0:00:03 > 0:00:05I'm close to the top of Slieve Croob,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09far above the rolling countryside of County Down.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13I'm on the hunt for the source of a great powerhouse of a river
0:00:13 > 0:00:18and there it is - that wee sheugh is the start of the Lagan
0:00:18 > 0:00:21and it's where my journey begins,
0:00:21 > 0:00:26because I'm heading away down there on the trail of linen and salmon
0:00:26 > 0:00:29in a river that's overflowing with stories and surprises.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Slieve Croob - the "mountain of the hoof" -
0:01:01 > 0:01:05the highest of the Dromara Hills and the source of the Lagan.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07I want you to meet the man who owns the Lagan.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12Well, at least the side of Slieve Croob where it rises.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13I think you're a lucky man, you know.
0:01:13 > 0:01:19Do you consider yourself to be, kind of, a custodian of a place as special as this?
0:01:19 > 0:01:23It is, it definitely is nice. Very peaceful, so it is.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25And I couldn't live anywhere else.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Reared here, couldn't live anywhere else.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31What's it like in the death of winter? Is it really bad with snow?
0:01:31 > 0:01:34You get a share of snow up here, yes. You wouldn't get up here.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37- Really?- No, the place is blocked up, you wouldn't get here. A fall of snow
0:01:37 > 0:01:40and the road's blocked with 10-15 foot of snow.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43You wouldn't want to be up here, let's put it that way.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47But I suppose all that rain, hail, snow, sleet, all the weather,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49- is driving the river. - Well, it starts up here
0:01:49 > 0:01:53in snow and finishes up in Belfast in water. It's simple, isn't it?
0:01:53 > 0:01:58Snow up here, frost, ice, and once it goes down the river, it melts and disappears.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Lovely thought, Desmond, it's your gift to the city.
0:02:01 > 0:02:02It's my gift, yeah, so it is.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10From here, on a clear day, you can see the river's final destination,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14beside Samson and Goliath, the shipyard cranes.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17But it takes a meandering 40-mile route to get there
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and geologist, Kirstin Lemon, is here to tell me why.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24The Lagan starts here, its humble beginnings,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26right down into Belfast Lough.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29But it's a really interesting course, a really torturous course,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31it leaves here at Slieve Croob,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33it goes down to the flat landscape below us
0:02:33 > 0:02:36and that's what "lagan" means - low-lying area.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40But it travels from here, Slieve Croob, down to Dromara and Dromore,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43it swings west and heads towards Donaghcloney,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45but then something weird happens, it takes a dogleg.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49The reason for the dogleg is because there's a really unusual bit of rock
0:02:49 > 0:02:52that sticks out, part of the Belfast Hills,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54a rock called basalt, it's really hard.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58So, when the River Lagan gets there, it can't go any further
0:02:58 > 0:03:00and it heads towards Belfast.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03One of the things I like to think about with the Lagan is,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07if it wasn't for that basalt, Belfast probably wouldn't be there at all.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18This is the old bridge at Finnis, the first village on the Lagan,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22and the river's down to its bare bones here in the summer,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26little more than a trickle, but there are some locals,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28just in here, that I'm dying for you to meet.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32The fish in this pool are salmon.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Their parents would have come in from the Irish Sea,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38way down there in Belfast, and come up here to spawn.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Now, the very fact that they're here at all is a minor miracle
0:03:42 > 0:03:43because, for so long,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47salmon were driven out of the Lagan by pollution,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49and a wee bit later on in my journey, I'm going to meet
0:03:49 > 0:03:53the man who's responsible for bringing them back from the dead.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55But first I've a wee bit more exploring to do.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04The Lagan's flowing through prime farmland now,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08linking communities that were once at the heart of Ireland's
0:04:08 > 0:04:10world-famous linen industry.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Scutch mills, bleach greens and fields of flax
0:04:13 > 0:04:17coloured the landscape, providing the raw fibre for the spinning mills
0:04:17 > 0:04:20and the river was at the heart of it.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27Just outside Dromore, there's one last living relic of this industry
0:04:27 > 0:04:29that dominated so many lives.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36I've just come in from the river, it's one field away over there.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38And I'm going to have a look
0:04:38 > 0:04:41at something that's a real rarity in the countryside these days.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44It's very heavily associated with the Lagan
0:04:44 > 0:04:47and two men who know more about it than anybody else
0:04:47 > 0:04:50are Felix and Eugene McConville.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Lads, flax.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Yes, we have been growing flax, my family,
0:04:54 > 0:04:59for the past five generations, and we still grow a little bit yet.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Just to let present-day youth, people, see what it's like.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Round this area was all flax.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10Several hundred acres of flax was grown around here.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Now, take upriver, there was 11 mills above us,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16all working in flax.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20The heyday would have been back in about the 1870s, 1880s.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Then, at the advent of the First World War,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27there was an increase in demand for flax, and the same in the 1940s.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30And when I was a wee fella, in the 1940s,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33I remember flax all around these fields, everywhere,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37and this town here and Logan Barn,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40there was flax, workers, sheughs, horses and carts
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and some of the early tractors
0:05:42 > 0:05:45were all coming into the valley here with flax.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48How important is the river in that process?
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Most of the mills upstream were water-powered.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54There were a few steam ones, but most of them were water power,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56including our own, along with a steam engine.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59And the water itself, in the River Lagan,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01was a very good water for retting flax.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Retting? Now, that's a technical word. I don't know what that is.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10Retting is...it's an old Scandinavian word and it means halfways to rot.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- OK.- Yes, flax, as you know, is a pretty tough crop.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18It has to be softened in water for nine to 14 nights.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22And by that time, it's taken out, when it's sufficiently retted,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25dried out in the fields, brought into the mill,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28in some cases it's stacked, and then it's ready to be scutched.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39What inspired you to think a museum, a working museum,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41was a good way to go with this?
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Well, we didn't intend for the museum at the start.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48It was back in '82.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50My father was alive at the time
0:06:50 > 0:06:53and we thought we'd grow a field of flax and revive it.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55And it just woke from there.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58You think now, you know, all the stuff that comes in
0:06:58 > 0:07:02from China and Taiwan and the other growing economies,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05a load of synthetic fibre. What do you reckon?
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Is that the future, or should you go back to this stuff?
0:07:09 > 0:07:12There's a great trend for everything to be natural now.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14We're taking a new look at the modern world
0:07:14 > 0:07:19and one day the oil and fossil fuels will run out
0:07:19 > 0:07:22so we'll have to resort back to the natural fibre.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Now, that day could just be round the corner.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01This is a real treat for me.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06I live about a mile and a half away from this stretch at Magheralin
0:08:06 > 0:08:10and I have never been on it in a boat in my life.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13I've caught loads of pike up here along the lily pads
0:08:13 > 0:08:16and I've caught lots of trout in the water below the weir
0:08:16 > 0:08:18but it's fish of a very different kind
0:08:18 > 0:08:20that are driving my journey today.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Remember those wee salmon back at Finnis?
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Well, we're about to meet the man who put them there.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41The Lagan salmon disappeared, probably some time just before 1800.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45The final nail in the coffin was probably the building of the canal
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and all the associated weirs without fish passes.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Before that, there'd been the linen industry and a lot of human impact
0:08:52 > 0:08:54on the river leading up to that.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Even after the construction of the canal in 1800,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59things continued to deteriorate.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03The human population grew, sewage treatment was poor,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06even as late as the 1970s, there were fish surveys of parts of the river
0:09:06 > 0:09:09that showed there was nothing living in it at all,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11particularly in the Belfast reaches.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13From that period, the 1970s onwards,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15membership of the EU brought us
0:09:15 > 0:09:18into unified water quality standards through Europe
0:09:18 > 0:09:21and we adopted those standards and our water service
0:09:21 > 0:09:24and its predecessors put in the sewage treatment works.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26A general combined government effort.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28And by the mid 1980s, we could see
0:09:28 > 0:09:32that there might just be a chance for the salmon to come back.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38In spring of 1991, we put fish from the River Bush actually in
0:09:38 > 0:09:41and watched and waited to see, um...
0:09:41 > 0:09:43through their development, would they go.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Did you believe they would come back?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48We knew they'd survive in the river, we knew that.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50We were fairly confident of that.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52What we didn't know was would they find their way out.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56And when we found the first smolts, that's the emigrating ones,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59in '92 and '93, we knew we were onto something.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03There were a few anxious months
0:10:03 > 0:10:06while Robert and his colleagues monitored progress.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09The real Eureka moment was when those fish bred, that winter.
0:10:09 > 0:10:15We found wild spawn fry from sea-run stock in the Lagan in '94.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17How did you feel when you saw the first one?
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Er, very hard feelings to describe.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22You've gone through a series of imponderables,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24don't know what will happen.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27All of a sudden, here's the outcome, sitting in your hand.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31You know, you say to your crew, "Is that really what I think it is?"
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Yeah, that's the salmon.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35The photograph here, this is that first fish.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40July/August 1994, Ravernet River,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44the first wild-bred salmon in the Lagan for 200-plus years.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47I think it's class, Robert, you know,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50some people carry a photograph of their wife or kids about...
0:10:50 > 0:10:52LAUGHS
0:10:52 > 0:10:53You've got a fish!
0:10:53 > 0:10:57- Well...yeah.- A proud daddy, I suppose.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Well, yes, and I suppose the real legacy of it
0:11:01 > 0:11:04is the challenge now to make that stick and make that sustainable.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07We have a lot of work and a long way to go.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12We saw those little parr up at Finnis, a long way up from here.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16And that's the proof of the pudding, that all this time later,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19- you've still got fish coming back into the river.- Yes.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22And we've actually scaled back the stocking programme now,
0:11:22 > 0:11:23to leave it in such a way
0:11:23 > 0:11:26that we only stock where we absolutely have to
0:11:26 > 0:11:28to keep a tributary with some stock in it.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32As soon as we see wild-bred fish, we leave it alone for a number of years
0:11:32 > 0:11:33and let those fish adapt
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and effectively create a new strain of fish
0:11:36 > 0:11:38because every river has its own strain of salmon
0:11:38 > 0:11:42and the Lagan one is gone and we need to develop a new adapted strain
0:11:42 > 0:11:44that suits the nature of the river.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Felix and Eugene McConville preserving the flax flower,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Robert Rosell restoring the salmon.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58What other treasures will the Lagan reveal?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Long before the Island Arts Centre was built in Lisburn,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12the site was occupied by the Island Spinning Mill,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16a huge factory that processed vast quantities of flax fibre,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20turning it into high-grade linen sold around the world.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23The Lagan river and canal converged here,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26the commercial hub of the town, the perfect spot to meet up
0:12:26 > 0:12:30with Norman McMaster, who has lived in the area all his life,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33and with canal historian, Brian Cassells.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37There were quite a number of quays here in Lisburn - eight, nine.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40A number of dry docks.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43The maintenance of the barges, cargoes on and off,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and of course, this being a centre of linen,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49linen on and goods off,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53and of course the river, especially between here and Belfast,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55would have been used as a source of power.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58'A source of power for the mills, but for Norman,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02'and his childhood mates, the river and canal were a playground -
0:13:02 > 0:13:06'especially the barges - or lighters, as they were known.'
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Very often, when we went down to the quay there,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11the boats, the lighters,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13would have stopped there.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17And as the lighter was leaving the river bank, we jumped on.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20And the old boy couldn't put you off then.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23And he shook his fist at you.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26And you got a ride in the lighter up as far as the Union locks.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28- So you stole a lift? - We stole a lift.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Then you jumped off there.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35When it came to this lock here, at Canal Street,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- Lock Number 12 as far as I know. - That's right.- Is that right?- Yes.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Er...the horse had to be detached then.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48And the lighter man had to propel the boat by a long pole.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51When you left the lock here, you had a big, long pole
0:13:51 > 0:13:55- and they pushed it into the river. - Uh-huh.- And pushed the boat along.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Now, the horse had to be walked
0:13:59 > 0:14:01over the Union Bridge
0:14:01 > 0:14:07and nearly all the time, there was horse manure on the Union Bridge.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12And my old mother sometimes sent me out with a bucket and a shovel
0:14:12 > 0:14:14to get some manure for her roses.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Sometimes, the river froze over.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25And they had to use an ice-breaker...
0:14:25 > 0:14:28which was an old steel contraption,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31which lay about Spruce Field there, to break the ice
0:14:31 > 0:14:34to let the barges through.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38This is one of the oldest parts of the town
0:14:38 > 0:14:41where the locals lived cheek by jowl with the river.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Where you're standing here,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- there was a row of houses here, you know?- Right?
0:14:46 > 0:14:48And families were brought up there.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51And there were no safety barriers.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54The real danger was around the locks.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59If you were unfortunate enough to slip down the side of the lighter,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01there was the chance of being crushed
0:15:01 > 0:15:04between the lock wall and the lighter itself.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07And that was a real dangerous happening.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09If it was a matter of simply falling into the canal,
0:15:09 > 0:15:14well, it was a matter of gripping you by the rear or the trousers
0:15:14 > 0:15:17- and hauling you out. - I can't recall any life belts.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21- No. I think you're right.- I can't recall a lift belt around the place.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25- I never knew of lifeboats or life rafts or belts or...- No, no, no.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31The Lagan Navigation Canal was one of the most successful parts
0:15:31 > 0:15:32of the network throughout Ireland,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36but in the long run, it just wasn't viable.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41As far as I'm aware, the lighters carried about 80-90 tonne.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45And you realise transporting that by road would be much quicker now,
0:15:45 > 0:15:49with these container lorries, one thing or another.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51- It took many hours...- Two days.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55- It took two days to get from Belfast to...- Lough Neagh.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57..to Lough Neagh.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01Lurgan and the cross and up to Portadown.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04So a lorry could do that now in a couple of hours.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10A whole, colourful way of life would have disappeared
0:16:10 > 0:16:15had it not been for the efforts of enthusiasts like Brian Cassells.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20I knew of a lighter in the inner lakes near Athlone.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22And after a bit of research,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26I found out that the lighter was called The Industry.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30And it's an old Barber barge.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35It was full of water, the chap who was looking after it
0:16:35 > 0:16:38got it pumped out, and believe it or not, it still floated.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45It's being brought to the Lock Keeper's Inn,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Castlereagh Borough Council, and it's being restored,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51restored to its original.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54So it's a very exciting project.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59'And the long-term plan is to turn the lighter
0:16:59 > 0:17:02'into a floating museum that displays the rich history
0:17:02 > 0:17:05'of the River Lagan and canal.'
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Your personal memories sort of led to your son paying tribute
0:17:14 > 0:17:17in his own way to the Lagan. Tell me about that.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19My son Noel probably spent
0:17:19 > 0:17:22a lot of his childhood there, along the Lagan, too.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Whether I instilled that into him or not, I don't know,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30but he seemed to have this desire to be about the Lagan River
0:17:30 > 0:17:32and he finished up writing a song about it.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35My Lagan Softy Flowing.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40# My Lagan she flows softly
0:17:40 > 0:17:44# From Slieve Croob down to the sea
0:17:45 > 0:17:49# Through Dromore and Dromara
0:17:49 > 0:17:53# Then close to Aghalee
0:17:53 > 0:17:57# From Lisburn down to Hilden
0:17:57 > 0:18:01# Lambeg and then Shaws bridge
0:18:01 > 0:18:05# To Belfast's salty waters
0:18:05 > 0:18:09# Where her lonesome journey ends. #
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Right, time for a bit of action, and nowhere better to go
0:18:16 > 0:18:20than the Belfast Activity Centre at Shaw's Bridge.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24A fleet of young paddlers are churning up the water.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26It's a place for kids of all ages.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Below the bridge and shooting the rapids is Hannah Craig,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35an Olympic slalom finalist with Ireland in 2012.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Shaw's Bridge played a vital role in Hannah's success.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54In 2008, I actually didn't qualify for the Olympics
0:18:54 > 0:18:57and I was extremely disappointed, but I knew
0:18:57 > 0:19:01I had the potential to reach the Olympics, so I move back to Belfast
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and we decided to redesign Shaw's Bridge.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06It had been a slalom venue before that,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09but it hadn't got the permanent pool.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11So we got the course up and running again.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Shaw's Bridge actually became our training base
0:19:15 > 0:19:17in the lead-up to the Olympics.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20The white water could be a little bit more,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24but for basic technical work and slalom, it was a great opportunity.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29We also ran a programme called Paddling Beyond 2012
0:19:29 > 0:19:32to introduce the activity to younger paddlers
0:19:32 > 0:19:34and from that, some of them went on
0:19:34 > 0:19:37to represent Ireland on an international level.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42I understand that your canoe feels a little bit smaller than it did.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Or your kayak. Tell me about it. You've just had a baby.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Yeah, just had a baby six weeks ago.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Biggest achievement, I'd say.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53And yes, when I got back,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55my boat just a few weeks ago was slightly tighter,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59I think my seat had shrunk a bit during those nine months.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02But in a few weeks' time, we hope to get him into one of these already,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06- so we can't wait.- I feel privileged to be taking a paddle
0:20:06 > 0:20:08with an Olympic finalist,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11- but also you're going to give me a wee bit of tuition.- Yes.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Cos I haven't been down the rapids here before,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16so why don't we take a look at them?
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- Yeah?- Yeah.- All right.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Forward, forward, forward.
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Whoah!
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Ha-ha! Ow!
0:20:34 > 0:20:36- This way.- Ah, I'm sideways on!
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Forward, yeah.
0:20:41 > 0:20:42Keep on paddling.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44I'm on the rocks!
0:20:44 > 0:20:46HE LAUGHS
0:20:46 > 0:20:50'The water level is very low at the moment,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53'but it still looks like Niagara Falls to me.'
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Oh, Lord, we're over the side!
0:21:08 > 0:21:12# Many rivers to cross... #
0:21:12 > 0:21:15That went well!
0:21:15 > 0:21:19# ..And it's only my will that keeps me alive
0:21:21 > 0:21:25# I've been licked, washed up for years... #
0:21:26 > 0:21:28That was daft, man.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Ah, this is more like it -
0:21:37 > 0:21:41a gentle walk a short distance away in Belvoir Park,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45counting butterflies with Lagan Valley Regional Park volunteer, Arthur Patrick.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48I've lived in the area for 60 years
0:21:48 > 0:21:51and I've always come to Belvoir Park.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I like walking, so therefore I thought
0:21:54 > 0:21:57I'd try and put something back.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03So, what are you doing whenever you're recording what you see here?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- Where does this go? - Well, when I record,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09I take that information and put it into an online site
0:22:09 > 0:22:13for the UK-wide butterfly count.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- OK.- And then the count that is gathered together
0:22:16 > 0:22:20from the thousand or so people or sites that are doing this,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24that goes to government departments and then to governments
0:22:24 > 0:22:29and they are able to assess what climate change,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32what their farming policy, their use of pesticides,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34- is doing to...- The wider countryside.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Do you think the butterflies are a really nice indicator,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41if you like, about what's happening in the wider world?
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Well, being insects, like all insects, they're the sort of
0:22:45 > 0:22:49ground-floor for the food chain, or food pyramid.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51And therefore, if they're not doing well,
0:22:51 > 0:22:57then you can be sure the higher groups will not be doing well at all.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Do you know whether they are doing well?
0:22:59 > 0:23:03- Well, they're doing very badly. - Really?- So we've lost...
0:23:03 > 0:23:07I reckon about 70% of the butterfly species
0:23:07 > 0:23:12and numbers over the last 10 to 20 years.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16If that is reflected in other insect species and other food species,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19then you can imagine the knock-on effect
0:23:19 > 0:23:21on the other layers in the pyramid.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26The regional park has tried to improve the situation
0:23:26 > 0:23:29by turning this area into a traditional hay meadow.
0:23:29 > 0:23:35Having a variety of different plants, you have a multiculture
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and therefore you're supplying food
0:23:37 > 0:23:42to a variety of different groups of insects and other animals,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46so as a result, you have a greater diversity, greater variety.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53'Across the field, another team of volunteers
0:23:53 > 0:23:55'is labouring away on the riverbank.'
0:23:55 > 0:23:56That's hard work.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58It is, it's very hard work.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02- Here, you can help out.- Thank you very much. You're up to your neck
0:24:02 > 0:24:05in a jungle of Himalayan balsam.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Yes, there is a lot of it.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- Why does everybody hate this so much?- Well,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13- because it's invasive.- Which means it doesn't belong here?
0:24:13 > 0:24:17That's right, and it erodes the bank and upsets the whole balance.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22So, is this the most efficient way to get rid of it, hand pulling it?
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Yes, it is.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- We have to leave it in place, of course, once we pull it.- Right.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Um, we're not permitted to move it.
0:24:30 > 0:24:36But it helps to prevent it from seeding and spreading further.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Very good. And you've got volunteers here who are lending a hand.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44What on earth would make you two boys come here
0:24:44 > 0:24:47and spend a day volunteering to pull this out?
0:24:47 > 0:24:50- It's Saturday.- It's Saturday! Ha-ha!
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Ah, come on, there must be some payback for you, is there?
0:24:54 > 0:24:58- The craic maybe.- Really?- A bit of fun, a bit of exercise, you know.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59I suppose the notion is,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02you're getting out, but also doing some good.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04That's the theory.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10I'm beginning to work up a sweat here, so that's probably enough.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11Sorry!
0:25:11 > 0:25:13THEY LAUGH
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Hard work...but worth the effort.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Lagan Valley, we're trying to make it better
0:25:23 > 0:25:28and everybody's benefiting, so it's a real...
0:25:30 > 0:25:34..nice place to come for the family and for everybody.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35- Absolutely.- Have some fun.
0:25:35 > 0:25:41The park is a little stream of life running through Belfast.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43And beyond.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I'm nearing the end of my Lagan odyssey
0:25:51 > 0:25:52and down at Stranmillis weir,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55I'm joined again by geologist, Kirstin Lemon.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00We're aboard Derek Booker's Lagan tour boat
0:26:00 > 0:26:03and we're attracting attention.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Kirsten, look at that. There's a seal.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09You can smell the salt water, so we must be near the end of the line.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12We're at Stranmillis Weir and that's officially
0:26:12 > 0:26:13the end of the River Lagan.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16So, from its source at Slieve Croob, 40 miles downstream
0:26:16 > 0:26:20to here at Stranmillis Weir, that is the River Lagan as we know it.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22From here on to Belfast Lough it's officially the Lagan Estuary.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27But I would argue that it might be "officially" the end of the river
0:26:27 > 0:26:29at this point, but no-one would accept the river stops here.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33You're probably right. Most people think the Lagan's the river of Belfast city.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36It goes through the city and ends at Belfast Lough.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40But scientifically, what you have is a mix of freshwater from the river
0:26:40 > 0:26:42with the seawater from Belfast Lough
0:26:42 > 0:26:46and that's why you can smell the seawater and have seals here as well.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48I'm just not down on it.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Derek, I defer to you. What's your view?
0:26:51 > 0:26:54I believe the River Lagan ends at the Lagan Weir, downstream.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56When the saltwater and freshwater mix
0:26:56 > 0:26:58and then it becomes part of the sea.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Up here, I believe it's still the River Lagan.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06I've been doing it for 15 years and I've been selling this as the River Lagan Tour.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Now you're telling me I've never been on the River Lagan!
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Do you hear that, Kirsten? You listen to that expert.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Despite casting doubt on his business plan,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Derek sportingly agrees to take us on a trip down river
0:27:21 > 0:27:24where he has seen major improvements over the years.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Well, the cleanliness of the water's the main difference.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30It was a totally different river then.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33You know, lots of pollution, very little fish,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36you wouldn't have seen a seal, impossible,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38you were lucky to see a seagull in them days
0:27:38 > 0:27:40so it's a remarkable turnaround.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44It's amazing the wildlife on the river now and the river banks.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I'd like to see more boats on the river - houseboats,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50artists' studios - I'd like to bring life to the river.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53That's why I started this business. I looked over the bridge one day
0:27:53 > 0:27:56and said, "They've spent millions on this river and there's no boats."
0:27:56 > 0:27:58And what's a river without boats?
0:28:00 > 0:28:03The perspective you get here, look up ahead here,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06- look at the people going to and from work, etc.- Yeah.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10- Your perspective in the water's completely different.- It is.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12And here we are at the King's Bridge,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Ireland's oldest reinforced concrete bridge.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18One-way traffic cos the Americans in the war took tanks across it,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21cracked it, you can still see the cracks to this day.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24When I've got Americans on board, I take my hat off and pass it round,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27get some money to rebuild the bridge cos they wrecked it.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Barges, salmon, linen
0:28:32 > 0:28:35and great characters along the way -
0:28:35 > 0:28:38all part of the magic of the River Lagan.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42# Floating down that old river, boy
0:28:42 > 0:28:45# All my worries far behind
0:28:49 > 0:28:52# Floating down that old river, boy
0:28:52 > 0:28:55# Leave old memories way behind
0:28:59 > 0:29:02# Yesterday's slowly fading
0:29:02 > 0:29:06# All my life I've been waiting for this time
0:29:10 > 0:29:12# Floating that old river, boy... #