0:00:04 > 0:00:05'Where are we?'
0:00:05 > 0:00:08- That's west.- That's south. - That's west. That's north,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10so we got to just...
0:00:10 > 0:00:14- 'Well, we're lost.' We're getting nowhere.- Yep.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18'We've taken on the challenge of finding our way around the country
0:00:18 > 0:00:21'with just nature as our guide.'
0:00:21 > 0:00:24- I've never been more lost. - Where's an oak tree, please?
0:00:24 > 0:00:28- 'We have no maps'... - So I suggest we head that way.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31..'no satnavs'...
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Oh, no. I'm just doing... This isn't helping.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36..'and no compass.'
0:00:36 > 0:00:38You will not look at that compass!
0:00:38 > 0:00:42'Instead, actress Alison Steadman'...
0:00:42 > 0:00:44SHE HONKS HORN Oh, my...
0:00:44 > 0:00:46..'presenter Sue Perkins'...
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Even our three minds aren't equivalent to one normal-sized mind.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52..'and me, actor Stephen Mangan'...
0:00:52 > 0:00:54We're all going to die!
0:00:54 > 0:00:57..'have all been learning to navigate the natural way.'
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I think this must be the southwesterly path,
0:01:00 > 0:01:01because of the wind.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05'We've been trained by explorer and navigator extraordinaire,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08- 'Tristan Gooley.' - The sun is really important,
0:01:08 > 0:01:12and we can use it as our compass. They're all pointing the same way.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14It's quite a strong clue as to southwest.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22'Each of our journeys has a special connection for one of us.'
0:01:22 > 0:01:25It's just, er, so uplifting and...and moving.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28'And in this programme, I'm taking Sue and Alison
0:01:28 > 0:01:32'to my family homeland, the west coast of Ireland.'
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Alison! Wow, just incredible.
0:01:53 > 0:02:00'We're arriving at Knock Airport at the height of the Irish summer.'
0:02:00 > 0:02:03This is a trip to the west coast of Ireland
0:02:03 > 0:02:06that I've been making my whole life, and it was made a lot quicker
0:02:06 > 0:02:08once they built an airport here in the mid-'80s.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12I've come here because it's from this area that my parents are from,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17although on a day like today, I kind of wish they'd come from Jamaica.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21- It's a uniquely...- Cold.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25- It's a uniquely beautiful and... - And wet.- Raining.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27- And wet.- It's a really... - And foggy.- Freezing.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30- It's really hot. - And hailstones in my eyes.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33- We're so glad we're here.- I said, "Come and have a holiday"...
0:02:33 > 0:02:36- You said it was paradise! - .."on the west coast of Ireland."
0:02:36 > 0:02:40I'm hoping that doing our natural-navigation walks
0:02:40 > 0:02:44will show me aspects of this area that I've never seen before.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Our journey will take us from the island of Achill,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52across the water to the mainland, and on to Doohoma,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54the village where my father was born.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01'The reason we're starting in Achill is because it has a special place in my heart.'
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Oh, wow!
0:03:09 > 0:03:12This is the spot, five years ago,
0:03:12 > 0:03:14that I asked my wife Louise to marry me,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17and I'm very happy to say that she did say yes.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Er...
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Mind you, she could hardly say anything else, really.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25It's a very big drop.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31My late parents loved it here,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34but they moved away to England in search of work,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and I was born and grew up in London...
0:03:37 > 0:03:40..although I come back often to see my extended family
0:03:40 > 0:03:42of uncles, aunts and cousins.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46I'm hoping this trip may help me better understand my roots
0:03:46 > 0:03:48in this country.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52I'm torn, I suppose, like a lot of second-generation immigrants.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55I feel very attached to this place.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I spent hours and hours on this beach as a kid.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01I feel like I come from here, but at the same time,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03I was born and brought up in London.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07I can imagine, if your parents came from India
0:04:07 > 0:04:12or Jamaica or Australia or wherever, to England, you'd feel the same.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17You'd feel partly English, and I feel partly Irish.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Our first challenge is to naturally navigate our way
0:04:24 > 0:04:26from the centre of Achill to a deserted village
0:04:26 > 0:04:28on the other side of the island.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32But between us and our goal is the small matter of finding a safe path
0:04:32 > 0:04:35between the sheer cliffs of the Minaun mountain,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39and beyond that, acres of treacherous peat bog.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41WIND WHISTLES
0:04:43 > 0:04:45OK.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47"This is your first easy walk."
0:04:47 > 0:04:51'Our teacher Tristan Gooley has given us guidebooks
0:04:51 > 0:04:53'with just a few clues.'
0:04:53 > 0:04:55"If you stray from the correct direction,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57there are dangerous cliffs on either side."
0:04:57 > 0:05:00That's a way to start a tourist brochure, isn't it?
0:05:00 > 0:05:03'Does Tristan really have this much faith in our skills?'
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- Wow!- "Firstly you need to determine southwest."
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- "Use the sun"...- No sun. - No, there isn't any.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12.."and the wind." There's plenty of wind. No trees.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- Well... - OK, there's a lot coming from there.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Yeah.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23'We know we need to head in a southwesterly direction,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26'but there's nothing obvious we can get our bearings from.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28'Or is there?'
0:05:31 > 0:05:33If you're really struggling for clues,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36there's the chance you've missed a big one,
0:05:36 > 0:05:37a really big one.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41One of the best clues is actually the shape of the land itself.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43So if we have a look this way,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46can you see how the hills roll into the distance?
0:05:46 > 0:05:49But then, if we look down to the south,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53it drops down to low country,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56and the hills don't rise up to the level we're at here.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00And again, if we look out to the west here,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03we can see it holds this high level of ground.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06And you can get to know each range of hills.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10You can get to know its profile, almost like its personality.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13We're on the South Downs here. They run west to east,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17and once you've tuned in to that, you can use them like a compass.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Local knowledge - we're on a mountain.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23We're at one of the most westerly points of Europe.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25So if we can see a lot of land...
0:06:25 > 0:06:30Basically the Atlantic is west. So if you can see a lot of land,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33that ain't west. You can see the bridge over there,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35so that's the link with the mainland,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39- and that's all to the east of us. So southwest is that way.- Let's go!
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- What have we got to lose? - Our lives, over a cliff.- Oh, yeah.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44Apart from that.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49'After walking over a small summit,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52'there's another main one in the distance,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54'with something on it.'
0:06:54 > 0:06:57It looks like a lump of rock with something on the top.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- I think we should go...- Let's do it.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06You wouldn't want to run up here in a hurry.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09You know it's windy when even the sheep don't go up here.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10'Conditions are terrible.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14'I'm just surprised that Stephen's toupee's holding fast.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18'And, of course, the normally well prepared Alison Steadman isn't
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- 'when she really needs to be.' - You haven't got your stick.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23I knew there was something missing!
0:07:23 > 0:07:26This is the one place I should have my stick.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28This is exactly when your stick would be good.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Wait for me! SHE LAUGHS
0:07:33 > 0:07:37I'm walking behind you two. I'm like the sort of old Labrador
0:07:37 > 0:07:39that you've brought with...
0:07:39 > 0:07:42'As we approach the summit,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45'the form of a lady appears from the mist.'
0:07:45 > 0:07:48She doesn't seem to be getting any closer, this woman.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51"This woman"? That's the Virgin Mary!
0:07:51 > 0:07:53'Oh, no! Sorry! I didn't know.'
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- Oh, I see her now.- That looks like the Virgin Mary to me.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59That looks like the Virgin Mary, definitely.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- We did it.- We did!- We did. Well done.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13'From here, we now have to find the deserted village.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17'Our guidebooks say the safest way down the mountain is east.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19'But which way is that?'
0:08:19 > 0:08:22'We need some divine inspiration.'
0:08:25 > 0:08:27'Or maybe just some help from Tristan.'
0:08:29 > 0:08:32One of the senses you might get to use
0:08:32 > 0:08:35if sight and smell aren't working for you
0:08:35 > 0:08:39is the sense of touch. What I'd like you to do
0:08:39 > 0:08:41is just feel two sides of this stone here.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45Feel nice and low down on this side here,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49and then low down on this side as well.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53And just see if you can pick up any difference in temperature.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- It'll be very, very slight. - It's cooler this side.- Yes.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01And what's happened is, the southern sun, of course,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03has warmed one side and not the other,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06and even though now we can't see the sun at all,
0:09:06 > 0:09:11the stone has a memory. But even if the sun hasn't come out all day,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13the light and heat of the sun is still reaching us.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17It would be night-time otherwise. Get your hands on there.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Feel the temperature, and it might give you a clue
0:09:19 > 0:09:22to where the sun is, even though you can't see it.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27'So, where can we find a handy lump of rock?
0:09:30 > 0:09:32'Ah!'
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Yeah. Feel the temperature of the rock.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39I don't feel comfortable about groping a major Catholic icon.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Oh, God. I now feel like a proper penitent.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52- This is tough! - She's warmer on this side.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- I can't believe I'm saying that about...- Really?
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Yeah. She's slightly warmer on this side.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00'And although there's no sun in the sky,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02'as usual, smarty-pants Gooley's right.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06'The southern side of the statue is definitely warmer. Sorry, Our Lady.'
0:10:06 > 0:10:09So, she looks like she's facing east...
0:10:09 > 0:10:11- Yeah.- ..I would say.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14She's a reliable icon.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18'We might know which way to go, but now the weather's closing in,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21'we need to get off this mountain as fast as possible.'
0:10:21 > 0:10:25OK, look. The clouds are approaching rapidly.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27I can see it's going very grey all around us.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30So I suggest we head that way.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35'We head off east, as guided by the Virgin Mary herself.'
0:10:38 > 0:10:42The locals would consider this bikini weather.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46'According to our guidebooks, we now need to find a path
0:10:46 > 0:10:49'to the northwest, to take us towards the abandoned village.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52'We're now entering bog territory,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55'and we've been warned peat bogs can be pretty tricky.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59'One false step, and you'll never see your boots again.'
0:11:00 > 0:11:03"Look for signs around you and head northwest." OK.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Has the sun appeared yet? The sun feels like it's coming from...
0:11:06 > 0:11:09I think it's due in 2014 here.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11'But, as the clouds above the mountains clear,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15'the Virgin Mary appears to guide us again, bless her.'
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- That's the... - That's the Minaun we just came from.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Right.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23And the Virgin Mary pointed east.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Southeast. So basically east is there,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28and south is there. Is that right?
0:11:28 > 0:11:33Yes, because she was facing towards those things, masts, wasn't she?
0:11:33 > 0:11:37- She was facing that way. - So east is that way.- That way.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39That's east...
0:11:39 > 0:11:43- Northwest...- So north and west... North and south, rather...
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- This is the uncomplicated walk. - Yeah.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- I've never been more lost. - Where's an oak tree, please?
0:11:50 > 0:11:54I'm now going to lose my moral compass as well as my literal one
0:11:54 > 0:11:59and just go and offer sex to anyone who can point me in the northwesterly path. Excuse me.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04- Isn't that Mary up there, yeah? - Yeah.- And she's pointing east.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- So that's east that way.- It's west.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- So that's north... - So northwest is there.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11The best option for northwest is there.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13We got the wrong placement of the statue.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- I was that close to offering my body. I was that close!- Really?
0:12:18 > 0:12:20# Oh, the summertime...
0:12:20 > 0:12:25'Stephen might be feeling chirpy, but singing won't get us anywhere.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27'I hope we're still heading northwest.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31'We could do with something else to confirm we're heading in the right direction.'
0:12:31 > 0:12:33- Shall we do a quick wind test?- OK.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35OK.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- It comes from there! Northwest. - That way.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- It comes from there, so that's... - So that's north, isn't it?
0:12:46 > 0:12:50'The wind's not helping. We need to find something else we can use.'
0:12:52 > 0:12:54It's a pretty exposed location, isn't it?
0:12:54 > 0:12:57- You can imagine in the winter... - Somebody bought it
0:12:57 > 0:13:01thinking it was the sunshine state. "We've lived here for 17 years,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03and never seen any sun. We're now abandoning it."
0:13:03 > 0:13:08Buildings are another clue, if you're lucky.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11All other things being equal,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14a building, particularly a big, proud building
0:13:14 > 0:13:17standing all alone, will face south,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20to make the most of the light and heat of the sun.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22The other thing to be aware of
0:13:22 > 0:13:26is that, if a building is in a very exposed location,
0:13:26 > 0:13:31it's more likely to be skewed to negate the effects of the wind.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35We know the wind's typically going to be ripping in from the southwest,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38so you might find a building that's turned
0:13:38 > 0:13:40so that it's not face-on to those winds,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44so it's not having to deal with those battering storms the whole time.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47That's... That's southwesterly, isn't it,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- so that's the prevailing wind. - They built it into -
0:13:50 > 0:13:54The small end is... So you haven't built it broad-on to the wind.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57'So it looks like this house has been built
0:13:57 > 0:14:00'with its end facing the southwesterly winds.'
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I think we head this way. Did you agree?
0:14:03 > 0:14:07- You happy with that? - Go for it. Sensible Stephen!
0:14:07 > 0:14:10'So by our reckoning, the village is this way -
0:14:10 > 0:14:12'we hope.'
0:14:12 > 0:14:14It's pretty boggy, isn't it?
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Very boggy.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Oh, that's a good old slurp.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23'Across the valley we see our destination, the deserted village.'
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Surely we wouldn't be sent across that bog!
0:14:26 > 0:14:30'Having misinterpreted the natural clues of the house,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33'Mangan has taken us on a shortcut by heading straight for it...
0:14:35 > 0:14:38'..and into a bog.'
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- Wow!- Is that well boggy?- Yeah!
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- Wait for Granny! Slow down. - Come on, Grandma.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- Wait for Granny.- Nearly at the ridge, if you come up this way.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Oh!
0:14:51 > 0:14:54'We are literally stuck in the mud.'
0:14:54 > 0:14:58God! I'm getting fed up with this now.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02'The trouble is, you can't see where the trouble is.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06'Everything looks the same. But some places are like quicksand.'
0:15:06 > 0:15:08- I can hear water.- Yeah.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11'And then there's another obstacle.'
0:15:11 > 0:15:12Yay!
0:15:13 > 0:15:16- Look at this!- A stream.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Stephen, you see, is so good. I mean, I'm hopeless,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24and so I'm tending to just rely on Stephen,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28because he's so brilliant. We have got to head for the ruined houses,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31and they are over there. Um...
0:15:31 > 0:15:33But, yeah. So I guess we are.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36I'm all muddled. I don't know.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39And it's just crossing the stream that's slightly worrying me.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42But Susan and Stephen seem to have done it quite easily,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44so I'm going to give it a go.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47- Sue, take my book.- Got you.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49OK.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52- So I'm here... - Whatever the situation,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54- I'm always the librarian. - ALISON LAUGHS
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Even in the middle of wilderness, I'm holding a pile of books.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59Oh!
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- Yes!- You did it.- Yes!
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Bloody hell! Sorry. I swore then.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Gosh! SUE LAUGHS
0:16:08 > 0:16:10'We're getting nowhere fast,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13'and I'm beginning to worry about Alison and Sue.'
0:16:13 > 0:16:16I'll have a tea, please. Yes, thank you.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19No biscuits, no. Have you got a scone?
0:16:19 > 0:16:22An Irish scone? Yes, please. And butter. Yes. Thank you.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Just seven pints of Guinness for me, thanks.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Oh, all right. And a bottle of whisky.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Losing it! What are they talking about?
0:16:30 > 0:16:32There's nobody there!
0:16:33 > 0:16:36It's getting seriously boggy, guys.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- Promise you'll rescue me! - Promise I will.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42I don't know about you. I'm finding this really exhausting
0:16:42 > 0:16:45on this bog. There's obviously a path there.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Can you see those two people? A turquoise skirt and a white top.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- How about if we head for there? - Yeah.- Sure.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55The ones with lightness, with deftness of tread.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57We'll be on a path, because I'm finding this...
0:16:57 > 0:17:02Listen. If I don't make it, please feel free to eat me if you need to.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Oh, that's such a good slurp under the welly!
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Very pretty flowers. I'm loving the flowers.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- Yeah, aren't they?- If we'd looked less at them, and looked up a bit,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- we might have seen that easy gravel path.- Yes.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17But, hey, I'd much rather go waist-deep in bog land anywhere.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22'Tragic, isn't it? Doesn't take much to bring us to our knees,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24'but at least the end is in sight.'
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- Ah! - 'We're meeting Theresa McDonald,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32'an archaeologist who was born and bred on Achill.'
0:17:32 > 0:17:34We came through the bog path.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37I was going to send out the mountain rescue.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Yes. Just wanted to get the unique Irish experience,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42feeling my knees coated in bog slime.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- You could have gone along the old green road.- Too simple.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46Too simple.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50'Theresa can tell us more about the history of this village,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52'particularly during the Potato Famine.'
0:17:52 > 0:17:55There were a couple of famines, weren't there?
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Well, this was the Great Irish Famine, 1845 to 1847.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01For some reason I need it explaining.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Everybody knows about the Potato Famine.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05- Was it potato blight?- It was, yeah.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10You can see up the mountain that they continued to open up new plots,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14because they thought it was where they were sowing the potatoes,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16that there was something wrong with the soil.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19So they thought if they opened a new plot of ground
0:18:19 > 0:18:23that everything would be OK, but of course it was impossible.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26- It really decimated... - Yeah.- ..well, all of Ireland,
0:18:26 > 0:18:30most of Ireland, actually, yeah, particularly the west coast.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Some of them went in ships over to America.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34A lot of them went to America.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38In fact they went to a particular place in America -
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Cleveland, Ohio. There are more Achill people in Cleveland
0:18:42 > 0:18:44than there are on the island.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46'It's the end of our first leg,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49'and a stark reminder of some of the difficult history
0:18:49 > 0:18:52'this area has seen.'
0:19:05 > 0:19:08'Next morning we're up early and ready to take on the next leg.'
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Right. So, it's time to leave Achill.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13No! I don't want to leave. It's so beautiful.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17But it's such a long way round by road, we're going to swim.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Or we could get a boat. It's up to you.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25We're crossing Blacksod Bay to the mainland,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28which will leave us 18 miles from our final destination,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31my father's village.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Get up!
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- Wait a minute. What have I got to do? - Give me your hand.- I can do that.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41- Hurray! - HE LAUGHS
0:19:41 > 0:19:45'We've got a lot of ground to cover, and I'm itching to get started.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48'But Stephen has other plans.'
0:19:48 > 0:19:51'My family used to fish for salmon in these waters,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53'and I want to see how they did it.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56'Local fishermen William and Anthony Sweeney
0:19:56 > 0:19:58'are going to show us the traditional method.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01'It's sustainable, and so is still in use today.'
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Light a fire. We're going to bring home a lot of fish.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07I'm going to keep a candle in my window until you return.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09SHE LAUGHS
0:20:11 > 0:20:13We'll never see him again. Lovely lad, wasn't he?
0:20:13 > 0:20:16He was gorgeous.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18'I stay on the far bank with one end of the net,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21'and the others row back, dropping the net behind them.'
0:20:21 > 0:20:25- So, you can only do this at low tide?- Yeah, low tide.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29'The idea is, as the tide falls, fish will get caught in the net,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31'hopefully.'
0:20:31 > 0:20:33So, a good catch, how many would you get?
0:20:33 > 0:20:35If you were lucky, you could probably get ten.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38If a salmon hits that net now...
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- Yeah.- ..you'll feel it tug,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44- and you'll also... See him there? - Oh, it's gone! I'm sorry.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55'My uncle PJ has told me that sometimes
0:20:55 > 0:20:59'it would be salmon for breakfast, lunch and dinner,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02'and at the time, it was a staple food for families in the area.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04'But today, due to declining fish stocks,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07'wild salmon is an expensive luxury.'
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Show us your salmon!
0:21:11 > 0:21:16Put the kettle on. Brown bread and a bit of salmon, some butter.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20I just thought, you won't get fresher than that, will you?
0:21:20 > 0:21:22He's beautiful, isn't he?
0:21:22 > 0:21:25I think he's a beauty. I think you did a great job.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29'Now I've proved my Mangan manliness,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31'we can carry on with our trip.'
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Our second leg starts at the edge of the Claggan estate.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39We've somehow got to naturally navigate our way across it
0:21:39 > 0:21:43to the largest, wettest and squelchiest bog in Europe,
0:21:43 > 0:21:47the Ballycroy National Park. Then we have to find a farmer,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50who's going to show us how to cut peat the traditional way,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53as my family would have done. We just have to reach him
0:21:53 > 0:21:55before he heads home for tea at six.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59'We need to get our bearings. Our guidebooks tell us
0:21:59 > 0:22:03'the best way to check direction is to look for something elevated
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- 'with a flat top.' - 'Are the Jedward twins here?'
0:22:06 > 0:22:09- OK...- Is that it?
0:22:09 > 0:22:13- It's got a flattish top, hasn't it? - That is a definite flat top.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16So, that is sort of south.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18- That is...- South.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Quarter to 12. Sun is there. Quickly, before it goes in the clouds!
0:22:22 > 0:22:26- Yeah. This is the one moment! - So it's sort of...- There.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28- So it's southwest.- Yes.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- That mountain, flat top. - That mountain, southwest.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Nice to be walking on a road,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37not sinking up to our knees in bog.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39'We're looking for a westerly path
0:22:39 > 0:22:42'which will take us towards Claggan House.'
0:22:42 > 0:22:46- Is that it? No.- Southwest...
0:22:46 > 0:22:50'There must be another clue around here somewhere.'
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Woodland's one of the toughest environments
0:22:54 > 0:22:57to find natural-navigation clues in.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00The main reason is because the sun can't find its way in,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02so you won't get many clues from the sun.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04The wind struggles to get in. The only wind
0:23:04 > 0:23:09that really gets properly into woodland is storm winds,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12and so one of the clues we can use in woodland
0:23:12 > 0:23:14is when a storm has felled a lot of trees,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and as you can see here, we've got lots of trees.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21All have been blown down in the same direction.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23So all we need to do is remain aware,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27and tune to the direction that that storm's winds have come from.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30But once you've tuned into it, you can use them
0:23:30 > 0:23:33over large areas. Cos out in open country,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36if a tree comes down, it'll be cleared away quite quickly.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39But in woodland, they can lie there for years or decades.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43The trees we're seeing here, almost certainly from the Great Storm
0:23:43 > 0:23:46of '87. These have been blown down from the southwest,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49as were a lot of trees in that storm,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53and as we look around this woodland, we see many, many trees
0:23:53 > 0:23:56have been blown down the same way.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00So it's the way the wind leaves its imprint in the woodland,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and we can use that to find southwest.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- That tree there... - That tree's been blown over.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11From the southwest, so the direction's the same
0:24:11 > 0:24:15as the flat-topped mountain's in that would gauge us southwest,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18and exactly in the direction that path is.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22That's where the wind came from to knock the trees over.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25The wind at our back is a northeasterly,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28- so it's directly opposite that. - OK. Cool.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31It is very busy round here suddenly. What's going on?
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Nice meadow.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40- I say "mead-OW". - That is the kind of meadow,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43if I was a child, I would love to have played in.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46We didn't have anything like that in Liverpool.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49We had a recreation field, but nothing like that.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53- That would be perfect.- Croydon wasn't full of meadows either.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55No. Nor was Enfield.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00Yeah. We come from a fairly unilaterally meadow-free background.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02What are we waiting for next? Fork in the road.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08'As we reach the fork, we have a choice of two paths.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10'We're supposed to head southwest.'
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Southwest, so it's got to be...
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Oh, God, we're all pointing different ways. Hang on.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21There's not much in it, is there, either way.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I'd say that's more west, and that's southwest.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27'It's a difficult choice. I think we should go right.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29'Sue and Stephen think left.'
0:25:29 > 0:25:32That's somebody's house, so it can't be there.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34- The "private, no entry" is...- Yes.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- ..making me fearful. - Fearful of taking that route.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41'And we haven't got time to debate all day.'
0:25:41 > 0:25:45My first instinct was that, but... Listen.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47That way.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56- So, your instinct is to go there? - Well, it was, but...
0:25:56 > 0:25:59What time is it now? The sun is in the south, isn't it, now.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02It's about one o'clock. Can't see the sun.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- Can't see the sun.- The wind has died down, so that's useless.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11OK. "At the fork in the road, head west by southwest."
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- Oh, we're getting fancy. - Yeah. Testing us now.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Well, that's south.
0:26:18 > 0:26:19That's southwest.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- So...- Is that west?
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Yeah. Exactly, exactly. So, that's west. So...
0:26:26 > 0:26:28towards the "private, no entry" sign.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31- Are we sure?- The "You will get mauled by a dog" sign.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- That's all right. We can handle it. - HE BARKS
0:26:34 > 0:26:36It's fine.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Towards the "Don't come here, we will kill you" sign.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Followed by the "We really weren't joking" sign.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Followed by the "How many times do you have to tell you?"
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Followed by the "It's too late. The thing you see in front of you
0:26:49 > 0:26:52- is a shotgun." - Followed by a sign saying "bang".
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Followed by "If you're reading this, we missed."
0:26:59 > 0:27:01'Eventually we glimpse something
0:27:01 > 0:27:04'that tells us we are definitely on the right path -
0:27:04 > 0:27:06'Claggan House.'
0:27:06 > 0:27:10The gables are set against the prevailing wind, southwest there.
0:27:12 > 0:27:13There's a weathervane on the top
0:27:13 > 0:27:16with north, south, east and west on it.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- That'll help!- Result.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21- Bingo!- According to the weathervane,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23that's south.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26- That's pretty helpful. - I like the house.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- This is just heavenly, this. - Wow, look at this garden!
0:27:30 > 0:27:34- There's suddenly trees everywhere. - Oh, my God, I want to live here.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36- Yeah.- I wonder if they'd mind.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41- And you come out your gate... - Yep. That's your view.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43- And that's your view.- Wow!
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- Shall we club together and see if we can make them an offer?- Seriously.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50The Claggan estate once belonged to the family of Clive of India,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and in the 19th century, they planted these gardens
0:27:53 > 0:27:57with exotic trees and plants brought back from their travels.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02MUSIC: "Coronation Anthem No. 1" by Handel
0:28:06 > 0:28:09'We've nearly made it across the estate.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12'We just need to find a way out. The clock's ticking,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15'and we need to get a move on.' Southwest.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Southwest... That way.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24OK.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Ah! Plenty of puddles here.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Yeah.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Help may be at hand in the form of the West Coast Vintage Society,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38and a fleet of classic vehicles.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42Our next mode of transport is, I think we can safely say...
0:28:42 > 0:28:44- Check it out!- Good.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47'All we have to do is decide who's going in what.'
0:28:47 > 0:28:50What do you fancy, Alison? Which is your vehicle of choice?
0:28:50 > 0:28:52The Morris Minor. I used to have a boyfriend
0:28:52 > 0:28:55- had a Morris Minor convertible, when I was 18.- Really?
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Yeah. It's going to bring back all the memories.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00If you don't mind, I like the Mercedes.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02I have a vintage Mercedes myself.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Let me get this straight. You're going in the sexy Mercedes.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10- Alison's going in the cute Morris. - I'm going in the knackered tractor.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Right.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16ENGINE ROARS
0:29:17 > 0:29:20'So, these two have sped off into the distance,
0:29:20 > 0:29:21'and I might be quicker walking.'
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Now I can get out.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34That was great.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40Can't resist having a go at this.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43Stand by. SHE HONKS HORN
0:29:43 > 0:29:47Oh, my God! That is a sound you don't hear any more.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49Brilliant.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56'The lift has put us back on track.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59'We're now at the edge of the Ballycroy National Park.'
0:29:59 > 0:30:01'We're on a bog again,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04'and somewhere in this vast, unforgiving wilderness
0:30:04 > 0:30:07'we've got to try and find Hugh McManaman,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10'who's cutting peat by hand.'
0:30:10 > 0:30:12What's more, we've got to get a move on.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17It's 5:00 PM, and we've promised to meet Hugh in an hour.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20'We're supposed to head south, but clues are sparse.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22'At least we've got a bit of sun.'
0:30:22 > 0:30:24The sun's there, isn't it?
0:30:24 > 0:30:28The sun is almost where... It's hard to tell where it is.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31It's sort of there, isn't it, roughly.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33It's maybe not quite west, but almost.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36'And some wind. It was northeast this morning.'
0:30:36 > 0:30:40- So that's northeasterly there. - The wind?- Yeah.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44'Ooh, and it's still northeast now! Don't tell me I've finally got something right!
0:30:44 > 0:30:48'That feeling won't last long. In Ireland, both the sun and wind
0:30:48 > 0:30:52'vanish quickly. The only thing constant is the landscape.'
0:31:01 > 0:31:03- So, we've got the Minaun... - As south.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07We've got Slievemore as west, do you think?
0:31:07 > 0:31:10- Or just southwest? - I would say the Minaun is southwest.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15'From here we can see Achill Island,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18'and the Minaun mountain we climbed yesterday.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21'As it's a long way off, even when we move, its direction from us
0:31:21 > 0:31:25'remains constant, so this means we can use it
0:31:25 > 0:31:27'to work out which way is south.'
0:31:27 > 0:31:29So we're saying south is that way?
0:31:29 > 0:31:31West...
0:31:31 > 0:31:34And if we have to go southwest in a minute,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37south-southwest... Is that right?
0:31:37 > 0:31:40- And you think that's the Minaun? - "The path is difficult to follow,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- but heads south to southwest."- Yeah.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47So I would say that's a left turn off this path.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52There aren't... There aren't definite...
0:31:52 > 0:31:54It's hard to be sure, isn't it?
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Now, then...
0:31:57 > 0:32:01There's a turn-slash-junction there.
0:32:01 > 0:32:02So we need to go...
0:32:04 > 0:32:06..south.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10- Yeah. The one that goes up the side. - Yeah.- I would agree with that.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12- Do you agree?- Hang on.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15I've lost my page again, as usual.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17Path heads south to southwest. This one.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- That one there? - "The path is difficult to follow,
0:32:22 > 0:32:25- but heads south to southwest." - So south...
0:32:26 > 0:32:30Southwest. I think it's up this little hill, isn't it?
0:32:30 > 0:32:33'This bog is really tricky to navigate.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37'The landmarks we've identified are still not giving us enough of a clue
0:32:37 > 0:32:42'as to the correct direction. We'll never find Hugh at this rate!'
0:32:42 > 0:32:44Oh...
0:32:46 > 0:32:49- Someone had a full Irish breakfast. - I think that's a T-rex, that one.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52There's a whole lot of calf going on. Let's have a look.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Oh! It's well embedded.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59HE SIGHS
0:32:59 > 0:33:02I'm not going to be sidling up to you in the pub afterwards.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05- That's game over. - Nobody will be sidling up to me.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Apart from another calf, maybe.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13'Come on, guys. Hurry up! It's nearly six o'clock.'
0:33:13 > 0:33:15We have to go southwest in a minute.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18So determined not to slide through another cow pie,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21I'm not looking for clues in the landscape.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23- You're just looking down now.- Yeah.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26- It becomes very confusing.- It does.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30'Stephen's poo hokey-cokey reminds us that animals can be helpful
0:33:30 > 0:33:32'in other ways.'
0:33:32 > 0:33:37Now, there are many ways we can use plants to help us find direction,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40and there are quite a few ways we can use animals too.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42If we're lucky, there are one or two places
0:33:42 > 0:33:45where you see the plants and the animals helping us together,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48and this gorse bush here is a great example.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Can you see how it's looking sort of reasonably sturdy
0:33:51 > 0:33:53all the way down to the ground?
0:33:53 > 0:33:56Natural navigation, we're always looking for differences.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59If I show you on the other side something...
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Have a good look in there.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05Below knee height, there's almost nothing.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09And if we look really deep in, what can you see in there?
0:34:09 > 0:34:12- Sheep wool. - Yeah. You've spotted it. In there.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16So sheep like to graze from one side in particular?
0:34:16 > 0:34:19- Do they like the sun in their eyes? - Are they sheltering?- That's it.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22They're sheltering. The prevailing southwesterly winds,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26when a big wind's coming in, it's likely to come from that direction,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29so the sheep shelter in on the north and the northeastern side.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37Sheep's wool here in the gorse, where the sheep have gone in.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40So that is the southwest there.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42- Good.- OK.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44- Let's mosey.- Let's mosey on.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49'Time is against us, and we're still not sure we're on the right track.'
0:34:49 > 0:34:52'Then we see a barn that's mentioned in the guide
0:34:52 > 0:34:55'as being on the way to Hugh. Result!
0:34:55 > 0:34:59'And we can't resist having a closer look.'
0:34:59 > 0:35:02It smells like a stable, but it's got a fireplace.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07This is a byre house, a traditional dwelling in Ireland,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10where people and animals used to live cheek-by-jowl.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13I've never been in one this complete.
0:35:13 > 0:35:18So, this would be partly a cattle shed,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21- and partly a home.- Gosh!
0:35:21 > 0:35:23Probably have a couple of beds,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26maybe the other side of the fire.
0:35:26 > 0:35:32I mean, it's not dissimilar to the house my mum grew up in.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35- You'll notice there's no bathroom or toilet.- Yeah.
0:35:36 > 0:35:42So the only wash you would get would be a sort of flannel wash.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46You'd heat some water up. Toilet, you had to find somewhere.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49- Yeah.- And, you know, it's cold.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Mm.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54- Must've been tough. - Tough is not the word.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Really, really tough.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00It's hard to imagine living here, isn't it?
0:36:04 > 0:36:08Just beyond the byre house, peat bogs stretch in all directions.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Peat is still the lifeblood for many communities here.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15When it's dried, it's burned to provide heat for houses.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19At the end of the path, we spot the man we'd been looking for
0:36:19 > 0:36:23all afternoon - Hugh McManaman, who's hard at work cutting peat.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26'We've completed this leg of the journey.'
0:36:26 > 0:36:29- Are you Hugh?- Hugh, yeah. - Nice to see you, Hugh.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32- The same as that. How are you? - I'm damn good.- How are you?
0:36:32 > 0:36:36- I'm Stephen. How are you doing? - Alison. Hello.- How are you?
0:36:36 > 0:36:42- I'm fine.- So, you were motoring. We could see you from a distance.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46'Peat-cutting is something my family would have done, and I can't resist having a go.'
0:36:46 > 0:36:49So, you start from in the corner.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51Oh, that is lovely work!
0:36:51 > 0:36:53All right!
0:36:53 > 0:36:56- Hey! You're a natural! - Oh, it's beautiful.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59- Oh, he's coming out pretty well at it.- Like chocolate.
0:36:59 > 0:37:04That is hard work. How many hours would you be out here?
0:37:04 > 0:37:08- Around eight hours a day. - How long?- About eight hours a day.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11- No!- I've done about 80 seconds, and I need a break.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13You must be a strong man.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16You can get down onto it, but it's then when you just...
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Well, I've got double peat.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22You are holding it on the right-hand side, as we call it.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Go on! Yes!
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Hey! Come on. Round of applause, please!
0:37:30 > 0:37:32- THEY LAUGH - Beautiful!
0:37:32 > 0:37:36And this is the completely traditional way of drying it,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39- cutting it, that you do?- Yeah. This tradition has nearly gone out.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43There's very few doing it today with a hand-cutter. Very few.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46- Did you do all that?- I did, yeah.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48- I did, yeah.- You are... - How old are you, Hugh?
0:37:48 > 0:37:51- Do you mind me asking? - I don't mind at all. 63.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- 63.- Look at that. That is... - Put us to shame.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56Yeah. All power to you.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00'Standing with Hugh reminds me of stories my dad used to tell me.'
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Dad would always tell me what hard work it was,
0:38:03 > 0:38:05- and I didn't know I was born. - That is right.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09You didn't come out with blisters on your hands when you were born.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12He told me about the blisters on his hands,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15and all the hair on his legs, carrying buckets back from the well,
0:38:15 > 0:38:20- a mile from the well.- That's right. That was all hard going, like.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24- Hard work to make a living. - Oh, very, very hard.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36After overnighting in Belmullet, the weather has finally broken.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43Before we set off on our final leg, I want to have a look around town,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45where many of the Mangan clan still live.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49This is Belmullet, which is the main town in this area.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52It's about 15 miles from where my parents are from,
0:38:52 > 0:38:57but it's where... It was the focal point for my trips over here
0:38:57 > 0:39:01as a teenager and in more recent times.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04I've got three uncles who live here now permanently, and a cousin.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07But all my cousins... And I've got a lot of them.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10I've got something like 40 first cousins.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13This is where we congregate.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15It's not a huge town,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18but there's a marked difference between here and Doohoma.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21In Doohoma, everyone will know who my parents were,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25who my grandparents were, and they'll be able to place me,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28whereas this place is a little bigger,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31so you're a little bit more anonymous, but still...
0:39:31 > 0:39:34It's about 9:30 in the morning. It's a beautiful summer's day,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38and it's rush hour. I know that because at least two cars have come through here.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42Hey! Hello. How you doing? Hi, Annie.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46- Hi, Jack. How are you? - Good.- Nice to see you.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49How's it going? Hi, Kieron. How are you?
0:39:49 > 0:39:52- Fine.- How's it going? We're related, aren't we, Jack?
0:39:52 > 0:39:54- Yeah.- How are we related?
0:39:54 > 0:39:57- Er, Mangans.- We're Mangans.- Yeah.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00- Yeah. Your mum and me are cousins, aren't we?- Yeah.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04'There are no post codes in Ireland, so directions are an art form here,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06'even at Jack's age.'
0:40:06 > 0:40:09So if I was to ask you, "How would I get from here
0:40:09 > 0:40:14to your house on Shore Road?", would you be able to tell me?
0:40:14 > 0:40:16- Yeah.- OK.- OK. You go down there,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19then you swing a left on the roundabout,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22then you go around, then you go down the main street.
0:40:22 > 0:40:27You swing a left again, and then you come to two little cottages.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32- The first one is ours. - That's pretty good. Well done.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35While Stephen catches up with his rellies,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38I'm off to find Pat Gallagher and Joe Carey.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40I'm an old romantic at heart,
0:40:40 > 0:40:45and I want to find out how on earth people used to meet their partners in such a remote place.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48- Hey, you must be Pat. - Hello, there!- I'm Sue. Hey, Joe!
0:40:48 > 0:40:51- Hi, Sue.- You're a legend as an accordion player.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55We're in the shadow of this rather forlorn building. What was this?
0:40:55 > 0:40:58It was the local dance hall here in the parish of Ballycroy.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01- OK.- It was built in 1947,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04and it closed down in the early '60s.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08So, what's the significance of a dance hall in a community?
0:41:08 > 0:41:11Well, it's to bring the people together, and a bit of enjoyment,
0:41:11 > 0:41:15and where many a husband and wife met each other.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19- With the parish priest looking on? - Well, yes, at one stage,
0:41:19 > 0:41:21but that doesn't happen now.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25The ladies were all lined up on one side, and the gents on the other,
0:41:25 > 0:41:29and when the music would start, the gents had to go across the floor.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Sometimes they'd be refused, and had to come back again.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35That's awful! The walk of shame across the ballroom!
0:41:35 > 0:41:38But what happened to the ladies that never got picked?
0:41:38 > 0:41:42- Oh, very few that happened to. - It would be me.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46They'd go out themselves anyway, and dance two ladies together.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48How far would people come for the dance?
0:41:48 > 0:41:53Oh, maybe... They'd even cycle about 25 or 30 miles to come here
0:41:53 > 0:41:56- from other parishes. - They'd cycle 25 to 30 miles
0:41:56 > 0:41:58and then they would dance for six hours?
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Yes, and hop on the bike again and away home again.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04It's like a triathlon! What sort of dance would you do?
0:42:04 > 0:42:08- Because I'd be rubbish. - It could be a waltz or a quickstep,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11mostly waltz. And then there was other dances -
0:42:11 > 0:42:13the Siege of Ennis and the Stack of Barley.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16- Shall we do the Stack of Barley? - We could have a go at it.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Look at you! It's almost like the beginning of sumo.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22- Right!- I'm waiting demurely. I've got to do my demure thing.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26I'm demure. I'm waiting. Oh, Pat's coming over!
0:42:26 > 0:42:29- HE PLAYS LIVELY TUNE - Is anyone going to ask me?
0:42:29 > 0:42:31- Will you dance, please? - Yes, I'd love to.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34I feel I gave in too easily.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58That's one of two reasons I haven't got a husband yet.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00- HE LAUGHS - You're going home on the bike now.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03- I've ordered the bike. - You've done what?
0:43:03 > 0:43:07I've ordered the bike to bring you home, if I'm lucky enough.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10Oh, is that all it takes? I'm contracted to be married!
0:43:10 > 0:43:14So, I just need a turn around the room.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Oh, good Lord! Get your walking boots and your bike.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21- You've pulled.- She's done the Stack of Barley before, that girl.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23- I'd say so, yeah.- Yeah!
0:43:27 > 0:43:29The last leg of our journey,
0:43:29 > 0:43:33and we're starting in the middle of yet another peat bog.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37Our first stop is Tullaghanduff, where Mum came from,
0:43:37 > 0:43:40and then we're on to the next-door village, Doohoma,
0:43:40 > 0:43:42where Dad was born.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45This is our most dangerous walk yet.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48The bog we're about to cross looks innocuous enough,
0:43:48 > 0:43:51but is in fact littered with deep pools of water,
0:43:51 > 0:43:54most of which are not obvious until you've stepped in one of them.
0:43:54 > 0:43:58On this leg, we're reliant on finding our way
0:43:58 > 0:44:03through the web of peat trenches using another of nature's clues.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08- Finally, the Caribbean weather that this area...- Is famed for.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11..is famed for and known for. Beautiful, isn't it?
0:44:11 > 0:44:14"This is your most challenging walk yet."
0:44:14 > 0:44:16- "You will navigate"...- See you.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20.."across a blanket peat bog. You must try and follow the directions
0:44:20 > 0:44:23very carefully," it says in bold, "as they will take you across
0:44:23 > 0:44:26on the safest path. There are very few clues to direction."
0:44:26 > 0:44:30"Try and use everything you've learned about natural navigation."
0:44:30 > 0:44:33"DO NOT", capitals and bold, "stray from the directions."
0:44:33 > 0:44:36"They are very precise. If you take a wrong turn,
0:44:36 > 0:44:41retrace your steps. It's very easy to get lost, stuck down, or drown."
0:44:42 > 0:44:44- I don't want to drown in a bog. - I don't want to.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48I don't think it's inevitable. We have to try and keep positive.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51"Your aim is to keep to the top edges of the peat trenches,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53- as they are dryer." Right.- OK.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56Head southeast on the track.
0:44:56 > 0:45:01The sun is almost south, isn't it? It's just fractionally south.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04It's nearly midday, isn't it, so it's, er...
0:45:04 > 0:45:07- Still south. - It'll be south about one o'clock.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Well, this is a track. It's got to be this way.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13Right. Shall we risk it? I'm worried about drowning.
0:45:13 > 0:45:18- I'm worried about getting poked in the eye with Alison's stick. - Grab it if you're drowning.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21I'll pull you out. We're laughing now. Couple of hours...
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Yeah. Dead tree there.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30- Northeast along the top. - There we go.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Because if you go on the bottom..
0:45:33 > 0:45:34Oh!
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Oh, my God!
0:45:37 > 0:45:41Apparently, um, they used to use bogs for refrigeration.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44Not so long ago, they discovered some butter,
0:45:44 > 0:45:472,000-year-old butter,
0:45:47 > 0:45:51that had been obviously stored in the bog,
0:45:51 > 0:45:54and it was perfectly preserved and perfectly edible.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57Whoa!
0:45:57 > 0:45:59'This is a struggle.'
0:45:59 > 0:46:03If someone had told me a few weeks before my 65th birthday
0:46:03 > 0:46:06I would have been walking across a peat bog,
0:46:06 > 0:46:08I would have thought they were completely mad.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11"At the end of the first trench, head east."
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Ooh!
0:46:15 > 0:46:19- Ooh, there's a trench. - The next trench. Is that the trench?
0:46:19 > 0:46:24'The barren landscape and maze of peat trenches are impossible.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26'We're lost.'
0:46:26 > 0:46:29In which case we want to head this way,
0:46:29 > 0:46:31straight in that direction, towards that...
0:46:31 > 0:46:34It's just a series of confusing trenches and ridges
0:46:34 > 0:46:37and tufts and hollows.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40- Oh!- Hang on. You're getting lower rapidly.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44That's not a good sign. And... Stop it!
0:46:44 > 0:46:46- Alison! - ALISON LAUGHS
0:46:46 > 0:46:49Ohhhh!
0:46:54 > 0:46:56Ah, it's funny till you want to get out.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58HE LAUGHS
0:46:58 > 0:47:01Seems to be trenches everywhere.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05'I'm finding it really hard going, and it's demoralising not knowing
0:47:05 > 0:47:06'if you're going the right way.'
0:47:06 > 0:47:09It's almost, like, quicksandy down here.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12'The guide mentions a fallen fence post.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14'If we can find that, it will put us on the right path,
0:47:14 > 0:47:18'heading east out of here. To stand a fighting chance,
0:47:18 > 0:47:21'Sue and I volunteer to see if we can find it,
0:47:21 > 0:47:23'whilst Alison takes a breather.'
0:47:23 > 0:47:26A fence. A fallen fence.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34Should be round this corner, if it's going to be here.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39- First fall!- Oh, you all right?
0:47:39 > 0:47:42Yeah. I just had a tufty tumble rather than a boggy one.
0:47:42 > 0:47:47This is really puzzling. This is a difficult bit.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59SHE SIGHS
0:48:00 > 0:48:02'Where is this fence post?'
0:48:04 > 0:48:08"You've come the right way if you find a fallen fence post
0:48:08 > 0:48:12on the top northwest corner of the trench."
0:48:18 > 0:48:20I'm sorry, but this is...
0:48:20 > 0:48:22It's like...
0:48:22 > 0:48:24- Let's go back.- OK.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28We're getting nowhere. Let's go back and retrace our steps.
0:48:28 > 0:48:32'An hour of walking on wet sponges, and we're back to square one.'
0:48:35 > 0:48:37Let's hope we can find Alison.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41- Hang on.- She should be southwest. - She should be south by southwest,
0:48:41 > 0:48:45sitting down, going, "Where the hell are the other two?"
0:48:45 > 0:48:48'Sue and I head back and rejoin Alison.'
0:48:54 > 0:48:56- Oh, look! What's this? - Wow!- Look at this!
0:48:57 > 0:49:01If we look up at this lantern here,
0:49:01 > 0:49:06can you see the spider's web tucked in in one corner, just here?
0:49:06 > 0:49:08- Oh, yeah. - Well, spiders have worked out,
0:49:08 > 0:49:11over many, many years of trial and error,
0:49:11 > 0:49:13that there's no point spinning their webs
0:49:13 > 0:49:16in a place where the wind will blow them away straight away,
0:49:16 > 0:49:19so you find more spiders' webs in sheltered spots,
0:49:19 > 0:49:23which is logical. But we know where the wind comes from
0:49:23 > 0:49:26more often than not. It's coming from the southwest.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30So you find more spiders' webs on the northeast side
0:49:30 > 0:49:33of trees, buildings and lanterns.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36- That...- That's a spider's web.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38- Oh, fantastic!- Wow!
0:49:38 > 0:49:41It's like a sort of hole. Is that the spider?
0:49:41 > 0:49:44- You can see him. - Yeah, right in the middle.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47- It's like a little hole, isn't it? - It's almost like a nest.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50Yeah. No help in direction, because it's circular.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54Yes. And normally it would be sort of northeast, but...
0:49:54 > 0:49:57- In fact, it is. - It is!- It is northeast.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59- Oh, it is.- It's facing northeast.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02It's a northeastern centrifugal-spinning spider.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06'The spider has weaved its web in the lee of a tuft of grass
0:50:06 > 0:50:11'facing northeast, thus protecting it from the southwesterly winds.'
0:50:11 > 0:50:14'So we can now work out which way is east.'
0:50:14 > 0:50:16'Who needs a fence post
0:50:16 > 0:50:19'when you've got an eight-legged friend as a guide?'
0:50:19 > 0:50:23- That is one beautiful big sky, isn't it?- Huge sky.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26You can see almost everywhere we've been on this whole trip.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30'The spider's web has shown us our way out of the bog.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34'We've cracked our biggest navigational challenge yet.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37'We've mastered the seemingly impossible, and crossed the bog.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41'We did it as a team. Ooh, I've gone all American.'
0:50:42 > 0:50:46It's good to be, er, sans bog. What a relief!
0:50:46 > 0:50:49Group hug. Well done.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53Yeah. We've moved... We've moved on a mile or two.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57At the risk of sounding dreadfully smug and self-congratulatory,
0:50:57 > 0:51:00- good on us.- We're great.- Yeah.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06'We've reached Tullaghanduff, the village where my mum was born.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10'When she left Ireland, aged 17 or 18,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13'she made her way to London.'
0:51:13 > 0:51:16This is, er, my mum's house.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20'She worked in a pub run by friends from this area -
0:51:20 > 0:51:23'a home away from home, I suppose.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25'And it's over there that she got to know my dad.'
0:51:27 > 0:51:30So she lived in here when she was a little girl?
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Yeah. She lived here all her life. She was born here.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35- Born?- She was born here, yeah.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37I mean, it's, what...
0:51:37 > 0:51:40It's probably ten foot by...12 foot.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43And there were seven kids.
0:51:44 > 0:51:50My granny and granddad. They had two double beds and a fireplace.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52No bathroom.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58No running water, no electricity, no heating,
0:51:58 > 0:52:01- apart from the fire. - Then there'd be a partition,
0:52:01 > 0:52:03and then they'd have their animals in this building.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06In the back bit, yeah.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10But imagine my grandmother trying to bring up a young family
0:52:10 > 0:52:12- in this tiny room.- Yeah.
0:52:12 > 0:52:17You know, nowhere to wash. Not even a toilet.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20This is poor for even... For round here...
0:52:20 > 0:52:25This was a hard situation even for the standards... You know.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39'Just down the road from my mum's village is Doohoma,
0:52:39 > 0:52:43'where Dad grew up. The old family home went in the early '70s,
0:52:43 > 0:52:45'when my uncles built this one.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52'The house may be relatively modern, but the greeting is traditional -
0:52:52 > 0:52:55'tea and homemade cakes.'
0:52:55 > 0:52:59- Just looks fabulous. - There you go.- Thank you very much.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05We had a look at Mum's house in Tullaghan.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08It's very small. How many bedrooms were in the house here?
0:53:08 > 0:53:10- Here, in the old house? - Yeah, the old house.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13It started off with two. The old house was built in 1927
0:53:13 > 0:53:17with two bedrooms, but my dad, as the family came along,
0:53:17 > 0:53:19he added on, so it ended up with four bedrooms.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23- Four bedrooms. And there were nine kids.- Nine kids.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26- This is one hell of a view, I have to say.- Isn't it?
0:53:26 > 0:53:29- Yeah. It's, um... - It's not often I can say that here,
0:53:29 > 0:53:32but we've got to be careful we don't get heatstroke.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35When we arrived at Knock, we arrived at the airport,
0:53:35 > 0:53:38we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42I turned round and saw you two huddled together for warmth,
0:53:42 > 0:53:44or to stop yourselves being blown away.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47Now we've come to the end of this journey, and you can see the sea,
0:53:47 > 0:53:51- and the mountains...- I'm glad you didn't turn back at Knock.- Never!
0:53:51 > 0:53:54I had to do a bit of persuading. I said, "It is beautiful here."
0:53:54 > 0:53:58- "You have to believe me." - Our first day, we went up Minaun.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01Oh, it was freezing!
0:54:01 > 0:54:04The wind was howling, you know...
0:54:04 > 0:54:07I thought, "It's going to be like this all week."
0:54:07 > 0:54:09But now look. Today it's glorious.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16This area is rich with Mangan history,
0:54:16 > 0:54:20and that history is clear to see at the village graveyard,
0:54:20 > 0:54:23where my grandparents and great-grandparents are buried.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28If I was ever in any doubt where I came from,
0:54:28 > 0:54:31this place would put that to rest,
0:54:31 > 0:54:35because every other grave seems to be a Mangan.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39In fact, up here...
0:54:41 > 0:54:44I think it's one of these.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48Yes. Here we go.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50There's my grandparents,
0:54:50 > 0:54:53John and Bridget Mangan.
0:54:53 > 0:54:58They lived to be 92 and 89 years old.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01I remember them both very well. In fact, um...
0:55:02 > 0:55:06..er, we would stay with them in Doohoma whenever we came.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11Not just us. There'd probably be another family there as well,
0:55:11 > 0:55:14so the house was always full of people. Um...
0:55:14 > 0:55:17Very smart man, my grandfather.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24Not just my grandparents, but literally dozens of Mangans
0:55:24 > 0:55:27are buried here. And...
0:55:27 > 0:55:30a real strong sense of...
0:55:31 > 0:55:34..belonging to this area.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37I'm very proud to have come from this area.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40'I feel really lucky to have a place that I can come to
0:55:40 > 0:55:44'that means so much to me. It's a small village,
0:55:44 > 0:55:47'but it holds a wealth of great memories,
0:55:47 > 0:55:50'and although my life is a world away from here,
0:55:50 > 0:55:52'my connection to this place and to the people
0:55:52 > 0:55:55'has never felt stronger.'
0:56:01 > 0:56:04'I loved the last walk,
0:56:04 > 0:56:09'just because it brought me to somewhere I've known all my life,
0:56:09 > 0:56:11'but had never approached it in that way before.'
0:56:11 > 0:56:14You normally screech up in a car, jump out,
0:56:14 > 0:56:17and go and visit your relatives. But to come across that bog,
0:56:17 > 0:56:20um, was fantastic.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26I think it's the only time I'll ever read a set of directions,
0:56:26 > 0:56:30and in the directions it'll say, "Be careful. You could drown."
0:56:33 > 0:56:36It's been a brilliant week.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39The beaches, the mountains,
0:56:39 > 0:56:41just the general landscape...
0:56:41 > 0:56:44Um, fantastic.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49Hopefully by the end of this entire journey,
0:56:49 > 0:56:53you'll be able to do a walk, and it will be part of you.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55There won't be any thinking about it.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59It'll be much more intuitive. The day that comes will just be a great day.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05I suppose I was a little bit nervous coming here,
0:57:05 > 0:57:09bringing Sue and Alison here. I wanted them to love this place
0:57:09 > 0:57:11as much as I do.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14I really think there's something special about this area.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17But I don't think I needed worry, really,
0:57:17 > 0:57:20because the landscape and the people do it all for me.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24I didn't really have to do anything but just point the way.
0:57:37 > 0:57:42'Next time, I'll be taking Sue and Stephen to places I love'...
0:57:42 > 0:57:43It's just breathtaking!
0:57:43 > 0:57:46..'in North Wales.' Trust me. I don't know what I'm doing.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49The G-forces are messing with my head.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51If I live, I'm going to have buns of steel.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53You have arrived!
0:57:53 > 0:57:57'Then to my home town of Liverpool, where, for the first time,
0:57:57 > 0:57:59'we'll be naturally navigating in a city.'
0:57:59 > 0:58:01Look at all this moss!
0:58:01 > 0:58:06'But, as always, things aren't as straightforward as they should be.'
0:58:08 > 0:58:12Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:12 > 0:58:16E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk
0:58:16 > 0:58:16.