0:00:03 > 0:00:05I've seen towns grow into cities,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08I've seen towns with their hearts ripped out.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Every town has its own tales of triumph and catastrophe.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14All of them face challenges.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Smaller than a city, more intimate, much greener,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25towns are where we first learned to be urban.
0:00:25 > 0:00:30Harbour towns, market towns, islands towns, industrial towns.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Collectively, they bind our land together.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38As a geographer, I believe that towns are communities of the future.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42This time I'm in beautiful Enniskillen,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46the most westerly town in the whole of the UK.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51This Northern Irish county town suffered the terrible Remembrance Day bombing in 1987.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56But today it's a thriving country town
0:00:56 > 0:00:59known as the Venice of Ireland, surrounded by lakes,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03busy with independent shops and forward-thinking entrepreneurs.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08It's also the only island town in Ireland.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Strategically placed, naturally defensive,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13it has always attracted invaders.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19In Enniskillen I'll be discovering how this Irish castle stronghold
0:01:19 > 0:01:21remains a town steeped in tradition.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23The family have had the shop for 100 years from 1912
0:01:23 > 0:01:25and I've been here for 40 years.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30I'll see what tricks Enniskillen has in store for trainee jockeys...
0:01:30 > 0:01:32I'm going to turn her on.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34You'll get a feel of how she moves.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37- Whoo! Ha!- Just sit! Just sit! - All right.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43..and I'll find out why this town, in post-Troubles Northern Ireland,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45is fighting a new threat.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48It's a beautiful part of the world.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50We have hills and valleys and lakes
0:01:50 > 0:01:52and I just didn't want that to be destroyed.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Join me on a journey to discover the turbulent past,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59the intriguing present, and the dynamic future of towns.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31I'm flying over County Fermanagh. Below me is Upper Lough Erne,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34which leads into Lower Lough Erne.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Between the two, on its very own island,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39sits the town of Enniskillen.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50The natural beauty surrounding this town is unlike anything in the UK.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54It is breathtaking. Extraordinary.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59But Enniskillen, set in this watery paradise,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02has lived through the hardest of times.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05It was the scene of one of the most shocking atrocities
0:03:05 > 0:03:07of Northern Ireland's Troubles.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12On the 8th November 1987,
0:03:12 > 0:03:18one of the worst bombings of the Troubles brought unimaginable horror to this quiet country town.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23It was Remembrance Sunday, crowds had gathered by the war memorial
0:03:23 > 0:03:25to honour the laying of wreaths,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27to remember the dead of two World Wars
0:03:27 > 0:03:31and to observe two minutes' silence.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33But at 10:43am, a bomb exploded.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43The Remembrance Day bombing, carried out by the Provisional IRA,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46killed 11 people in Enniskillen that day,
0:03:46 > 0:03:52left 63 injured and plunged the town into deep shock and distress.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Pictures of a heartbroken community were beamed around the world.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01It was the kind of notoriety no town would ever wish for.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05But the bombing in Enniskillen is now seen as one of the watershed
0:04:05 > 0:04:09incidents in the peace process that transformed Northern Ireland.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Catholics and Protestants united in their revulsion,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15and despite their pain, the people of Enniskillen
0:04:15 > 0:04:19showed the world what is meant by the word "courage".
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Nowadays, the campaigns of terror are in the past
0:04:27 > 0:04:30but that doesn't mean Enniskillen wants to forget its history.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Far from it.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42It's a quiet September afternoon and a troop of strangely-costumed
0:04:42 > 0:04:45players are making their way through the town.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48BAGPIPES PLAY
0:04:48 > 0:04:50These are the Aughakillymaude Mummers,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54a band of folk players who have an interesting take
0:04:54 > 0:04:57on some aspects of Northern Ireland's troubled past.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Here comes I, Prince George!
0:05:04 > 0:05:06From England I have came!
0:05:06 > 0:05:08AUDIENCE BOOS
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- What's going on, Jim? - This is a Mummers play about life,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13death and rebirth.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17And that's symbolised by the two heroes - St George of England,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19who we don't like here...
0:05:19 > 0:05:21And then back to Ireland to conquer again!
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- Go back where you came from! - AUDIENCE BOOS
0:05:24 > 0:05:27..and Sir Patrick of Ireland, the more braver, glorious.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34He beats the life out of St George, down he goes...
0:05:36 > 0:05:39..only to be revived by the shaman, quack doctor.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41And fight again!
0:05:41 > 0:05:45So it's symbolising life, death and rebirth all in one.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49And then of course you have the music and the dance.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Where do these incredible straw costumes come from?
0:05:51 > 0:05:53We grow them each year.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56It has to be harvested traditionally to get a long straw stalk
0:05:56 > 0:05:59in order to plait the hats.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01So the longer the straw the better.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04And then we have four or five straw craft workers,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07who all gather together to make the costumes.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11And at the end of the Mumming season, Nick, they're burnt.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13So you have to make a new set of costumes each year?
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Yes. Anyway the mice will eat them anyway.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18FOLK MUSIC PLAYS
0:06:18 > 0:06:21The Mumming tradition dates back to the 12th century in Ireland
0:06:21 > 0:06:27and provides a symbolic way of dealing with the age-old Irish-English conflict.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29You don't see many folk traditions
0:06:29 > 0:06:32that strike such a chord in the 21st century.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37CHEERING
0:06:39 > 0:06:43During the Troubles, Enniskillen suffered along with many other
0:06:43 > 0:06:47communities in Northern Ireland but now it's looking forward.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53But I wonder how does an island town on the edge of the UK
0:06:53 > 0:06:57re-invent itself in a world that has moved on?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Has Enniskillen been set back several decades?
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Or has it been preserved from urban developments
0:07:04 > 0:07:07that have sapped the life out of so many towns across the UK?
0:07:07 > 0:07:11I want to know is this town stuck in the past
0:07:11 > 0:07:13or can it show us the future?
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Going back in time,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20this town has a romantic history as well as a troubled one.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Enniskillen and its county, Fermanagh,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25had a key role in ancient Ireland.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30This island was a place of huge strategic value,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32also renowned for music and poetry.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36It had great castles and benevolent rulers.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40It was very much part of the land of the bards.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45Enniskillen's place at the heart of Fermanagh began with a castle.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48In the early 15th century, the Gaelic rulers of Fermanagh,
0:07:48 > 0:07:53the Maguires, built a stone tower house here on Inis Ceithleann.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56It was a clever choice of location.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58From here on the island they could control trade
0:07:58 > 0:08:00between Upper and Lower Lough Erne
0:08:00 > 0:08:04and guard one of the only passes into Ulster.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06And it was on a major pilgrimage route
0:08:06 > 0:08:09so there were always people passing through.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13It was also surrounded by water so it was a perfect defensive location.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Enniskillen was the strategic hot spot.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23The member of the Maguire clan who built the first castle here
0:08:23 > 0:08:27at Enniskillen was known for his good humour and welcoming nature.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30So much so that he was known as Hugh the Hospitable.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Hugh was the younger brother of a Maguire chieftain, Thomas the Great.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37As a family they were extremely successful.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41The Maguires ruled Fermanagh for more than 300 years,
0:08:41 > 0:08:46from the end of the 13th century until the beginning of the 17th century.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48They supported great bards,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52poets who wrote elegies celebrating Maguire lands,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Maguire generosity and Maguire exploits in battle.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Enniskillen came to be seen as the heart of the Maguire empire.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03It was described by one 16th century bard as,
0:09:03 > 0:09:08"The fairy castle of surpassing treasure with glistening bays,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12"overhanging oaks and hunting dogs driving deer from the wood."
0:09:14 > 0:09:18But there was a price to pay for being in such a perfect location.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22The Maguire castle frequently attracted trouble.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Throughout the 16th century Enniskillen Castle
0:09:26 > 0:09:29was attacked time and again by neighbouring chieftains -
0:09:29 > 0:09:33the O'Donnells of Donegal and the O'Neills of Tyrone.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38But despite the repeated onslaughts, it remained in Maguire hands.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44All that would change, however, when Elizabeth I, a foreigner,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46set her sights on Ireland.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50The Virgin Queen feared that Philip of Spain would use Ireland
0:09:50 > 0:09:52as a base to mount an attack on England.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55To counter the threat,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Elizabeth launched a ruthless campaign to conquer Ireland.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06On the 26th January 1594, English forces reached Enniskillen Castle
0:10:06 > 0:10:09and laid siege to the Maguire stronghold.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13A first-hand account of the siege,
0:10:13 > 0:10:18written by English Captain John Dowdall, reveals what happened next.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22"The ninth day of our siege of Enniskillen, we did assault
0:10:22 > 0:10:27"the castle by boats, by engines by sap and by scaling."
0:10:29 > 0:10:33The weakened Irish garrison were completely overwhelmed.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38Dowdall had one of his men record, in astonishing detail, the English triumph.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40And here it is.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Out here on the water there's an armoured galley
0:10:44 > 0:10:48approaching the castle. There are two more boats firing shot,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52another armoured boat down here, breaching the wall.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57There are batteries of siege engines surrounding the castle.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Ranks of massed infantry.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05This was the climax of a scorched earth campaign of extreme barbarity.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12Here's Dowdall himself, drawn out of scale, the conquering giant.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16But the part of this map that draws the eye, that says it all,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18is this sickening vignette in the corner.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23It's Dowdall's camp and in it are the severed heads of Maguire's men.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27It was the end of the idyllic land of the bards.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40On the ninth day, the Maguires surrendered their castle to the English.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Following the Elizabethan campaign, the Irish earls were left
0:11:44 > 0:11:47with reduced powers and income,
0:11:47 > 0:11:54the Maguire chieftain, along with the other Ulster earls, fled Ireland in 1607 looking for Spanish support.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57They would never return.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01Their lands were confiscated and the Plantation of Ulster began in earnest.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Plantation had nothing to do with crops.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12The Plantation of Ulster was initiated to plant
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Scots and English Protestants on confiscated Irish land
0:12:16 > 0:12:18in order to protect it for the crown
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and to minimise the risk of native rebellion.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26The man charged with building the town was a professional soldier
0:12:26 > 0:12:30from London, his name was William Cole.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32As constable of the Royal Fort in Enniskillen,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Cole was expected to construct a church, a jail,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39a school and a market hall, all of them on the island.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43He rebuilt the castle and added that impressive water gate.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46And he paid for all the bricks, the roof tiles
0:12:46 > 0:12:48and the timber needed for the new town.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57William Cole was granted 1,000 acres of land across the county
0:12:57 > 0:13:01and his descendents were made Earls of Enniskillen.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Cole's grandson built a great house eight miles from the town,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07the spectacular Florence Court,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10where the family lived until the 1970s.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Take one look at a house like this and you realise the wealth,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21privilege and confidence that planters could acquire.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Enniskillen was built by an English constable
0:13:29 > 0:13:32and so it looks rather like an English town.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Plantation towns were typically composed
0:13:34 > 0:13:38of a cross of broad streets enclosed by a town wall
0:13:38 > 0:13:42with a central marketplace known as a diamond.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Enniskillen follows that pattern up to a point
0:13:45 > 0:13:48but it does have some significant differences.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Because Enniskillen was built on an island,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55the layout of the town had to respect the local geography.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57There was only room for one main street
0:13:57 > 0:13:59and it wasn't particularly wide
0:13:59 > 0:14:02because the builders had to keep to the high ridge
0:14:02 > 0:14:04along the centre of the island.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06They decided to place the town's most important buildings
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and the town square, the diamond,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11on the highest point,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14both for prominence and to protect them from flooding.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16There was no need for a town wall
0:14:16 > 0:14:20because Enniskillen was surrounded by water already, a natural moat.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27The main street in Enniskillen changes name six times
0:14:27 > 0:14:30along its length as it crosses the island.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34It starts as East Bridge Street then becomes Town Hall Street,
0:14:34 > 0:14:39High Street, Church Street, Darling Street and finally Anne Street.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43It's almost as if all the town's early streets were set
0:14:43 > 0:14:46end-to-end rather than being laid out in a grid.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Perhaps another quirk of island town-building.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52And although at first sight, the main street
0:14:52 > 0:14:57seems like a bewildering succession of shops that go on forever,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01I have a theory about this street and I'm going to put it to the test.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Way back in time, towns used to organise their activities
0:15:05 > 0:15:09into districts or neighbourhoods - leatherworkers in one area,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12metalworkers in another, food, cloth and so on.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16But what happens if a town doesn't have a grid or web of streets,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19just one very long single main street?
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Do similar activities still congregate in clusters?
0:15:23 > 0:15:24I think they might.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27I think there may be a pattern to the shops
0:15:27 > 0:15:29and businesses in Enniskillen's main street.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33So I'm going to take a walk with my notebook and see if I'm right.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Starting here, on East Bridge Street,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40since it's one of the two main entrances into town,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43perhaps it's not surprising that I can already see a cluster
0:15:43 > 0:15:45of gateway businesses.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49There's one, two, three, four estate agents.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51One, two, three solicitors.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53All of them the kinds of businesses you need
0:15:53 > 0:15:57first if you're thinking of buying into town.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Next off, we seem to have a health district -
0:16:01 > 0:16:05two health food shops and Dr Dong's Chinese Clinic.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10Then there's a civic zone - the court office and facing it,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12the offices of the county's main newspaper,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15the wonderfully titled Impartial Reporter.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19A journalistic mission statement and brand name all in one!
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Now it's become Townhall Street.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26I think I know what's coming next.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Walking up the main street,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32I can't help noticing that nearly all the shops are independent.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36There's not even a coffee shop chain or restaurant chain in sight.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38For the last 100 yards or so
0:16:38 > 0:16:43I've been climbing up through a lifestyle zone - hardware, phones, sportswear.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47All the kind of businesses that serve a busy, modern lifestyle.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51But still very few of those amorphous national chains
0:16:51 > 0:16:53that dominate so many British high streets.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57And there's a jewellery quarter here too -
0:16:57 > 0:16:59two independent shops selling rings and watches
0:16:59 > 0:17:02for those special occasions.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05The shops are getting fancier as we climb the hill.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10Indications that we're closing on the spot most people would call their town centre.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16And here it is. The town square, known as the Diamond.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Looming above it this imposing town hall.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Just over there a great big independent department store.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Look, there's Enniskillen's Post Office.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30And this grand-looking pub, Pat's Bar, right in the middle of town.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Looks like the kind of place you might come and meet people.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Now there's a wardrobe zone -
0:17:35 > 0:17:38places to buy clothes, a gentleman's outfitters, specs.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42And there's a change of name to reflect the street's change of status.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44It's become High Street.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Heading down the hill, I feel as if we're entering the traditional zone
0:17:48 > 0:17:51where you find the kind of businesses that have been
0:17:51 > 0:17:55serving Fermanagh's country shoppers for generations.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57'This is a very distinctive high street'
0:17:57 > 0:18:00so who are the people running these businesses?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03And how do they keep their customers coming back?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06How long have you had a shop on this part of the High Street?
0:18:06 > 0:18:08The family have had the shop for 100 years. 1912.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- I've been here for 40 years. - How long have you been here?
0:18:11 > 0:18:13We've been here 44 years, in this location.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Before that we were over 100 years in another location.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21We've been established since 1943. My father-in-law started it up.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24We're newcomers to the game cos we only opened in '79.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Oh, really? OK.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29So we're surrounded by businesses that are going 50,
0:18:29 > 0:18:3160 and 100 years, you know.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33So what's the secret?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36How does an independent shop survive for so long in this day and age?
0:18:36 > 0:18:39We are very service orientated.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Any customer who comes in to this shop, they're looked after,
0:18:42 > 0:18:46they're spoken to and if it's not on our shelves, we'll get it for them.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I think our service in Enniskillen is outstanding.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51You have to move with the times.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53I mean, what we have for sale on our counter today
0:18:53 > 0:18:57isn't what was for sale 5, 10, 15 years ago, you know.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00How do you manage to keep customers coming back over and over again?
0:19:00 > 0:19:05We manage by keeping on top, being friendly to people,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08trying to get the best product at the best price
0:19:08 > 0:19:11and hopefully people have a good experience.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15We look after our customers very well and once
0:19:15 > 0:19:19we get to know our customers, we're on first name terms, which is nice.
0:19:19 > 0:19:25And also, the food is made on the premises daily, fresh every day.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Our daughter starts at 5.30.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31So she has an early start and she's into food and my staff,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34I have a wonderful team.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36- It's a happy atmosphere, isn't it?- Yes.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Very happy. That's why we're called the Jolly Sandwich!
0:19:40 > 0:19:44I feel as if I've just stepped back in time.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47So many of Enniskillen's shops seem rooted in a lost age,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49they've been here for so long.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53But this isn't a stagnant street, the stock is modern,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57it changes, the windows beckon you in.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59This is what high streets used to be like -
0:19:59 > 0:20:02shops with character, run by characters,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05customers known by their first names,
0:20:05 > 0:20:10offering that forgotten commodity, service with a smile.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17This town is not like anywhere else and that's incredibly attractive.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Walking up hill again and here the Main Street becomes
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Church Street, the town's area of worship.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28It may seem surprising
0:20:28 > 0:20:31but there are a cluster of churches here all together,
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Catholic on the right, Church of Ireland on the left and Methodist straight ahead.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38These are the most impressive buildings in town,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41almost squaring up to one another across the street.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45I'm in Darling Street now,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and it seems to mark a final change of zone.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51The street's tipping downhill
0:20:51 > 0:20:54and somehow it all looks a lot less active.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Ordinary houses are cropping up between shops.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59There are a couple of funeral directors,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01a cabbie, a second-hand shop.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05It feels more like the way out of town, rather than the way in.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08It's almost as if you can live a whole life in this street,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11from buying into town at one end
0:21:11 > 0:21:14to being carried off in a coffin at the other.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16So that's Enniskillen High Street.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19138 shops and businesses in all.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Everything you could possibly need is on this one street.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Today, really all that's on the island is the high street.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Where do people live? Well, most of them live off the island.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37But it wasn't always like that.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Up until the late 1960s, behind the main street of shops
0:21:46 > 0:21:50were densely-packed residential areas known as the back streets.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56The old photos in the town hall show a close community,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00two-up two-down houses, children playing out in the street.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03But it seems that all the houses were knocked down.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07The back streets were demolished as part of a slum clearance
0:22:07 > 0:22:09programme in the '60s and '70s
0:22:09 > 0:22:14and all the residents were moved off the island to new housing estates.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Today, those areas are covered with car parks and a ring road.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Enniskillen lost its communities from the heart of town.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27The main street remains but that's all that's left.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30You hear it time and again across the UK,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33slums were cleared in the name of progress
0:22:33 > 0:22:35and better living conditions.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38But tight-knit communities were often lost as well
0:22:38 > 0:22:41and I think that was detrimental to our towns.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47I feel very torn about Enniskillen and its car parks.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51I can see that ample car parking, much of it free,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55brings a steady stream of customers to the high street.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57The people out of town, out in the county
0:22:57 > 0:23:01and from further afield need somewhere to park.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Being able to drop the car right behind all those traditional shops
0:23:04 > 0:23:07is good for local business.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09It's good for the character of the town.
0:23:09 > 0:23:15But I can't help thinking that the handling of the back streets could have been done much better.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19It's town planning without the planning.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23If those houses hadn't been demolished,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27the communities moved out, then the original island of Enniskillen
0:23:27 > 0:23:29would still be a place to live.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35Homes have been traded for car parks and a ring road, for steel and tarmac.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39It might look like an amenity but it feels like a loss.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41It's disappointing.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01Apart from Enniskillen, islands in both Upper and Lower Lough Erne have long been inhabited.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04It's not just Enniskillen that has had a population
0:24:04 > 0:24:06moving on and off the island.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Devenish Island, just downstream from Enniskillen,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15was an important monastic community founded in the sixth century
0:24:15 > 0:24:17and raided by the Vikings.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21There are several early Celtic sites on islands in the Lower Lough.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25A Hare Krishna community on one island,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29and a luxury holiday resort named Lusty Beg on another.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Most extraordinary of all,
0:24:31 > 0:24:35I've heard there's one island only populated by pigs.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41The pigs on the island belong to one of Enniskillen's butchers, Pat Doherty.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44And his shop in the town has become famous
0:24:44 > 0:24:46for the Black Bacon he produces.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50So where did your Black Bacon come from? Where did you get the idea?
0:24:50 > 0:24:56The idea about the Fermanagh Black Bacon came about ten years ago
0:24:56 > 0:24:58and it actually came from, basically,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01the request of just one customer coming in here.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03And she just said one day,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05"You just can't get real Irish bacon any more."
0:25:05 > 0:25:08And I said, "If you come back on Friday, I promise you, missus,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10"we will have the real bacon."
0:25:10 > 0:25:12She came back on Friday
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and it was one of the only promises I've ever broken!
0:25:15 > 0:25:16THEY LAUGH
0:25:16 > 0:25:19So I said at that stage that I would make a quest
0:25:19 > 0:25:25to try to regenerate what old Irish bacon was in yesteryear.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27So what makes Black Bacon so special?
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Well, there's three main ingredients.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34The first thing is the salt and the spices and the herbs,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36the second thing is quality pork,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39and the third, and equally important as the first two, would be time.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41You haven't mentioned pigs. Where are they from?
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Whenever we started the Black Bacon first, we tried to get the
0:25:45 > 0:25:48best possible pork, and we found it quite difficult to get outdoor pigs.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I thought in me own heart that we really wanted to put
0:25:51 > 0:25:53something back into pigs again.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57So the idea really, when an island came up for sale in Lough Erne,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01I thought if we could just possibly, maybe possibly
0:26:01 > 0:26:03have an opportunity to buy that island,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05we could just buy it just for the pigs.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Heading out to pig island with Pat feels like quite an adventure.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21The pigs he keeps out here do eventually become Black Bacon
0:26:21 > 0:26:24but the stunning wetland is a very unusual piggery.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32How often do you come out here, Pat, to see the pigs?
0:26:32 > 0:26:35They don't need to see you every day.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Really, I could be here twice a week.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40It's almost a spiritual thing, you know,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42you feel great, just even the journey over,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45you're sort of getting away from the world.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49You enter then into the magical world of pig life
0:26:49 > 0:26:52and into the world of the natural world.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Do you sometimes see them along here in the grass?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Sometimes. We're going to go all up.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06No sign of any pigs yet.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Is that something black over there? Is that a pig or not?
0:27:12 > 0:27:15No, no, that's a stone!
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I'm beginning to wonder how likely it is to see pigs
0:27:18 > 0:27:20when you're on safari with a butcher.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22HE CALLS TO THE PIGS
0:27:23 > 0:27:26When you want them, then you can't see them!
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Getting a bit dark now but Pat assures me
0:27:31 > 0:27:34that we will find some of his elusive pigs.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39There's one there! Yeah, yeah!
0:27:40 > 0:27:42HE CALLS TO THE PIGS
0:27:44 > 0:27:47HE CALLS TO THE PIGS
0:27:47 > 0:27:49OINKING
0:27:53 > 0:27:56The pigs have turned up, just as Pat said they would.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00And it's clear that they like him.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03They're happy to follow him anywhere for a bit of food.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10The type of pigs Pat keeps on the island are Saddlebacks.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13They're a hardy breed that thrive in the outdoors,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16they're also quite calm and make excellent mothers.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19They look pretty happy.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22They're very healthy looking, that's what I love about them, you know,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25so pig life out here isn't so bad after all.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Quite a contradiction, though, a butcher creating a pig paradise.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33What you gain from this type of project is you respect
0:28:33 > 0:28:37the meat that you handle as if it's something special,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41which it is, then you transform what you do to another level.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45It's really peaceful out here,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48and I can see why Pat's pigs like it so much.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51I really admire Pat's enterprising spirit,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53his sense of adventure.
0:28:53 > 0:28:59The way he's rediscovering traditional ways of keeping pigs and curing bacon.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03His mission to re-educate us on the real value of the meat
0:29:03 > 0:29:07that people like me see every week in the supermarket.
0:29:08 > 0:29:13That Pat pops out here on his boat, after work in his butcher shop,
0:29:13 > 0:29:17says so much about the way the town of Enniskillen relates
0:29:17 > 0:29:21to this wetland, the countryside surrounding the town.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Fermanagh is Enniskillen's back garden.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28Enniskillen is the county town of Fermanagh.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33And there's a lot that feeds into the town from the surrounding countryside -
0:29:33 > 0:29:38cattle on market days, great bacon and dairy produce.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45Enniskillen is also the centre for education in the county.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49Most of Fermanagh's secondary schools are in the town,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51including Portora Royal School,
0:29:51 > 0:29:55founded in 1608 by decree of James I.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57The school that Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett attended.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02As well as its many schools,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Enniskillen also has a whole college
0:30:05 > 0:30:07devoted to helping young people
0:30:07 > 0:30:10realise their dreams in the horse world,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13CAFRE, the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise.
0:30:13 > 0:30:18In a post-Troubles Northern Ireland this town is reinventing itself
0:30:18 > 0:30:20as a place to nurture ambition.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25I've come to meet lecturer Shelly Annan who's going to show me around.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Is this your class in here?
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Yeah, this is the Prepare Horses for Presentation module.
0:30:32 > 0:30:33What are they learning in here?
0:30:33 > 0:30:37They're learning how to produce a horse for sale, for show or for inspection.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Start at the horse's head and give him three good strokes with the body brush.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Work your way, then, from the front to the back.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46OK? Do you want to start and have a go?
0:30:46 > 0:30:48We've got a couple of students up here that are just working
0:30:48 > 0:30:50with one of our oldest horses, Bluefire.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53- How old is Bluefire? - He's 21.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56That is old!
0:30:56 > 0:30:59- And has Bluefire been here for all of that time?- Most of it.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03- Yeah, yeah.- Really?- Yeah. He's great for the younger students as well.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05What are you learning here today?
0:31:05 > 0:31:07Learning how to pull a mane.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Push it back and pull a few strands out.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13It makes it all even.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16So how long do you think you'll stay here?
0:31:16 > 0:31:19Two years for this course and I hope to go on to do the degree.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Does it feel like school?
0:31:22 > 0:31:23No, it doesn't.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27It's not every day you get to groom a horse for class!
0:31:27 > 0:31:31And in another part of the campus, away from the stables,
0:31:31 > 0:31:33is an ordinary-looking cabin.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37This is where they put the next generation of world-beating
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Irish jockeys through their paces before they get
0:31:40 > 0:31:42anywhere near the Grand National.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45I'm wondering a bit nervously what Shelly's got in store for me.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49OK. We've got Diane here, the yard supervisor on the racing yard.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52- Hello, Diane. - Hi, how are you?
0:31:52 > 0:31:54I can't help noticing these horses are missing something.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57- Nice to meet you. - Where are the legs?
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Doesn't have any legs!
0:31:59 > 0:32:02- Can I have a go sitting on it? - Sure, you can. Do you want to come round this side?
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Why are you wearing a helmet?
0:32:04 > 0:32:07For safety reasons, for students, in case they get tired and fall off.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09We encourage them to ride with helmets.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13Obviously, it's up to themselves but when you ride horses, you wear helmets.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16- Should I put one on? - I think we'll put one on. Just in case you wobble off.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18OK. There you go.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22'I hope I can manage to stay on a legless horse but just in case.'
0:32:22 > 0:32:25Have you ever been on a horse before?
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Erm, yeah, but I normally, I don't do very well on horses.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30- That's OK.- This looks a more friendly horse
0:32:30 > 0:32:32than the ones I normally go on.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37OK, so far so good. Haven't fallen off.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40So these leathers is probably going to feel quite short
0:32:40 > 0:32:44- cos you are naturally very tall, OK? - Yeah.- But this is what you would call a racing length.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47This is the difference from riding race horses to ordinary horses.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Cos you're riding at a shorter level.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51So your weight's transferred up off the horse
0:32:51 > 0:32:53so you stand up on your stirrups.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56OK. Take up your reins. OK.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58- I'm going to turn her on. - What do you mean?
0:32:58 > 0:33:01She's gonna be used by the motor
0:33:01 > 0:33:05and she goes up from speeds one, two, three, four and five and she gets quicker each time.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07All right? So just to switch her on.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10You'll get a feel of how she moves. This is only programme one.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12- Whoo!- Just sit! Just sit!
0:33:12 > 0:33:16- Right, OK.- Keep your hands down. Yeah. Just feel...see?
0:33:16 > 0:33:18That's actually quite rough.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20It just gives you a feel of what's actually happening.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23What you're actually supposed to do is stand up.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25- Just sort of stand up. - I'll fall off.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28No, no, no. Put your weight here. OK. Just lift yourself up.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Keep your weight down. Now, keep... Put your weight...there you go.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Put your whole weight down.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Straighten your knee if you want, a wee bit. Look up. There you go.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39HE LAUGHS
0:33:39 > 0:33:43That is impossible! God! It's knackering!
0:33:43 > 0:33:45Yeah. That's only walking speed
0:33:45 > 0:33:47but that's how that improves the students, OK.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49'I'm not going to give up.' Can we do this a different way?
0:33:49 > 0:33:52- Can you just show me? - I can show you. Surely, yes.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54- No, no.- You just show me how. Perfect. See what you're doing now.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56So slightly bent legs.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Ideally what you're supposed to do when you ride race horses,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02- stick your bum out behind you.- Doing that.- More.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04Now lift your head up and look between his ears.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Keep your hands down and balance either side.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08So you're keeping your support, there.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Now that's...see that position? You need to keep that.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13All right. I'm ready. OK.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15- Are you ready?- Giddyup!- Sit.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18- Relax. Relax. Breathe. Relax. - Relaxing, yeah.- Perfect.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Don't let your upper body go forward because that will tilt you up.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25Lift your head up slightly. This bit up if you want.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26Stick your backside out
0:34:26 > 0:34:29and then that will encourage your back to go level.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32- Now, that's not bad.- Not bad?
0:34:32 > 0:34:35'Churchill said, "There is something about the outside of a horse
0:34:35 > 0:34:37'"that is good for the inside of a man."
0:34:37 > 0:34:40'But he never tried one of these.'
0:34:40 > 0:34:42Do you think we dare go up a notch? Another kind of...
0:34:43 > 0:34:45- Not much difference. - No, that's not bad.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49- That's not bad.- Shall we try three? - OK.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Whooah! So is this like a canter? What have we got to?
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Yes, it is. Yes.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59We're cantering. Whoo!
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Shall we try a bit of galloping? Yeah.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03Whooah! Ha!
0:35:07 > 0:35:10THEY LAUGH
0:35:11 > 0:35:17- That's just...that is tiring. - Very tiring, yeah. Yeah.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21- How do jockeys do it? - Fitness. Fitness and balance.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26Someone who's got both of these qualities is newly-qualified jockey
0:35:26 > 0:35:30Danielle McKeever who's in her last year at the college.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33How old were you when you started riding horses?
0:35:33 > 0:35:35- Five.- You're kidding.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38And I am 23 now so it's been a long, long career.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42Somebody told me that you are the only jockey here.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45Yep, a newly licensed jockey last year.
0:35:45 > 0:35:50I didn't have a lot of interest in racing before I came to the college.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53I would have been much more into show jumping.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56Then I started riding out and I got a real feel for it.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00The lecturers encouraged me, and another girl at the time,
0:36:00 > 0:36:04to go forward and try and get a point-to-point licence.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07So it seemed like a far away ambition at the time.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10We put a bit of work in and we ended up doing the exam
0:36:10 > 0:36:13and we got it so we were delighted.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16So what's the big dream, way down the horse track?
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Have me own yard, have my own set-up
0:36:20 > 0:36:24and be making a few quid out of horses, which isn't easy done.
0:36:27 > 0:36:3293% of CAFRE students get jobs or go on to further education
0:36:32 > 0:36:35within six months of completing their courses.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39This college provides a vital link between young people's ambitions
0:36:39 > 0:36:41and the real world.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45Being out at the college today has made me realise
0:36:45 > 0:36:47that you could begin by mucking out here at Enniskillen
0:36:47 > 0:36:51but one day perhaps become a top jockey,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54a top trainer, a top farrier.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58This town really knows how to create opportunities.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01Training young people for careers in the big business,
0:37:01 > 0:37:06competitive world of horse racing puts Enniskillen on the world stage.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10Small town, big ambitions.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21And it's not just horse racing that Enniskillen specialises in.
0:37:21 > 0:37:27This was also one of the first towns in the world to hold yacht races.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29Years before there was racing at Cowes,
0:37:29 > 0:37:31there was racing at Enniskillen.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Back in the early 19th century, a group of Enniskillen sailors
0:37:36 > 0:37:40decided to adapt the rules of horse racing for the water.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43They used a "post boat" instead of a starting post,
0:37:43 > 0:37:48the starters were called "chief stewards", just as in horse racing,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51and boats anchored in a start line
0:37:51 > 0:37:53between the steward and the post boat.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56It was just like a horse race but on water.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59The lakes here are popular with motorcruisers
0:37:59 > 0:38:02but I've heard that there are a handful of locals who still
0:38:02 > 0:38:07race the traditional Irish wooden yachts over 100 years old.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11I've come to Lough Erne Yacht Club to meet yachtsman Mick Whaley,
0:38:11 > 0:38:15and as a keen sailor myself, I'm longing to have a go on the water.
0:38:15 > 0:38:21- What a beautiful boat, Mick. What's she called?- She's called Maeve.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25Maeve was the queen of the fairies and this is a fairy class yacht.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28And when were fairy boats built?
0:38:28 > 0:38:31There was a fleet originally built for Belfast Lough.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33And the people in this area decided they liked
0:38:33 > 0:38:35the look of them and they got the builder,
0:38:35 > 0:38:37Hilditch in Carrickfergus,
0:38:37 > 0:38:40he built a further batch of ten for Lough Erne.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43- So there were only ten built.- Yes.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45What kind of people commissioned them, bought them?
0:38:45 > 0:38:48They would have been the local aristocracy
0:38:48 > 0:38:50and probably wealthy tradespeople.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53And what are the characteristics of a fairy boat?
0:38:53 > 0:38:55They were built as a racing boat.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57So they're narrow and they're long
0:38:57 > 0:39:00and they do tend to keel over when you sail but they're very safe.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04- Would you be prepared to take me out for a little spin? - I'd be delighted to.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08- Take it off?- Yeah.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22As soon as these fairy boats find a good wind, you're at racing speed.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24They're incredibly fast.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29It's energetic!
0:39:29 > 0:39:32Those bankers from Enniskillen like getting a bit of exercise, clearly.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Yeah.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38'Enniskillen always had a strong boating history all the way back
0:39:38 > 0:39:42'to the Maguires with their "groves of tapering ship-masts"'
0:39:42 > 0:39:45and their original crest was a sailing ship.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50The first full record of a race on Lough Erne was in 1822.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53It was one of the first regattas in the world.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00The sailing out here is exciting, a real buzz.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Time for me to have a go steering this beauty.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08She's light on the tiller, isn't she? Isn't she?
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Struth! Like a dingy.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15She's quite well-balanced. Bring her up a bit more.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Just beautiful. I tell you another thing,
0:40:18 > 0:40:21she kind of feels in tune with the water too.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Lough Erne is a pristine water...
0:40:25 > 0:40:31..and this is a pristine, very pure kind of thoroughbred boat.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33Best let Mick take the tiller now.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36There's a squall ahead and I really don't fancy a swim.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47If this was the Lake District or the Norfolk Broads,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51on a beautiful day like this you'd be dodging boats all the time.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54But there's no-one else out here.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Perhaps the Troubles limited sailing's growth
0:40:57 > 0:41:00around Enniskillen or maybe it's just a well-kept secret.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04For high-octane sailing, try Lough Erne in a force four
0:41:04 > 0:41:06in a classic racing yacht.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16Although wonderful for sailing, there is one disadvantage
0:41:16 > 0:41:20to building a town in the middle of two lakes and a huge waterland.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24For centuries Fermanagh has suffered from massive floods.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30In the 1950s however, a new hydro electric dam was built
0:41:30 > 0:41:35downstream from Enniskillen, just inside the Republic of Ireland.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37The Republic got the electricity
0:41:37 > 0:41:41and Lower Lough Erne was made deeper so it could contain more water
0:41:41 > 0:41:45and lessen flooding in Enniskillen's county.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47It should have been a win-win situation
0:41:47 > 0:41:50but unfortunately the natural environment suffered.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56Salmon and eels couldn't get past the dam into waters of Lough Erne.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00They didn't take to the salmon and eel passes built into the dam.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06Today there are no wild Erne salmon left
0:42:06 > 0:42:09and it was found that the turbines in the dam were killing
0:42:09 > 0:42:12and injuring mature eels as they tried to swim out to sea.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17To ensure eel survival, the only answer seemed to be
0:42:17 > 0:42:20to stop commercial eel fishing,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22catch the eels before they reached the dam
0:42:22 > 0:42:24then release them in the estuary.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Now Enniskillen's last two eel fishermen,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Roy Shaw and Eugene Brasil,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36work together on an eel "trap and transport" programme
0:42:36 > 0:42:40funded by the Irish Electricity Supply Board.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43Enniskillen is perhaps showing us the future.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46If we want energy, we have to preserve nature.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51- Are these good, healthy eels? - Perfect. Perfect.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54What are the ideal conditions for catching them?
0:42:54 > 0:42:58When there's no moon in the sky, rain and fast-flowing brown water.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02And what makes these lakes flow fast and brown?
0:43:02 > 0:43:06Whenever you get loads of rain, the water will rise,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10so they start generating electricity down at Ballyshannon,
0:43:10 > 0:43:13letting the water out at great speed.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16So it flows through here at five or six knots.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20What do you feel about, sort of, converting from being fishermen to conservationists?
0:43:20 > 0:43:22Because that's who you've become now.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25Well, it's a big decline in your income, obviously,
0:43:25 > 0:43:27and in the time that you spend fishing as well.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29Are you proud about your part in trying to save the eels?
0:43:29 > 0:43:31The eel's been saved in Ireland
0:43:31 > 0:43:35but it's not being done to the same scale all over Europe.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38Actually, some European countries are doing nothing at all.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40They're weird looking things, aren't they?
0:43:40 > 0:43:42What's the next thing to happen to these eels?
0:43:42 > 0:43:45- These eels have to be now put into a poke.- A what?
0:43:45 > 0:43:47A poke of netting, a bag!
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- It's a bag.- A bag of netting.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54And then they will then be transferred into this bin
0:43:54 > 0:43:57and we will weigh them to find out what kilos we have,
0:43:57 > 0:44:00then they're put into a box and wait for collection.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03And is the weighing because you're keeping a careful check
0:44:03 > 0:44:06of how many you're sending going down to the sea?
0:44:06 > 0:44:08Yes, but it's also because we get paid per kilo.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11- So we need to know exactly what we have!- OK.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21- 22. Call it 22.- Call it 22.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24The eels Eugene and Roy have trapped will now be driven
0:44:24 > 0:44:27to the other side of the dam and released in the estuary
0:44:27 > 0:44:30where they can swim out to sea
0:44:30 > 0:44:34and head to their spawning grounds 4,000 miles away in the Atlantic.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37These eels will never see the waters of Enniskillen again
0:44:37 > 0:44:40but hopefully their offspring will return.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48In the '70s and '80s there was a mass exodus of people
0:44:48 > 0:44:51from town centres across Northern Ireland because of the Troubles.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54Ordinary people did not want their homes or families
0:44:54 > 0:44:57to be caught up in town centre bombings.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03Enniskillen itself has a proud military history.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08It's the only town in the UK to have raised two British Army regiments -
0:45:08 > 0:45:12the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and The Inniskillings Sixth Dragoons.
0:45:12 > 0:45:17Hundreds of Enniskillen men served in the British Army over the years.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19This town was used to soldiers.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24But when the Troubles began, the future looked bleak.
0:45:24 > 0:45:29Young people left, now it seems they might be coming back.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33Artist Claire Falconer left Enniskillen to pursue an acting
0:45:33 > 0:45:35and producing career in Hollywood.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39She's exhibited her paintings internationally
0:45:39 > 0:45:42but now she's returned to her hometown.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45And I want to know what she thinks is special about this place.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48What brought you back to Enniskillen?
0:45:48 > 0:45:50I think it suits my nature.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53I think it generally suits your nature to eventually
0:45:53 > 0:45:56come back to the place where you were from,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59be it to consolidate or solidify your notions of what
0:45:59 > 0:46:02your childhood memories were and what they mean to you in adulthood.
0:46:02 > 0:46:07And many of the places that I've lived in, worked in,
0:46:07 > 0:46:10had been really the polar opposite
0:46:10 > 0:46:14of what I find the reality of living here.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18Very busy, very bustling, very multi multicultural,
0:46:18 > 0:46:21which inevitably results in a little bit of a loss of your own identity.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Temporarily, you become a bit of a chameleon.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27And then climate-wise as well.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29I was starting to feel old and wrinkly
0:46:29 > 0:46:33in the aridity in the places that I was spending time.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35I was drinking so much water and then you come home here,
0:46:35 > 0:46:38you just walk outside and think, "This is good for my skin.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42"I'm soaking wet and my hair's frizzy but it's good for me'.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47When you were living in the States, if one of your LA friends
0:46:47 > 0:46:50had said to you, "What's this place Enniskillen like?
0:46:50 > 0:46:53"What does it look like? What does it feel like? The town?"
0:46:53 > 0:46:56How would you have described it?
0:46:57 > 0:46:59Compact little watery gem
0:46:59 > 0:47:03with so much going on that you will never, ever be bored.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06And the possibility just to leave the hub of the centre,
0:47:06 > 0:47:10which is really busy and bustling and friendly and energetic,
0:47:10 > 0:47:15and just be in the middle of another century in two minutes of boat ride.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20You can get a little taxi boat that takes you out to Devenish Island,
0:47:20 > 0:47:22with the monastic towers,
0:47:22 > 0:47:24and you can really feel like
0:47:24 > 0:47:27you're living in the fifth century for the afternoon.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29It's hard to beat.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35- Have you painted many local people here in Enniskillen?- A few.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39The ones that are hanging in public places are...
0:47:39 > 0:47:43I did the ex-principal of Portora School, Richard Bennett.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47Then latterly I painted the painting of Donal Blake.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49They're the two public ones hanging here.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53And then I've worked on a few private commissions for people.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56Do you have a secret shortlist of people in Enniskillen
0:47:56 > 0:47:58that you would like to paint?
0:47:58 > 0:48:01I would like to paint some of the really rugged faces that we have.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05I just see some of these long, white-bearded folk
0:48:05 > 0:48:08that I remember having been out in bars when I was really, really young
0:48:08 > 0:48:10and they're still there.
0:48:10 > 0:48:15And I can just see them as being big Neptunes with flowing cloaks on the front of a boat or something.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17I've said this to them and they were like,
0:48:17 > 0:48:20"Really? Really? You see me that way?"
0:48:22 > 0:48:25To many people, Enniskillen was once seen as a troubled place.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29Today, perhaps, it's enjoying a golden age of freedom.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35It's funny, you scrutinise a town, try to figure it out,
0:48:35 > 0:48:38you see a lot, learn a little.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41Then you meet somebody like Claire, an artist,
0:48:41 > 0:48:44and suddenly you get a bigger picture.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48Enniskillen sits well in its waterland,
0:48:48 > 0:48:52the currents that flow through it, the clouds cavorting overhead
0:48:52 > 0:48:56fill the place with a natural energy, a positive energy.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59It's the kind of energy that calls people home,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02that brings belief, passion even, to the streets.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04It's key to the town's survival.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14Enniskillen's resilience is based on something beyond the town itself.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18The lakes, rivers and countryside of Fermanagh.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23And this town can't allow its natural environment to be compromised.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26When problems arise the town has to act.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31Today there is an untapped resource beneath Fermanagh
0:49:31 > 0:49:34and there are plans to start exploring it.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Its supporters say it's a move towards promoting economic
0:49:37 > 0:49:41prosperity and energy security in a new Northern Ireland
0:49:41 > 0:49:44but it's also one of the most controversial
0:49:44 > 0:49:48fossil-fuel industries of the moment, shale gas.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Having seen off the spectre of the Troubles,
0:49:52 > 0:49:54which sought to divide this town,
0:49:54 > 0:49:57it seems Enniskillen and her county may need to present
0:49:57 > 0:50:02a united front once more in order to see off this very new threat.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07Mike Young is the Director of the Geological Survey
0:50:07 > 0:50:10of Northern Ireland and is advising the Northern Irish Government
0:50:10 > 0:50:13on shale gas exploration in Fermanagh.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17What is shale and how did it come to have gas in it?
0:50:17 > 0:50:22Well, shale is a very impervious rock, originally a mud if you like,
0:50:22 > 0:50:24which has been compressed and compacted
0:50:24 > 0:50:29and on this map it shows this yellow line which you can follow round here.
0:50:29 > 0:50:34- And this is Lower Lough Erne here, is it?- Lower Lough Erne and Upper Lough Erne,
0:50:34 > 0:50:36and Enniskillen is just there.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39And how will the gas be extracted from the shale?
0:50:39 > 0:50:42Well, let me draw a sketch to illustrate that.
0:50:42 > 0:50:47This is the surface, ground surface and this is the sedimentary section.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49Here is the target shale.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53An exploration well will be drilled down
0:50:53 > 0:50:56the middle of this formation and deviated horizontally.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00When that's completed, this horizontal section
0:51:00 > 0:51:03will be perforated, probably with explosive charges.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05Then a slurry of, typically of water and sand,
0:51:05 > 0:51:08will be pumped under pressure from the surface,
0:51:08 > 0:51:11through these holes, to create fractures.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16Like this.
0:51:16 > 0:51:21And that will allow the gas in the shale to escape into the fractures,
0:51:21 > 0:51:25into the well, up the well into a holding tank at the surface,
0:51:25 > 0:51:27from where it's exported.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31What affect does this kind of drilling have on the surface?
0:51:31 > 0:51:35How many wells will there be in Fermanagh? How big is each well?
0:51:35 > 0:51:37Each well is drilled on what's called a pad
0:51:37 > 0:51:41and each pad may contain up to about 16 of these wells.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43How many pads will there be?
0:51:43 > 0:51:46Over a course of time, perhaps 30 or 40 years,
0:51:46 > 0:51:48there could be as many as 90 to 100 of these pads.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51How much gas might there be in this shale?
0:51:51 > 0:51:53In this particular basin,
0:51:53 > 0:51:57we think there might be something in the order of four trillion cubic feet.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00That's round about in the same order of gas
0:52:00 > 0:52:02that is used every year in the whole of the UK.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05So one year's worth of supply to the UK.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07For the whole of the UK.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10'I have to say that doesn't sound like a huge amount of gas to me.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13'The Geological Survey of Northern Ireland'
0:52:13 > 0:52:16and the Northern Ireland Assembly the government here,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19might be keen to explore shale gas reserves in Fermanagh
0:52:19 > 0:52:22but local people have huge concerns about the impact
0:52:22 > 0:52:28of big industrial processes on Enniskillen's green, rural county.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32Near Blackpool last year, offshore fracking caused an earthquake.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36Both France and Bulgaria have banned the process altogether.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39People in Enniskillen are concerned for their county.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43So concerned that they have formed a Fermanagh Fracking Awareness Network
0:52:43 > 0:52:46and tonight they're having a meeting.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Good evening everybody. I'm absolutely delighted to see
0:52:49 > 0:52:52the number of people that are here tonight
0:52:52 > 0:52:57and also very delighted to see that the vast majority of people
0:52:57 > 0:53:00I do not recognise, which means that this campaign
0:53:00 > 0:53:03is attracting more and more people
0:53:03 > 0:53:07to come here to find out more about fracking.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10Scientist Dr Aedin McLoughlin is determined to inform the people
0:53:10 > 0:53:15of Enniskillen and Fermanagh about the implications of fracking.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17You're not talking about one site,
0:53:17 > 0:53:19you're talking about...
0:53:20 > 0:53:26..50,000 acres being covered by these.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29And what would that do for not only your land
0:53:29 > 0:53:31but your way of life as well?
0:53:31 > 0:53:35Tourism. Does anybody want to come to see the pads?
0:53:35 > 0:53:38Might come once, I suppose, just out of curiosity.
0:53:38 > 0:53:43But will it create jobs? And that is what is being promised.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47Initially there is a lot of employment.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51We're not saying that there won't be some jobs.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54So you're talking about 400 people arriving
0:53:54 > 0:53:59and working on this for maybe up to 15 years...
0:54:00 > 0:54:04..and then the number of jobs dwindles.
0:54:04 > 0:54:10They reckon that in Fermanagh there would be about 180 jobs left.
0:54:11 > 0:54:17So I'm afraid that the jobs are migratory and won't last
0:54:17 > 0:54:22and the gas certainly, even if it's there, won't be cheap,
0:54:22 > 0:54:25so why would we take the risk?
0:54:25 > 0:54:28Thank you all very, very much. APPLAUSE
0:54:31 > 0:54:35Do you already believe fracking is a bad idea for Fermanagh?
0:54:35 > 0:54:39Of course I do, yeah. There's many reasons for that.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42I mean, you've got the health issues, the pollution issues,
0:54:42 > 0:54:45the whole industrialisation of the area
0:54:45 > 0:54:48that's really a beautiful area, a unique area.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51There's a unity of protest in this room,
0:54:51 > 0:54:53no matter what background people hail from.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57The message is clear, everyone here values their environment.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01I'm from seven miles outside Enniskillen.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04It's a beautiful part of the world.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07We have hills and valleys and lakes and mountains and greenery
0:55:07 > 0:55:10and it's just beautiful and I just didn't want that to be destroyed.
0:55:12 > 0:55:17Any slip, any spillage, any accident up in the high ground
0:55:17 > 0:55:21and what happens? The pollution runs down, gets into Lough Erne.
0:55:21 > 0:55:27That supplies the water for all of Fermanagh and half of Tyrone.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31If you ruin the water supply, I mean, what do we do? Everybody leave?
0:55:33 > 0:55:35What brings you to this meeting tonight?
0:55:35 > 0:55:38Well, I'm very concerned about fracking.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42I live here but I'm originally from Pennsylvania
0:55:42 > 0:55:45and it's a very big issue in my home state
0:55:45 > 0:55:48so I don't want to see the same damage happen here.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52To come and frack a limestone area,
0:55:52 > 0:55:56I don't think you have to be a geologist or a hydrologist
0:55:56 > 0:56:00to understand the craziness of this scheme.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02And that's what I think it is, crazy.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07We need energy.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10But fracking a county whose well-being depends upon
0:56:10 > 0:56:16environmental purity seems to me inappropriate and short-sighted.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18Fracking puts blots on the landscape
0:56:18 > 0:56:21and detonates risks beneath the landscape.
0:56:21 > 0:56:26So much of what I've seen here from local bacon to lough-side fishing,
0:56:26 > 0:56:31eel preservation, tourism, quite apart from the town's status
0:56:31 > 0:56:35as the capital of a region famed for beauty and tranquillity.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37So much of that could be threatened
0:56:37 > 0:56:41if Enniskillen became a fracking casualty.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43Enniskillen's lived under threats for long enough.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45The Troubles are over,
0:56:45 > 0:56:48the last thing it needs now is to be fractured.
0:57:01 > 0:57:06It's Friday night in Enniskillen and there's only one place I could possibly go,
0:57:06 > 0:57:08Blakes of the Hollow.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12A bar that has lasted through a century of upheaval unchanged.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15Still family-owned, still serving Guinness and good craic.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18Somewhere that makes you think that sense will prevail
0:57:18 > 0:57:21as long as everyone can sit down with a drink,
0:57:21 > 0:57:24talk things through and listen to some good music.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31This town has lived through turmoil and come out the other side.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35Its country air, its traditional charms are things we value
0:57:35 > 0:57:38more than ever in this high-speed, high-stress world.
0:57:38 > 0:57:43Enniskillen lies at the heart of its county and it's a good heart -
0:57:43 > 0:57:47it's kind, it's honest, it's a friendly place.
0:57:47 > 0:57:51The secret of Enniskillen's success is the way it's used
0:57:51 > 0:57:53those qualities to serve its county, Fermanagh.
0:57:53 > 0:57:57And that county with its exquisite network of rivers
0:57:57 > 0:58:01and lakes is the town's greatest asset, its birthright.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04Enniskillen has shown me
0:58:04 > 0:58:07that old-fashioned virtues have a place in a modern town.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10Long may they last.
0:58:42 > 0:58:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd