HIDDEN wildlife of the Burren is explored in a new series on TG4.
Episode one of Oileán Glas, Fásach Bán airs on Wednesday (December 3rd) with the second episode to follow next Wednesday (December 10th), both on TG4 at 21:30.
Over the course of a wild year, presenter Eoin Warner explores the magical otherworld of the Burren, camping, diving and trekking to its most secret corners while seeking out the wild animals that call its land and waters home.
Nestled in the heart of North Clare, the Burren is one of Ireland’s greatest natural treasures with its desert of grey stone the home to some of the country’s most enchanting wildlife. Elusive Pine Martens find sanctuary in its hazel woods, while magnificent birds-of-prey roost in the ruins of Medieval Abbeys and just offshore an extraordinary mass gathering of Basking Sharks may be rarely seen courtship displays of these gentle giants.
Eoin’s year-long exploration of the Burren sees him camping rough and trekking its stony hills to uncover the region’s hidden wild worlds. Along the way, Eoin finds the tombs of the very first settlers who cleared the ancient forests and created the Burren as we know it today. The series shines a spotlight on one of Ireland’s most important natural regions, home to an astonishing variety of plants and animals, some of which are found nowhere else on the island. Farmers in the Burren still practise the ancient cattle moving patterns of Booleying, which keeps hazel woods at bay, allowing wild meadows and open grasslands to thrive.
Crossing the Line Productions produced the series which features Poulnabrone Dolmen and the Aran Islands.
Naturalist Eoin stated, “The Burren is one of the most magical places on the planet and it was an absolute privilege to spend so much time filming there. For this series, we were seeking out the Burren’s most elusive wild creatures in some of its least visited corners and it was such a treat to explore those places”.
John Murray who Directed the series and acted as cameraman said, “Capturing the magic and mood of the Burren properly is all down to time and in this frenetic world what a pleasure it was to sit in the region’s wildest corners and wait for wild animals or wonderful light to make an appearance. On wet and windy days the Burren has its own special atmosphere but in the early mornings or late evenings, when the low sun is picking out the details on the rocky landscape there is nowhere on Earth I’d rather be”.
