Episode 2 Luí na Talún

BIRDSONG

-What are you up to?

-Well, we're just...

Here they are, the live eels.

-They are indeed and the tools of the trade.

-I'm getting a job as well!

-You can have a job here.

-What am I doing now?

We're looking for the undersize ones, the very small ones,

as part of our conservation measures to return the small ones

back to the lough, give them an opportunity to grow a bit bigger.

I don't know how good I am at this job.

Well, if you can push them forward to me, I'll try and do the rest.

I'll leave the big job to you.

-So, er, Pat, you just got awarded PGI status recently.

-Yes.

What exactly does that mean for you?

The PGI status, as you'll understand, is related,

not only to the product that we are producing,

it recognises the quality of that product.

It also recognises the geographical origin of it

and equally the traditions involved.

A year now you've got the PGI status,

has it made much of a difference?

To be perfectly honest, there's no discernible advantage to us, however,

going forward, we can see there are certain advantages to be had from it.

Nowadays, with consumers being more discerning about the foodstuffs,

they're very much interested in the origin of the foodstuffs,

in this case the eels,

and we can see that the PGI status

would be a very useful tool in marketing.

-They're not very attractive, though.

-They're not particularly attractive,

but I'm very impressed to see you getting involved the way you are.

-Do you think, will I get a job here?

-It's possible.

So, Aquinas, we're in the actual shed where you

-had your accident, tell me exactly what happened here.

-Well, we were...

It was about three o'clock in the evening, half two,

three o'clock and we decided to pump this tank of slurry...

It was overflowing and me and the neighbour

put the tractor in here to the hole...

and this house used to be divided in two, so it did,

and there was a gate across there so I stood there

and we started pumping the slurry

and the neighbour was pumping and after about five or ten minutes

and the next thing I turned round

and I've seen that cattle starting to fall on the other side of the shed,

so naturally I shouted at him,

"Jonathan, will you stop? Turn the tractor off quick!"

I opened up the gate down here... I seen the cattle all falling,

so naturally I ran down over the top of the cattle and opened the gate

to get them out but there was an awful smell of gas,

so I couldn't breathe, so I ran outside and I was maybe outside for

a minute, I got my breath back and ran back in again in a whole panic.

Not a good idea.

Not a good idea, but when you feed these cattle so long,

I think as much of my cattle as I do

of anybody else, you know I mean? I like my cattle, you know.

So, the next thing I remember, well, I don't remember,

but Jonathan, he pulled me out of the house there

and then my son came running round the yard

cos John was shouting and roaring

and the two of them pulled me up and pulled me outside there.

I have to be very, very lucky

for what happened to so many people since that,

there's so many people have died in slurry since that

and I was one of the lucky ones.

MOOING

Subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing by Red Bee Media Ltd