TV program shows off Irish island in full glory
Posted on Tuesday, June 08, 2010 at 06:34 PM
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There are few times when television takes my breath away, but I just watched 30 minutes of television that did just that. It was a half hour documentary on Skellig Michael, the rock in the Atlantic off the southwest coast of County Kerry.I've seen Skellig Michael in many photographs and even one or two video clips and other documentaries, but I've never seen it like it was presented in tonight's show.
Not only was the island looking great, but we got to follow the show's host as he climbed all over the rock, up to the rocky summit and down the narrow ledge of the ancient pilgrim's trail. All the while he was providing a great lesson on the rock's 1500 year history as a monastery and lighthouse location.
If you have 30 minutes to spare, you won't be sorry if you spend it watching this. You can see Part 1 here and Part 2 here. If you do you'll finish with a desperate urge to visit Skellig Michael yourself.
{It's in Irish with subtitles. I hope that TG4's web site does justice to the video and photography of the program.}
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seanskelligs | Jun 10, 2010, 06:16 PM EDT
Unfortunately this gives a very unbalanced view of the Skelligs. Pretty well none of the areas he visits are open to tourists and the very idea that ropes etc are needed is just simply ridiculous.While it might pass as a mountaineering film that could be anywhere in the world it is certainly not what a visitor can expect to see. It does a disservice to visitors to the Island. I am a boat operator to the island and was horrified that this purports to give a view of this awesome world heritage site. Have a look at my page on Facebook-its called Ballinskelligs boats which shows the islands much more accurately and includes about 70 underwater photos too.
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Searlit | Jun 10, 2010, 10:21 AM EDT
Just be careful when you go there Yank, the Irishman makes it look so easy, but there have been people that you probably heard about that took fatal falls there in the past year or so. We tried on each of our three trips to Ireland to get there, but they won't go out if the weather is at all bad, and they only make one trip a day, around ten o'clock in the morning. We were lucky enough to get a boat ride on the third try. It was warm and sunny on Skellig Michael with a majestic view!
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TheYank | Jun 09, 2010, 04:11 PM EDT
Oh, and Searlit, thanks for letting me know what it looked like on the PC. I don't have a great broadband connection and the video looked kind of jumpy on my computer. However, on my TV it looked fantastic. In fact, my heart was in my throat a few times watching him climb around with no rope or anything.
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TheYank | Jun 09, 2010, 03:56 PM EDT
Searlit,
Glad you liked it. I'll keep my eyes open for more. That channel - TG4 - is the Irish language channel. It often has great programs that get a small audience here.
I've never been to Skellig Michael. Gotta get there.
Glad you liked it. I'll keep my eyes open for more. That channel - TG4 - is the Irish language channel. It often has great programs that get a small audience here.
I've never been to Skellig Michael. Gotta get there.
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Searlit | Jun 09, 2010, 11:44 AM EDT
Oh, it did justice alright and more! I visited Skellig Michael in 2005. The filmers must have had special permission to go anywhere they liked on the island. For tourists there is a guide and you walk a certain path to the Beehive chapels. It is incredible! We were lucky to have perfect weather and the sea was as calm as a lake that day. The views were breathtaking, but this video shows an Irishman,speaking Irish (got to love that) with subtitles in English. Seeing him climb all over those craggy peaks and standing at the pinnacle was fantastic! It isn't an easy climb and there's no handrails along the path. I was very glad it wasn't a windy day. Thank-you Yank, for making this video avalable.
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TheYank | Jun 09, 2010, 01:19 AM EDT
Whoa! First of all, I never watch Fox news. I don't get it here and I don't have any buddies there.
Second, I was only concerned that TG4's web site might not stream the video at a sufficient bit rate to allow viewers to fully appreciate the beauty of the video. Is that "insulting Irish TV"?
Second, I was only concerned that TG4's web site might not stream the video at a sufficient bit rate to allow viewers to fully appreciate the beauty of the video. Is that "insulting Irish TV"?
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WoundedKnee | Jun 08, 2010, 08:00 PM EDT
What do you mean--you hope "that TG4's web site does justice to the video and photography of the program"? Would you express that "hope" about your buddies in Fox TV? Stop insulting Irish TV. If you don't like it, there are lots of US-bound planes leaving Dublin & Shannon.
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