48:07 > 0:48:12This is one of the magic things about it. You don't know who's coming, especially in summer here.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15We're on the tourist run in Northern Ireland and you never know
0:48:15 > 0:48:18who'll walk in with something under their arm.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22That must make a really different sound, depending on how many people show up each week.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25It is. It keeps the whole thing alive and fresh.
0:48:26 > 0:48:33Why has quite traditional Irish music stood the test of time? We are in 2009 now
0:48:33 > 0:48:36and traditional music is still being played and enjoyed.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38Because it's so good.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40- It's very lively music.- Yeah.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43We had a young student staying with us for a few months from Sweden
0:48:43 > 0:48:47and she brought a fiddle, and she was keen to learn Irish music.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51Of course, when she came to the sessions, she played some Swedish music.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55I'm sure it's very charming music, but in comparison with Irish music,
0:48:55 > 0:48:58it's kind of dour. It was very melancholy.
0:48:58 > 0:49:03It's lovely music, but it's different, the sort of music you'd sit back and listen to and reflect.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06Irish music, some of the areas you can do that with,
0:49:06 > 0:49:11but it tends to be you tap your foot and you get involved and, "Here we go, this is great!"
0:49:11 > 0:49:13People dancing.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16It's a lively, friendly sort of music
0:49:16 > 0:49:18and that's part of the magic and charm of it.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21That's what gets people excited
0:49:21 > 0:49:23and they really want to join in.
0:49:23 > 0:49:29They would come along to a session, never playing an instrument before, but captivated by what's going on.
0:49:29 > 0:49:34They see the bodhran being played with a little stick, and they think, "Anybody could do that."
0:49:34 > 0:49:37The number of people that say, "Can I have a go on the bodhran?"
0:49:37 > 0:49:39And they want to play along with it.
0:49:39 > 0:49:44- Is it as easy as it looks?- No. - I bet it isn't.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01My journey around the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland began
0:50:01 > 0:50:05in the potato fields of Comber before I headed to Newtownards.
0:50:05 > 0:50:11I drove the spectacular Antrim coast road from Larne to Glenariff.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Then I visited Dunluce Castle
0:50:13 > 0:50:18before ending my travels here, in the seaside town of Portrush.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20I've come to a traditional music session
0:50:20 > 0:50:24where Scotsman Dick Glasgow has offered to give me a lesson on the bodhran.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27I've got a couple here. There's a little one here
0:50:27 > 0:50:30with a spar on the inside which is nice and easy to hold.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33- Can you hold that? - Hold onto the bar?- Yeah, that's it.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35- Just rest it on your leg. - Rest it on my knee.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38- You're right handed, I take it? - Yes.- Yeah.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40Then, if you hold on to the beater here.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43It's just a standard beater that comes with it?
0:50:43 > 0:50:45- It's just a double-ended stick. - Oh, right.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49- Hold it a bit like a pencil. - Like this.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53- And then hit down and up against the skin, like that.- Sort of brush it?
0:50:53 > 0:50:55That's it, brush it up and down.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58Oh, I'm not doing them both at the same kind of loudness.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02The trick is to hit the one going down louder than the one up.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05Then you're getting a bit of rhythm.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10That's it.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13- How's that?- That's 2-4 rhythm, so you could play all night.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16If people are playing polkas, you could join in all night long already.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18You've just learned how to play polkas.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21That's not too bad. What other rhythms are there?
0:51:21 > 0:51:24The main rhythm in Irish sessions is 4-4,
0:51:24 > 0:51:27so that's 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Obviously it's a lot faster than that in a session,
0:51:30 > 0:51:33but if you're learning, that's what you would start with.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35- So one out of the four is the loudest?- One is the loud one, yes.
0:51:35 > 0:51:371, 2... Oh, I missed the second one.
0:51:37 > 0:51:391, 2, 3, 4.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43If you think of those black and white cowboy movies, and the Indian drums.
0:51:43 > 0:51:44- Yes.- That gets you going.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52I think I've cracked it, but Dick shows me that I've still got a lot to learn.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01Does this instrument dictate the tempo of the whole tune?
0:52:01 > 0:52:04No, some bodhran players think it does, and that's where they get sticky.
0:52:04 > 0:52:09- Right.- There's a love-hate relationship between musicians and bodhran players.
0:52:09 > 0:52:15- Really?- Even the fact that I'm saying musicians and bodhran players would annoy them.- Separates us!- Yeah.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18Of course, they class themselves as musicians, too.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21So the problem is, to be honest, they get a bad press.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24And a good bodhran player is worth his salt in any session.
0:52:24 > 0:52:29- But if you get too many bodhran players, they're conflicting rhythms. - Oh, no.
0:52:29 > 0:52:34This is a loud drum. If you battered that without putting your hand on the back to control the volume,
0:52:34 > 0:52:37you'd drown people out and they couldn't hear the melody properly.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41- And obviously the melody is key. - The most important thing, the tune.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44If you have 12 musicians playing, unlike other music
0:52:44 > 0:52:47where you might have harmonies and counter melodies going on,
0:52:47 > 0:52:49in Irish music everybody plays the melody.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53- Ah!- So it doesn't matter what instrument they play, they're playing the melody.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56You can sit at home and listen to your own wonderful playing,
0:52:56 > 0:53:00but the point of going to a session is I'm sitting beside you,
0:53:00 > 0:53:03you're playing a flute, the fellow this side of me's playing the pipes.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07I want to hear how my fiddle sounds with your flute and his pipes.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10- And that's the magic of it, the blending of it.- Yeah.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13If you've got some eejit sitting on the other side of the table
0:53:13 > 0:53:17knocking seven bells out of a bodhran the size of a barn door...
0:53:17 > 0:53:20- That's not teamwork. - It's not teamwork, no.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Fantastic. Well, I will make a complete fool of myself,
0:53:23 > 0:53:25but I wouldn't mind having a go a bit later.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28- If that's all right with you? - It should be good fun.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31- It's a good fun instrument.- Great, thank you.- You're very welcome.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43How do we know if it's a two or a four, Dick?
0:53:43 > 0:53:46- What's that?- How do I know if it's a two or a four?
0:53:46 > 0:53:48Any polkas, Kieron?
0:53:48 > 0:53:51- 1, 2, 1, 2...- This fast?
0:53:51 > 0:53:52Yeah.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57Like that?
0:53:57 > 0:53:58As fast as that?
0:54:03 > 0:54:08I might not be the most technically proficient musician ever to join a session,
0:54:08 > 0:54:13but I don't think I'm putting the musicians off, and I'm having fun.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21The East coast of Northern Ireland is not unknown to many tourists,
0:54:21 > 0:54:24but I feel like I've got under the skin of it on my journey.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26I've eaten its food, fresh out of the ground.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28I've indulged in some of its history.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32I've even had a go at joining in with some of its local culture
0:54:32 > 0:54:35and to top it all off, the weather has been amazing.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38I'm going back inside for a bit more.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd