Series Overview:
Ar An Sliabh is a portrait of life in Ireland’s mountain communities.
This six-part observational documentary series was filmed during 2021 and focuses on the lives of the people who live in four different mountain regions during one extra-ordinary year.
We meet twelve-year-old business man Cérill, who, cut off from his friends finds solace in his beloved animals and the nature around him. Sheep farmer Séamus contemplates a lonely rural existence amidst the beauty of the foothills of the Mournes.
The Glenmalure lodge in the heart of the Wicklow mountains closed its doors for the first time during Covid and now the Dowling family who run the hotel wonder when they will ever be able to open up again.
Cider maker Seán keeps a close eye on his growing apple crop on the sunny side of Slieve Gullion and bee-keeper John Ross tries to avoid getting stung as he harvests his Mourne Mountains honey.
Student Niamh struggles with the college experience that is now confined to her kitchen table while school principle Pól tries to keep his students and staff motivated until he can finally welcome his pupils back to school.
The audience has a fly-on-the-wall view of the everyday struggles and triumphs of these mountain dwellers. Themes such as love and loss, coping with family illness and celebrating life’s milestones, growing up and growing old, self-love and nurturing others are gently explored through the prism of the people who have chosen to live in the most rugged regions of Ireland.
The mountains also loom large as characters in this series, providing a breath taking backdrop to the Ar An Sliabh narratives. Each geographical area is very distinct. Slieve Gullion is home to a tight-knit South Armagh community, nestled close to one another within the protection of the Ring of Gullion. The Slieve Aughty community is more dispersed over the sprawling mountain and lakes region of East Galway, bordering on counties Clare and Tipperary. The spectacular Wicklow Mountains provide a rural retreat on the fringes of the capital city for those that dwell there. Several rural and coastal communities nestle in the Mountains of Mourne which rise spectacularly from the sea.
Episode 1
The series opens in January 2021. School principle Pól and his staff rush to prepare learning materials for the Slieve Aughty pupils following the announcement that the schools will not be reopening after Christmas while Séamus the sheep farmer contemplates a lonely rural existence amidst the beauty of the foothills of the Mournes.
The Mac Cormac family make the most of the slower pace of lockdown life in the Wicklow Mountains. A few miles down the road the Dowlings also find themselves with more time on their hands as their hotel has been forced to close its doors for the very first time, and the traditional musicians of Slieve Gullion enjoy a socially distanced music session
The series was produced, directed and filmed by Sinéad Ingoldsby.
Sinéad Ingoldsby said “It was a fascinating time to film this series as the Covid pandemic raged in the community. We witnessed the fear, despair, joy and hope of our contributors as life locked down and gradually opened up again for them all.”
Ar An Sliabh is a Strident Production.
Ar An Sliabh is a RTÉ and BBC NI co-production, funded through Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund.