A new TG4 documentary will next week unearth Donegal’s little-known whaling past.
Fathaigh na Farraige will tell the story of the establishment of Ireland’s first whaling-station in 1780 by Donegal man Thomas Nesbitt, the inventor of the swivel gun-harpoon.
A Humpback Whale and dolphin in Donegal Bay.
It will also feature a Norwegian-owned industrial whaling-station set up on the Iniskea Islands off the coast of Mayo. Founded in 1908, as whaling had been prohibited in Norway, the whalers’ policy of over-exploitation has had a lasting effect on whale populations here, with right, sei and blue whales driven close to extinction.
Filmed in some of the country’s most spectacular locations, including Donegal, the programme explores our complex relationship with the sharks and cetaceans that swim in Irish waters, from our history of hunting them for food and profit, to today’s efforts at conserving their populations.
A moody Sliabh Liag which will feature in the documentary.
These cetaceans were not the only gentle giants to be hunted to near-extinction in Ireland. For centuries, the basking shark – a slow and gentle filter-feeder – was hunted up and down the coast. And just after WWII, the breathtakingly-beautiful Keem Bay and the nearby harbour or Poirtín on Achill Island, was the scene of the largest basking shark fishery in the world. During a period of mass emigration from the west of Ireland, the industry provided much-needed employment; but at what cost? With over 9,000 basking sharks killed on Achill Island alone between 1950 and 1965, basking sharks and cetaceans were hunted for one primary reason: oil.
Joanne O’Brien, a lecturer and researcher at ATU and member of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), and Andrew Shine from the IWDG have contributed to the documentary. Additionally, individuals from various counties are also participating, including Donegal Maritime Archaeologist, Martin McConigle, from Stranorlar, and historian Helen Meehan, Mouncharles.
The filming locations for ‘Fathaigh na Farraige’ include Inver and Bruckless House in Donegal; Loophead in County Clare; Dingle Bay and the Blasket Islands in County Kerry; and both Donegal Bay and Broadhaven Bay. Also featured are Keem Bay and Poitín Harbour on Achill Island, County Mayo; Inis Ghé (Iniskea) in County Mayo.
Watch a preview of Fathaigh na Farraige below:
‘Fathaigh na Farraige’ manages to condense our centuries-old complex relationship with these majestic animals into 50 minutes of captivating TV viewing, with interviews from former shark hunters, conservationists, marine archaeologists and maritime historians. Incredible archive footage is also featured – including footage of the very last shark killed in Keem Bay, as well as extraordinary footage from a 115 year old film named ‘Whaling Afloat and Ashore’ by Robert Paul, which documents whaling life on Iniskea.
‘Fathaigh na Farraige’ was directed by Aenghus Mac Eochagáin and produced by Fiona Ní Eidhin of Snag Breac Films. Snag Breac Films is a television production house located in Spiddal, Co. Galway and was founded in 2015 by Aenghus Mac Eochagáin and Tomás Seoighe. Amongst the documentaries they have produced is Ón Mam go dtí na Major Leagues’, ‘Typhoid Mary’ and ‘An Bear’.
Fathaigh na Farraige will be broadcast on TG4 next Wednesday, September 18, at 9:30 pm as well as TG4.ie TG4 Player
A Humpback Whale in Donegal Bay.
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