A Clare-based marine expert and lecturer in Marine and Freshwater Biology at the Atlantic Technological University in Galway will feature in a new television documentary which airs on TG4 this month.
Kilrush-based Dr Simon Berrow is one of a number of expert contributors on called ‘Fathaigh na Farraige’ (Giants of the Sea).
There are 26 different species of whale and dolphin in Irish waters, ranging from the porpoise (the smallest dolphin), to the blue whale, which is the largest animal on earth. This documentary unearths our little-known whaling past, from the establishment of Ireland’s first whaling-station in 1780 by Donegal man Thomas Nesbitt (the inventor of the swivel gun-harpoon), to a Norwegian-owned industrial whaling-station set up on the Iniskea Islands off the coast of Mayo.
Founded in 1908, as whaling had been prohibited in Norway, the whalers’ policy of over-exploitation has had a lasting effect on whale populations here, with right, sei and blue whales driven close to extinction. Filmed in some of the country’s most spectacular locations, the programme explores our complex relationship with the sharks and cetaceans that swim in Irish waters, from our history of hunting them for food and profit, to today’s efforts at conserving their populations.
These cetaceans were not the only gentle giants to be hunted to near-extinction in Ireland. For centuries, the basking shark – a slow and gentle filter-feeder, was hunted up and down the coast; and just after World War 2, the breathtakingly-beautiful Keem Bay and the nearby harbour or Poirtín on Achill Island, was the scene of the largest basking shark fishery in the world. During a period of mass emigration from the west of Ireland, the industry provided much-needed employment; but at what cost? With over 9,000 basking sharks killed on Achill Island alone between 1950 and 1965, basking sharks and cetaceans were hunted for one primary reason: oil.
‘Fathaigh na Farraige’ manages to condense our centuries-old complex relationship with these majestic animals into 50 minutes of captivating TV viewing, with interviews from former shark hunters, conservationists, marine archaeologists and maritime historians. Incredible archive footage is also featured – including footage of the very last shark killed in Keem Bay, as well as extraordinary footage from from a 115 year old film named ‘Whaling Afloat and Ashore’ by Robert Paul, which documents whaling life on Iniskea.
Joanne O’Brien, a lecturer and researcher at ATU and member of the IWDG, and Andrew Shine from the IWDG have contributed to the “Fathaigh na Farraige” documentary. Additionally, individuals from various counties are also participating.
Mayo: Ted Sweeney and Páiric Mac Amhoigh, An Fhód Dubh (Blacksod), historian Diarmuid Gielty, Brian McNeill – Former Basking Shark Fisherman, Sorsha Kennedy, Marine Scientist, Irish Basking Shark project and Mick Kane,Director, Achill Outdoor Training and Education Centre.
Donegal: Maritime Archaeologist, Martin McConigle, Stranorlar, and historian Helen Meehan, Mouncharles.
Kerry: Mick Sheeran, Ceann Trá (Ventry) – Blasket Island Eco Marine Tours and Tomás Ó Luing – Ionad an Bhlascaoid Mhóir.
Clare: Dr Simon Berrow, Kilrush, Irish Basking Shark Group/Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
Cork: Zoologist, Conor Ryan, Cobh, Zoologist.
The filming locations for ‘Fathaigh na Farraige’ include Keem Bay and Poitín Harbour on Achill Island, County Mayo; Inis Ghé (Iniskea) in County Mayo; Inver and Bruckless House in County Donegal; Loophead in County Clare; Dingle Bay and the Blasket Islands in County Kerry; and both Donegal Bay and Broadhaven Bay.
‘Fathaigh na Farraige’ was directed by Aenghus Mac Eochagáin and produced by Fiona Ní Eidhin of Snag Breac Films. Snag Breac Films is a television production house located in Spiddal, Co. Galway and was founded in 2015 by Aenghus Mac Eochagáin and Tomás Seoighe. Amongst the documentaries they have produced is Ón Mam go dtí na Major Leagues’, ‘Typhoid Mary’ and ‘An Bear’.
Fathaigh na Farraige
TG4 and TG4.ie TG4 Player
Wednesday, September 18th at 9:30 pm