International documentary series about peatlands in Ireland to be shown on TG4

Rúin in Portach (Secrets in the Peat), a three-part series which explores the magnificent peatlands in Ireland and around the globe will be televised on TG4 this Wednesday.

Peatlands cover just 3% of our planet but store more carbon than all the forests of the world combined. This series 'Rúin na bPortach' takes a fresh perspective on the bogs and peatlands of Ireland and the world, the role they play in the delicate balance of the world’s ecosystem, how they have influenced history, and indeed culture with their sometimes overlooked wild and distinct beauty.

Presenter Cormac Ó hÁdhmaill takes us on a journey from the boreal peatlands of Canada, to the expansive peat plains of Finland and the beautiful bogs of home. We meet people who are seeing pharmaceutical breakthroughs using our native bog plants, as well as those who care for Scotland’s Red Stag in the peaty uplands of the Outer Hebrides, and discover how changes to the peat industry are affecting people’s way of living.

Episode one will broadcast on TG4 on Wednesday, November 15 at 9.30pm and looks at the cultural influence of boglands on the art and music of Scotland and Ireland. Professor Matthijs Schouten tells us about how visiting Ireland in the 1970s prompted him to start a campaign to save Irish bogs, having seen the impact of the Dutch peat industry on the already low-lying land of the Netherlands.

Annemarie Ní Churreáin tells us about how bogs and landscape inspire her poetry as Cormac meets with her in Donegal’s stunning Poison Glen. We see some of the unusual wildlife of boglands, and Cormac travels to Finland where he meets people who believe peat should be considered a renewable resource. Stiofán Mac Lochlainn a farmer in Co. Donegal, Art Agnew Chairman Patrick Kavanagh Centre, Writer John Connell, Jonny Dillon Associate Archivist, the National Folklore Collection, UCD/ Cartlannaí are also in the first episode of Rúin na bPortach that will air next Wednesday.

In the second episode of the series Cormac uncovers the layers of history preserved by peat. In the National Museum of Ireland Eamonn Ned Kelly speaks to us about the fascinating human remains found preserved in time in our bogs and what they can tell us about a time before our history books began. We meet Professor Helen Sheridan who has been studying with her team the medicinal benefits of a variety of plants found on bogs, and which have been used as folk cures for generations.

We also meet Miriam Ryan, Oldcroghan Man Walking Tour, Prof. Séamas Caulfield Archaeologist, Mayo's Céide Fields, Martin Downes Professor Emeritus, Biology, Maynooth University and Sophie Whyms Research Assistant in the second episode of Rúin na bPortach. In Canada an indigenous First Nations’ community are handed back the reigns as they are tasked with being a key part in an innovative peatlands research centre.

In episode three we meet some of the world’s leading experts in bogland science and restoration. Cormac meets with Irish researchers who are using 19th century maps to identify areas of bogland that could potentially be restored to active living bog. Eugene Dunbar Local Activist, Cloncrow Bog and Mícheál Callaghan, Development Officer, Community Wetlands Forum are part of episode three of Rúin na bPortach. In Canada world expert in bog restoration Dr Line Rochefort explains her methods of replanting sphagnum and we meet a Wildfire Research Scientist who explains how healthy peatlands quell the spread of potentially devastating fires.

Presenter Cormac Ó hÁdhmaill said: “It’s arguable that a series of three one-hour programmes does not give enough time to reflect the huge importance of bogs in the archaeology, history, culture and psyche of Ireland. In making this series, we did go some way towards that goal. I looked at bodies ritually buried in bogs, customs and practices associated with bogs, what science can reveal about how bogs grow and develop and the life found within them.

And I also learned to appreciate in a deep visceral way how important bogs are in mitigating some of the excesses of modern life and the existential threats we face. But nothing is ever simple. When I stood on a bog in Finland ripped apart for fuel and left a brown lifeless desert, I was nearly brought to tears at what we were doing to the environment, putting short-term gains ahead of long-term security of the Earth. But when I spoke both to those cutting turf for personal use and those harvesting it on an industrial scale, I was struck by the economic arguments driving these practices and, though necessary, how difficult it will be to bring them to an end. I was given lots to think about in this series and so too will viewers.”

This wonderful landmark factual series Rúin na bPortach is a Below the Radar TV, Mac TV, and Idéacom International UK-Canada Treaty co-production for TG4, BBC NI, MG Alba, Radio-Canada and RTBF. The series received funding from Northern Ireland Screen's Irish Language Broadcast Fund, Screen Scotland, and the Canada Media Fund, and was also supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Celtic International Fund.

The Commissioning Editor for TG4, Proinsias Ní Ghráinne, highlighted during the launch that 'Rúin na bPortach is a shining example of a successful co-production between Ireland North and South, Canada and Scotland. "This is how we can work together to make projects of big ambition and scale that remain true to our audience interests and language." Ambassador of Canada to Ireland, Nancy Smyth travelled to Galway City last week to launch the international documentary series Rúin na bPortach.

Rúin na bPortach will premiere on TG4 and TG4.ie on Wednesday, November 15 at 9.30pm.