Episode 2:
This week The Summer Show presents an ‘Island special’ where each story comes from one of the many diverse islands that populate our rich coastline.
Derek Mooney and Nuala Carey present the show from Oileán Chléire (Cape Clear), Ireland’s most southerly inhabited Gaeltacht Island. This beautiful location lies eight miles off the west Cork coast. Derek explores the island’s entrepreneurial use of the lavender crop, which grows in abundance on the island. The locals use it to make gin, ice cream and keep the local bee population in honey.
Nuala travels to the Aran islands, Inis Mór where she uncovers the historic marvel that is the fort of Dún Aonghusa. Dún Aonghusa is the largest stone fort on the island and is over 3,000 years old. Excavations have revealed significant evidence of prehistoric metalworking, as well as several houses and burials. The whole complex was refortified in AD 700–800. However, as Nuala learns, recent discoveries have led some experts to believe the fort may be far older.
Nature photographer Theo Jebb this week attempts to track down our lesser-known seal, the elusive grey seal. As we learn, these seals prefer more sheltered coastlines. Theo explores our southern shores and eventually finds success in West Cork. Theo finds them skittish on land, difficult to film from the boat and comes to the conclusion there’s only one thing to do – get in the water amongst them.
Chef Nico Reynolds sets sail on the open seas on the hunt for Lobster! He’s meeting Colin Dwan. A life-long lobster fisherman from Boatstrand, Co. Waterford. Nico joins the crew of Colin’s boat and learns the importance of tying a docking knot before heading for the open water. With 50 lobster pots on each line, it’s all go for Nico. Avoiding their claws and the odd Octopus (or two!) He helps the crew to sort and box their catch. Back on shore, Nico tests his hand-eye coordination, throwing the docking rope to a docker standing on the quayside, before trying out his newly learned knot-tying skills to secure the boat in the dock. Back on dry land, in Colin’s Garden overlooking the sea, Nico fires up the BBQ and grills some of the catch of the day lobster for the ship’s crew.
In our regular nostalgic holiday lookback, singer DANIEL O’DONNELL catches a boat over to a coastal island off County Donegal, the home of his ancestors. “Owey island is very important to our family, it was where my mother came from, where we went on our summer holidays, and it has many many memories of our childhood days.” Daniel docks on Owey and makes his way up from the landing spot and recalls his mother visiting the island after a long gap of time – “my mother hadn’t been since all the people left the island, she last came in 2010, when she was coming on 91.”
Daniel imagines there must have been difficult times for the family and the islanders but says that when mother reminisced about old times that “it was always happy and with a smile.”
Daniel’s house on the island is his sanctuary “it’s nice and quiet and calm, and for me to be able to say we have a place on the island where my mother was from is really special.” Daniel ends by singing the chorus of the song born out of his mother’s moving poem. “…if it could return. I’d never more roam, forever to stay in my old island home.”
The Summer show – RTÉ One Sunday 6:30pm.
Press release Summer Show SERIES 2 2023
Series Overview
The Summer Show, now in its second series, presents the best of everything from the summer in Ireland. Derek Mooney and Nuala Carey will explore the hidden history, fantastic food, native nature and luscious locations on our doorstep.
Over the course of the four-part series, Derek and Nuala will travel the length and breadth of the country highlighting the best of the summer activities. They will be presenting packages from the Galway races, Oileán Chléire (Cape Clear), Kilkenny castle and the beautiful Botanic gardens in Dublin.
Items across the series include Derek exploring the many uses of lavender on Cape Clear and the work behind some of Irelands best loved and Oscar nominated animated features while Nuala will examine the layered history of Lady’s Day at the races and she also tries her hand at the art of campanology (bell ringing) from the team in St Canice’s cathedral, Kilkenny.
Each week the programme challenges a team of household name chefs (Paul Flynn, Catherine Fulvio, Kevin Dundon and Nico Reynolds) to forage for their supper in our ‘farm to fork’ challenge. They’ll not only have to cook their ingredients but learn a little about how they got into their kitchen in the first place.
Wildlife photographer Theo Jebb returns with more intrepid adventures involving the wild nature in the Irish landscape. A famous face takes a nostalgic journey back to the holiday spot of their youth and more household names take on the task of presenting their own 360 walk in scenic locales across the country.
All in all, over the course of the four-part series, The Summer Show has something for everyone and promises to firmly put the best of summers in Ireland on the map.