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Lesser Spotted Swilly
17.09.10
by Eamonn MacDermott, Inishowen Independent
THE eastern shore of Lough Swilly will feature in
the ever popular UTV programme ‘Lesser Spotted
Ulster’ this Sunday night.
This is the twelfth series of the popular show
presented by Joe Mahon. In the first episode of the
new series, Joe Mahon visits the eastern shore of
Lough Swilly, a location as close to his heart as it
is to his hometown of Derry. It is an area of many
happy childhood memories of holidays and days out
for Joe Mahon in his younger days.
But this time he’s back on a more serious note, as
he delves into the history of the Lake of Shadows.
John McCarter takes him on a tour of Fort Dunree,
including the abandoned soldier’s quarters, before
giving him a display of the power of the early 20th
century searchlight that can still light up the
lough on a dark night.
Still at Dunree, wildlife officer Emmet Johnston
shows Joe their impressive collection of sea mammal
bones, as well as keeping a cliff-top vigil for the
more fleshy variety. |
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UTV's Joe Mahon chats with Sr Evelyn
of Loreto House, Linsfort, in the local episode of
Lesser Spotted Ulster. |
The programme also
shows Joe Mahon as he also visits some big old
houses, like Loreto House at Linsfort where Sister
Evelyn takes him on a mini-pilgrimage around a
labyrinth, and Linsfort Castle, where the current
inhabitants Bridgeen and Alan Rooks make him feel
right at home with a bowl of porridge and a tour of
Bridgeen’s topiary skills in the garden.
After seeing how the other half used to live, Joe
Mahon hears what life was like for the poorer people
of the area, as local man Dessie McCallion shows Joe
around the ruins of some old stone cottages.
We also learn about a man who came from this
impoverished background and went on to great things,
the ‘Father of Socialism’, John Doherty.
Finally, Joe braves the elements and gets out on the
water, but in the safest way possible, aboard a
Lough Swilly lifeboat, in the capable hands of
captain Mark Barnett. Lesser Spotted Ulster will be
shown on UTV at 6.45pm on Sunday night, 19
September. |
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