| |
| The first
10-minute film from Northern Ireland is part of programme two of the
main series. |
This film examines
Northern Ireland’s geological past, starting with rock formations
dating back 330m years to volcanic eruptions 65m years ago that created
today’s breathtaking coastline.
The key locations are Murlough Bay, White Park Bay and Ballintoy harbour
on the north Antrim coast, each of which offers a unique chapter on
the island’s history.
The Mournes too are a remnant of the deep geological past and tell
a different story to that of the north Antrim coast.
This is also the fascinating story of our island’s movement
across the planet’s surface over vast periods of time. |
| |
| The second
10-minute film from Northern Ireland is part of programme three of
the main series. |
Some
of Northern Ireland’s beauty spots illustrate how the ice age
played its part in shaping our landscape.
Glenarrif, the queen of the Antrim glens, is visited, as it is one
of the best examples of a classic U-shaped glacial valley in Ireland.
The Glenelly valley in Co Tyrone tells a different story as the forces
generated by the receding ice played a unique role in shaping one
of the country’s best-kept secrets.
We also visit the lowlands at the foot of Cuilcagh Mountain in Fermanagh
to explore the glacial erratics dotted across this landscape and the
part played by the glacial melt waters in the formation of the Marble
Arch caves. |
| |
| The third
10-minute film from Northern Ireland is part of programme two of the
main series. |
The rise in sea levels
after the last ice age meant the creation of smaller islands off the
coast. These offered safer habitats for our wildlife.
We visit the bird colonies of Rathlin Island and find out why they
return year after year to its precarious cliffs to breed.
At Correl Glen in Co Fermanagh we see an ancient oak wood that offers
a hint of what our countryside would have looked like 10,000 years
ago.
We find out how and when different types of trees and plants recolonised
our landscape after the last ice age.
Since that time we have lost a number of animal species. At Ballinderry
Fish Hatchery, outside Cookstown, we encounter the Dolachan, a fish
that dates back to the ice age and which until recently was facing
extinction.
This is the starting point for an exploration of the mammals that
survived in our warmer climate and those that did not. |
| |
| The fourth
10-minute film from Northern Ireland is part of programme five of
the main series. |
From
Neolithic times up to the Plantation of Ulster we see the effects
that human settlers had on shaping the landscape – the common
themes being forest clearance and field enclosure.
We also see the effects of these man-made changes to the countryside
on our local flora and fauna.
We begin at a Bronze Age field enclosure at Ballybliest outside Cookstown
examining a now-treeless landscape, travelling to Inch Abbey in Co
Down to uncover the effects that Norman technology had on our field
systems and we end up in a small hazel wood near Scrabo tower that
survived the plantation clearances.
This small section of woodland offers a unique insight into the flora
and fauna that would have populated this part of the world before
the Plantation. |
| |
| The fifth
10-minute film from Northern Ireland is part of programme six of the
main series. |
This film will cover
the period 1700 – 1900 and will explore the main changes to
our landscape and to local wildlife habitats caused by both the industrial
revolution and the agricultural revolution that predated it. |
| |
| The sixth
10-minute film from Northern Ireland is part of programme seven of
the main series. |
This final film from
Northern Ireland will explore the ways in which man is trying to rebalance
his relationship with nature.
We begin at the Belfast Harbour Estate where a section of reclaimed
land has been given over to the RSPB to manage as a wildlife habitat.
This is a completely man-managed site that attracts a multitude of
migrating bird species. This is a major success story as is the story
of the Conservation Volunteers tree nursery on the Clandeboye Estate.
The volunteers dedicate their time to collecting seeds from Northern
Ireland's remaining ancient woodlands.
These seeds are planted at the nursery and the saplings are helping
to regenerate our native forest habitats.
Finally we’re off to the banks of the River Foyle where John
Gilliland, a local farmer, has turned over 100 acres to willow production.
The biomass this generates powers his farm. What’s happening
at John’s farm is indicative of what will be happening on farms
across Northern Ireland.
The new farming practices being adopted by John and his colleagues
will have a major impact on the flora and fauna that inhabit our ever-changing
landscape. |
|
|
|
