- 17 hours ago
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🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:01A few generations ago, it was normal for families to build their own homes.
00:06Today, that notion is something most of us would never consider.
00:10Ifo, will you be comfortable driving the dumper?
00:13But that's not to say, it can't be done.
00:17Excited! Nearly ready to go.
00:20Are you ready to build your first wall?
00:21Yep.
00:22Okay Phil, one, two, three.
00:25I'm Harrison Gardner, and in this series, I'll meet some brave homeowners
00:28who are about to take matters into their own hands.
00:32We'll have a giant hole in our front garden, and we're absolutely terrified.
00:38There's no going back now.
00:41With almost no experience.
00:43Nothing strong.
00:44Limited funds, and zero illusions.
00:47Another day, and less dollars.
00:51Right now, it just feels like a bit of an insanity project.
00:54They are about to face the challenge of a lifetime.
00:58But I think, with some solid advice, and a helping hand or two, anything is possible.
01:04I'm full of hope and optimism.
01:06Clearing the way for fresh beginnings, isn't it?
01:09This is our first room.
01:11It's a bit early for the grand tour, Jess.
01:13Yeah, yeah. He's living his best life in there.
01:15So, forget what you think is normal.
01:18And consider this.
01:19If you can't afford to have your house built for you, there is another way.
01:25Oh, wow. What a space.
01:27It's gorgeous. Yeah.
01:28It's class. Finally.
01:29Good tears.
01:30Yeah. It's lovely.
01:32Build your own.
01:35Wow. That's a house.
01:37Yes.
01:45Somewhere out there, in all that mist, is Clare Island.
01:49That's where we're heading.
01:52Usually I'm meeting a couple, or a family, or someone who's trying to build something for themselves.
01:57This is going to be a bit different. This is a community coming together to try and solve a problem that they've got.
02:05Five kilometers off the coast of Mayo is the small, rugged outcrop of Clare Island.
02:11It's home to around 140 permanent residents.
02:16Clare Island is a very welcoming place, and I think it's a place you can kind of get drawn to, if you're not from here.
02:22You can just, you know, you go back to the shop to get a drawn milk, and you can spend a half an hour in the shop talking to the local shop man.
02:32Everyone knows everyone's business, but still it's good.
02:35The only downside to living here is it's hard to meet people, because everyone here you're related to, so your pool is very limited.
02:43You're in shallow water.
02:44To sustain themselves throughout the year, the Islanders rely heavily on one industry.
02:52The tourism sector is huge. It offers the Islanders income. It means people can stay here, and they can survive.
03:00A lot of people would make their money in the months of May till September, and that would be their livelihood for the year.
03:07Nearly everybody is involved in tourism in some form.
03:10And without them people coming, I suppose there's no jobs for the likes of Shona.
03:15She got to work here in the pub here, and she got a job for the summer, along with all the other young girls and lads on the Island.
03:21They got jobs for the summers, so they can stay and work here.
03:24The Island is at a crossroads. It's either going to be a sustainable place to live and work, or it's not.
03:31We want to see the economy thriving. We need it to thrive. So it's a bleak out look if you take away tourism. So we don't want to go there.
03:42For the last few years, they have tried to improve the tourist facilities that they have on the Island.
03:49But it's been a constant struggle to get any contractors to do the work.
03:53It's trying to get somebody in here to do it. We have been hunting around, but it's been proven a little impossible.
03:59That's the biggest thing that will hold us back, is getting the tradespeople.
04:03It's just that little bit of water that makes it more difficult, because everything has to be ferried back and forth.
04:08Over the next few months, I hope to help them find a way to do the work themselves.
04:13Working on an Island is a whole different kind of job. Having never been out to Clare Island before, I don't know what I'm walking into.
04:24I don't know what it's going to be like. It's different to any other construction site.
04:28Well, the ladies are very excited for Clarison Gardiner.
04:34Who is this handsome man coming to the Island?
04:37He's got a different hold on the girls, I think. Tall, dark and handsome.
04:40Yeah.
04:44The Island's a lot busier than I was expecting. There's loads of campus here.
04:47And a very busy community centre there, with everyone getting their breakfast.
04:55Every summer, tourists flock to the Island.
04:59But with few facilities to draw on, they are all funnelled toward the community centre and its surroundings.
05:05It's not always easy when you live on an Island to have what they expect.
05:08These don't really fit in, do they?
05:11Like, everyone expects lots of things when you go on holidays.
05:14You expect restaurants and places to stay, and we're limited in all of that.
05:18There used to be a hotel on the Island, and that had a pub and restaurant.
05:23Unfortunately, that did close, so now it's really based around the community centre and the community centre area.
05:29We have a campsite. It's quite busy. And not everybody wants to spend a lot of money for one night.
05:38So the campsite is vital for an island. So we do what we can.
05:42I think people would probably leave with a more positive experience if there was more options or if they had more facilities.
05:50I think that first moment when you get off the ferry here, and you might be camping or staying, I think that first hour really decides what someone thinks of this place.
06:01Before I meet the residents, I want to find out what the tourists think of the facilities that are currently available.
06:08Thanks for chatting to me. I wanted to meet some people who are actually using some of the facilities.
06:14In many ways, you're kind of the perfect set of people.
06:16Tell me about the experience of camping here, and the facilities here. Good and bad.
06:22I think being so close to the community centre is brilliant.
06:25We've been really blessed with the weather this week, so it's been okay.
06:30But I think in terms of the locality of it, it's great to just be able to run in and out.
06:35Especially because there's only two porta-potties in the actual campsite.
06:40But I think in terms of the actual bathrooms in there, a shower that was fit for use would be brilliant.
06:44Especially because we've been swimming and stuff, and being able to shower is not great.
06:50So none of you have showered in days?
06:52That sounds like something we could improve.
06:55A hot shower is certainly a basic requirement for campers.
07:01But I suspect they could also do with a few other amenities.
07:05Does this washing machine work?
07:07It does, yeah. It's on a meter.
07:09Okay. Oh, right. So they put coins into one of those to be able to use anything here.
07:14You know, it's kind of falling apart a little bit.
07:16It is falling apart, yes. The water...
07:18You can see it leaking over there.
07:19Yeah, that one is leaking.
07:21You can fit my whole hand under the sink.
07:22Yeah, so the water is all going in under there, so I don't want to see what's under there.
07:26Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just put my hand in it, whatever's under there.
07:30Oh, right, and that's just all sealed off, so who knows what's happening behind there.
07:33Yeah.
07:34Right. It kind of works, it's just not like...
07:38It needs a thing, yeah.
07:40It's clear to me that they could do with upgrading what they already have, but the buck doesn't stop with me.
07:47I'm hoping to empower the islanders to do it themselves, so I've called some of them together to get their input.
07:53Um, hi everyone. My name's Harrison. I guess what would be a cool place to start and, you know, thinking about the wider island, but really thinking about your shared spaces.
08:05So, what could be better?
08:06Yeah. The first place when people come off the boat is the bathrooms. If the first place you come is kind of in wrecks and ruins, you think, what's the rest of this trip going to be like?
08:16I think Jack's right. They're well overdue a clean up at this stage.
08:19Yeah.
08:20The campsite is just there. It just exists. There's no comfort for campers, I think. We've no facilities really.
08:26Especially with so many people coming, you're doing your best, trying to look after everybody, feed them, keep them happy, and if they're not happy, it just sets the tone.
08:36We create spaces that are really inspiring, that are really beautiful, that mean something to the people who come to use them.
08:43I guess my thing is all about empowering people with practical skills so they can start solving some of their own problems rather than waiting for other people to come and solve them for them.
08:54The hope would be to get as many islanders involved and to get as much help to build something.
09:01We would basically attack those public bathrooms out there. We would rip everything out of them and we would rebuild them in three days.
09:10I was a little bit concerned that this group of people, would we be able to do this?
09:16You know, there wasn't a hundred people or, you know, it wasn't a gigantic group that came together.
09:20People that were not involved in any kind of trade or certainly not involved in construction or anything like that.
09:27I personally felt this is way above me. This is way above my head. I just didn't know. I kind of sat there. I was very nervous. And I just didn't know how achievable it actually would be.
09:42There is a limit to the funds available to improve the facilities. So we have a finite budget, which may curtail ambition. But if I can teach them a few basic skills, I think we can make a little stretch a long way.
09:55It's this beautiful opportunity to work together to improve things that benefit the whole community. This idea that kind of a rising tide floats all boats.
10:08People used to have that years and years ago. And that's how everything was done. All the old houses were built. People came together, collected rocks, built them.
10:15But I think this has kind of opened our eyes up to bringing that back.
10:22Building on an island is a whole different ball game, especially when the nearest hardware store is a ferry ride away.
10:28I suspect even small jobs may become mammoth tasks. So I catch up with Maureen, who runs the community centre, to pick her brains about the reality of building out here.
10:39I'm just trying to figure out what it actually means to build on the island, you know.
10:43How hard is it to actually build something out here and construct something?
10:47Well, I suppose it's just that little bit of water that makes it more difficult, because everything has to be ferried back and forth.
10:54So it is. And for someone coming in and doing work, if they're not used to being on the island, if they haven't got everything they need,
11:01it's not like you can run down the road to the hardware store.
11:04Oh man, yeah, I bet.
11:07If the weather isn't right, now would be a lovely time for someone to be doing something, because the weather is so nice.
11:12Sure.
11:13But come into November, I suppose, it's a different sea out there.
11:18So what, we've got kind of two months or three months left until we shouldn't really be taking the boat out here as much?
11:25Oh no, the boat will always run. The boat will always run, but it's just when you're bringing materials in,
11:29and workmen coming in with vans and getting them onto the ferry, you kind of guarantee the weather then.
11:34And workmen definitely don't want to get stuck out here, so they're not going to take the risk?
11:37No, they're not going to take the risk, yes.
11:39I've been dreaming about doing these bathrooms up for years, and every year, another year goes by,
11:45we kind of get them done. It's huge.
11:52It seems like our best opportunity is to do as much as we can at the end of October,
11:57once the tourist season is over, and before the winter really kicks in.
12:01I'm really hoping I haven't bitten off more than I can chew,
12:04so I want to sound out Maureen's son Jack to check if there is some method to my madness.
12:09Have you done much swimming in Ireland lately?
12:11Ah, you know, I'm used to warmer waters.
12:14It's colder here, but we don't have sharks.
12:16So, you know, you win some, you lose some.
12:19His suggestion is that we should go for a swim.
12:22And I thought I was the mad one.
12:25So here is the lovely cove.
12:27Oh no way!
12:28Am I crazy trying to organise a medal for the last week of October?
12:33Anything that happens on this island is crazy.
12:36You should tell me I'm crazy if I'm crazy. Don't hold back.
12:39I have no idea. I don't live on an island.
12:41No, I think it'll be good. I think it'll all work out.
12:43Things always do work out.
12:44As in, you think it'll be entertaining or you think it'll be successful?
12:47What version of good do you mean, though?
12:48A bit of both.
12:49I think everyone will come together.
12:51And that's what's so good about a small community,
12:53is that people do come together when the time is right.
12:56When it's crunch time, everyone just kind of gives a helping hand.
12:59Yeah.
13:00And you see that everywhere.
13:01You see that in the centre there as well.
13:03Yeah.
13:04Anyone can just walk in and help out in the kitchen
13:06or pull a few pints or organise a community event
13:09or set up tables and clean up.
13:11So, it's great.
13:13Are you ready for this?
13:14I don't know.
13:16It looks blue and cold.
13:18Alright, let's do this.
13:29Before I leave the island, I want to check in with Maureen's eldest son Christian,
13:57and his partner Shauna.
13:59They run the campsite, so any improvements we make
14:02will have a direct impact on them.
14:04They've roped me in to help them take their sheep off the mountain.
14:08So, Dexter will go up and rally all those sheep up
14:11and bring them all back down here through the field.
14:13Yeah.
14:14Farming's easy.
14:15We just stand here and let the dog do all the work.
14:16Yeah.
14:17I don't know who said it was hard.
14:18It's all the dogs that work.
14:19Away.
14:20Look at him go.
14:21Although many young people are choosing to leave the island,
14:31this young couple have decided to stay here and put down roots.
14:35We could move to the mainland and it could be a handier lifestyle
14:38to probably get a cushier job and make more money, but I don't know.
14:41When you look out that window and you see the view and you see the sheep
14:43and the land, it just makes you want to stay here.
14:46It's a great place in life, I think.
14:48It's a great way of living.
14:49It's a freedom.
14:50Thank God for Dexter.
14:51He's a good dog, Dexter.
14:52He's a very professional, Dexter.
14:54You two seem to work in every business that exists on the island.
15:01I'm sitting in love with that now.
15:03I mean, you literally came in off a boat just then, right,
15:06to come and farm sheep for the afternoon.
15:08What were you doing this morning?
15:09I was working on the salmon farm.
15:11This is just a hobby, really.
15:13My full-time job is I work on the fish farm.
15:15And you both manage the campsite as well, right?
15:17Yeah, it's quite a lot now, in fairness.
15:19I think we took maybe a bit too much on.
15:21It was quite busy, like, at the campsite and farm and, like,
15:25and Shauna works in the coffee trailer there.
15:27Yeah.
15:28There wouldn't be a lot of young people here to do a lot of things like that,
15:30so I suppose we kind of took campsite on,
15:33thinking, like, that maybe someone else might have taken on
15:36and there would be a job left not used.
15:37Like, it's a very good facility to see there.
15:40Yeah.
15:41And it's good to see it being used, but, like,
15:43if no one wants to do it then, it's kind of, you know, it's left then.
15:47You know, it might seem from the outside that the work we're doing here
15:51is renovating a bathroom, which is the work,
15:54but it's part of a bigger mission,
15:58which is to help them keep this island alive,
16:01keep the young people on this island
16:03and keep bringing new people to this island,
16:06keep the culture of the island alive,
16:08and tourism for them is the best way to do that.
16:11There's a negative impact by not having a tourism industry on an island,
16:19and you can see that on other islands.
16:21So, yeah, I would really see the island struggling.
16:24The population is declining all the time.
16:28Like, that's kind of one of the problems we face,
16:30and it's a pity, but, you know, it does, like, it has come and gone before, though.
16:37It is very fragile, and in the last few years,
16:40the numbers in the school has gone down
16:42because a few families have moved off.
16:45And it really does have an effect on the island
16:47because you can see it, you notice the people that's gone.
16:50While you have young people, you'll have the island.
16:52If the young people go up, we'll have nothing.
17:01It's the end of the summer season on Clare Island,
17:04and the residents are getting ready to host their last event.
17:08Well, there's the customer. We have a customer, Sharon.
17:11I might as well get some more napkins, Maureen.
17:13You might as well.
17:14Would you like some breakfast?
17:16Are you all happy with the full breakfast, yeah?
17:19Maureen, I'll take some eggs off you if you could, please.
17:21Look at that, Sharon, as I'm ready and waiting for you.
17:24Today is the sheep show day, and it's really bad weather.
17:29If the weather was nice, there'd be tons of people.
17:31It's as much as it is about the love of the sheep and the crack,
17:35it's the social aspect.
17:37It really includes everybody on the island in it, like, young and old.
17:41In just six weeks, I'm going to head back to the island
17:44to help them make some much-needed improvements
17:46to their tourist offering.
17:48But for now, all eyes are on the prize-winning sheep.
17:52I should have brushed down this morning.
17:54Huh?
17:55A bit of grass stuck in there.
17:57Well, we came second. That was pretty good.
18:03There's only two things I know about sheep.
18:07Three, really.
18:08They smell. I know which end they eat and which end they don't.
18:10So, after that, I'm completely useless.
18:12This is the last big thing that's happening
18:14before we close up for the summer.
18:16There's always things that need painting, upgrading.
18:19Well, the bathrooms are going to be done this winter.
18:21That's exciting.
18:22With the tourist season over, the islanders waste no time
18:28and begin demolishing the worn-out public bathrooms.
18:31It's all looking good.
18:32It's all happening very fast.
18:37Can I have to say?
18:38We've started with the bathrooms.
18:40Would you recommend to a friend?
18:42You don't feel the time going, but it's just all of a sudden.
18:47Yeah.
18:48Now, the bathroom's completely torn apart.
18:50I took a step back today and I thought,
18:52Jesus, we can't stop now because we've just ripped everything up.
18:57Nice.
18:58Hold on.
19:03It's Halloween weekend, and today I'm ready to return to Clare Island.
19:08Here's the ferry.
19:10There's no turning back now.
19:13Hopefully we've brought enough things.
19:15We've got a pile of tools.
19:17We've got some materials.
19:19Apparently there's some people out there.
19:21We'll build something this weekend.
19:23Sailing across choppy waters is not my ideal commute,
19:26but we need to take a good run at this project now
19:29before the winter closes in and the island shuts down.
19:33Working with people who are very used to the pace of life out here,
19:38the weather out here, what's available or not available.
19:42It's very different for me to come out here and tie into that.
19:46I'm really here to give some direction, give some advice and give whatever support I can,
19:51but then I'm getting back on the ferry and they've got to keep going without me.
19:56There's no turning back now.
19:58We're out to Clare Island for the next three days and we've got a lot of work to do.
20:05I'm sure there's going to be some ups and downs,
20:08but fingers crossed we have enough things here that we'll build something.
20:21With just a 72 hour window before I have to get back on the ferry,
20:24I'm eager to check out what needs to be done.
20:29All right.
20:31We've been busy.
20:33The plan is to tile this entire space,
20:35replace the sinks and doors and create a feature wall.
20:38Great.
20:42I'm impressed with the demolition work they've already done,
20:44but the next three days is going to be less about brute strength
20:47and more about how quick a group of amateur builders can pick up a new set of skills.
20:53All I need now is a few willing volunteers.
20:57I hope someone shows up.
20:59Very good. Good morning.
21:12Wow, this is a good tone out.
21:14Feels great.
21:15Well done.
21:16How's it going?
21:18I didn't know how many people were going to show up,
21:19so we're going to try and get this bathroom looking beautiful over the next few days.
21:24I guess the main work we're going to be doing is tiling.
21:29And some carpentry.
21:31We're going to be making new countertops and new doors.
21:34We've got this nice idea to build a gabion cage kind of feature wall with some stone from the island
21:41to just bring a bit of the nature and the landscape of what it's like here into that little space as well.
21:49Totally out of my comfort zone.
21:52Totally out of my comfort zone.
21:53I don't think we had an ocean of what to think, really.
21:56Well, it's just it's not something I would normally do.
21:59I'm normally here.
22:00I'm in the bar.
22:01I'm in the kitchen.
22:02I'm everywhere around the building.
22:05We didn't know what to expect.
22:06We didn't.
22:07We really didn't.
22:08He didn't beat around the bush in terms of what needed to be achieved.
22:12The feature wall will also act as a seating area.
22:15Built out of stone, it will be held back with some steel mesh.
22:18Clean space.
22:19They did that quickly.
22:20All right.
22:21So this is where our gabion cage wall is going.
22:25You walk in and you look straight down this corridor from the door and there's kind of nothing here.
22:31There's nothing to look at.
22:32There's just a washing machine sitting here.
22:34I do stone walls.
22:35I've done stone walls for a while.
22:37I would never have thought of that, but you know.
22:39If we create a place for someone to sit and wait for a shower to free up, somewhere to leave a bag or even hang something,
22:46then there's kind of a reason for people to come into this space and it's functional as well as pretty.
22:53No, I've not done it before but Harrison's done it and ultimately they're going to be in the cage.
22:57They can't go anywhere.
23:01I'm relieved that one of the team has built with stone before and I hope his skills will transfer well.
23:09With time against us, we need all the expertise we can get.
23:14I think it will make a nice centrepiece.
23:16I think it will probably look a lot nicer than the washing machine.
23:20I think this is the easy part, but we can't get it wrong.
23:23Because we only have limited mesh and then if we run out of our mesh, it's on the mainland.
23:29So that's a whole other day.
23:32I was crying in the back.
23:36Here you are.
23:37Found you.
23:38Jack's been working really hard on our drawing.
23:40Yeah.
23:41Very good.
23:42Show me.
23:43So, well from the front, this is what you will see apparently when you walk in.
23:48The bench itself is going to be 80 wide.
23:51So that gives you a 50 centimetre seat.
23:53Oh yeah.
23:54Like the seat that I'm sitting on is only 35.
23:57Yes.
23:58And that's probably maybe a little bit narrow, so you could like push it a bit.
24:01But if I imagine that my knees were trying to get over this and I actually wanted to lean back and wait for someone in there.
24:0850 might be a little too wide.
24:09Should I go 40 or something?
24:10Yeah.
24:11I think 40 is probably safer.
24:12And then what height have you got there?
24:13It was 60 centimetres.
24:14It's about two foot.
24:15It's a bit higher than a normal bench.
24:17That's much higher than a normal bench.
24:18Yes.
24:19Higher.
24:20Uh oh.
24:21Okay.
24:22Two feet would kind of be like this.
24:23I'm a tall guy, but even that's a bit much for me.
24:38If someone shorter than me was to sit on it, they would end up sitting on it with their feet dangling up off the ground.
24:45So we might want to lower that height down as well.
24:48Oh yeah.
24:49Over the next few days, I want the islanders to learn as many new skills as they can so that they can keep going throughout the winter after I leave.
24:59The most tedious and time consuming job by far will be tiling.
25:03Luckily, I have quite a few volunteers who are ready and willing to learn.
25:07The tiles we got are the exact same style, but there's two colours.
25:14There's the grey and there's the green.
25:17I have an idea.
25:19Everyone take a box of green and a box of grey tiles and make a design on the floor.
25:26With only a certain amount of each colour tile to hand, choosing the right pattern is going to make or break this job.
25:33You should have two grey for every one green. We're going to be installing them vertically.
25:40Tiling is one of those skills that once you get good at, you can cover a lot of space quite quickly.
25:45But if you are not careful, small mistakes can become a big problem, especially if you're a first timer.
25:52I really don't know.
25:53I've never put tiles on the wall before.
25:58I'm not the most creative person in the world, I'm not.
26:01I'm really excited. I'm anxious about it too, because I've never done it before.
26:05Alright folks, if you look at this pattern, there are very distinct horizontal lines.
26:16Do you see that?
26:17Yeah.
26:18And those distinct horizontal lines, you really notice it on the wall if things get a little out of kilter.
26:24Which can really happen when you're tiling.
26:26What's everyone think?
26:27What's really nice about this is that no one's going to get it wrong.
26:32So simplicity is a nice place to start when you're doing this for the first time.
26:36And it uses the exact right amount of green to grey.
26:40Okay, so this is our pattern then. Agreed?
26:43I didn't even look at mine.
26:45They didn't go up my pattern. That's all that's upsetting me.
26:51My hope is that by running with a simple pattern, the team will stay motivated through what's going to be a few long repetitive days.
26:59The only way to test this theory is to throw them in the deep end.
27:03I couldn't believe how quickly we started sticking the tiles on the wall ourselves and we were kind of let loose.
27:10It's mentally tiring because you have to have the spacers correct and the passion and everything following us.
27:16I was very nervous really because when you don't know how to do something, it takes me a while to get into it.
27:23I wish I was back making the soup and sandwiches right now.
27:28While the novice tilers grapple with spacers and adhesive, Jack, Donal and the rest of the gang have hit the beach to collect as many stones as they can for the feature wall.
27:38Here we are at Kanakura to collect some stones.
27:43You can get sort of stones like this, a bit roundy so they look beachy, but sort of flattish, so they're easier to build.
27:49Sounds good.
27:51This is a back-breaking task, but thankfully they are embracing it.
27:55All different shapes and sizes. Lots.
27:58The crack of working together, everyone misses that. Especially a lot of people work from home. I work from home, so you miss working with people.
28:04Years ago, people would have came together in a village to build a house. People would have gathered stones for miles.
28:15We've kind of lost all that in working together towards a project like...
28:21It's our public bathrooms. So there's a lot of pride, I think, in the work that everyone's doing in there today.
28:26And everyone's learning valuable skills.
28:34Wow, some of these are huge.
28:36Before they start building the wall, I'd like to see how they plan to implement it.
28:41We'll sort of build it like as if you were building a normal dry stone wall.
28:44Can we do a practice run before we do it in place?
28:47Yes, of course.
28:49We've got a nice selection of stones.
28:51The only bit is we have to build up the front a bit, freestanding for, I don't know, maybe that high before we can get the cage on it.
28:59Which I didn't know, and I possibly would have chosen better building stones.
29:04So we're trying to just treat it more like just an ordinary wall, but in a cage.
29:06I was never intending to move to Ireland, but I really wanted to learn how to build with stone.
29:11Oh, yeah?
29:12You know, ten years ago in Clare, no one cared about these old cottages.
29:16So you bought an old cottage there, was it?
29:17Yeah, I bought a 200-year-old cottage so that I could learn how to work with stone.
29:22Oh, lovely.
29:24And you've done it all?
29:26Yeah, it's very much home now.
29:29Amazing.
29:30Something like that will make more of an effort.
29:31I know what you mean, yeah.
29:36I think day one is kind of the hardest for everyone.
29:39Whether it's because they were lugging rocks up from the beach or learning something new for the first time.
29:46Both those things are almost equally as tiring as each other.
29:50I think everyone's going to sleep very well tonight.
29:53And I also think everyone's going to come back tomorrow morning and keep working on the projects they've started.
29:59We're going to make this the nicest public toilets in Ireland.
30:03Well, that is for sure.
30:04Keep at it, girls.
30:06It's day two, and although we've made some good headway, we really need to up the momentum and keep this mehel moving.
30:16There's a load of tiling still to do, a ton of carpentry, and the all-important feature wall still needs to be built in situ.
30:23I think we'll see how much space is left, you know.
30:27I think the idea is the washing machine, like, it's probably going to end up getting positioned over this side because of the waste pipes.
30:33Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide today.
30:36So we're getting stuck in, yeah.
30:38We're creating a platform for some shelving to go in.
30:42Apparently I can be a carpenter.
30:43I didn't think that would be possible, so that's really exciting, yeah.
30:47I'm impressed with how this group of amateur builders are willing to learn new skills and are not giving up.
30:52It's a lot, especially when you're trying to work in a space that you couldn't swing a cat in.
30:58The difference, I think, between the last day and today, the last day we were all spread out.
31:03So it's getting tired. Everyone is jammed in together, stepping on each other's toes.
31:07But not, not too bad. We haven't fallen out yet. No, it's going well.
31:11No, it's going well.
31:12Despite the chaos, spirits remain high.
31:16High fives. High fives!
31:19It's chaos at the moment, but it's good chaos.
31:22It's really nice to, I suppose, have the crack while we're doing it.
31:25Come on in, Jack. That looks heavy.
31:28You know, you could use any size stone.
31:30They don't all have to be, like, something Coe Cullen would be lifting.
31:39Does it work?
31:41It's a start.
31:42And we're on to the next edge.
31:53I have a feeling we're going to be working late this evening.
31:57We want to get it done.
31:58But what's great about this is anything we don't get done this weekend,
32:02I have no doubt that they're going to be able to finish it themselves after I'm gone.
32:12And what are they eating?
32:14It's been a busy day all round, but the work is not done yet for Maureen,
32:17who still needs to feed the sheep.
32:20So I jump at the chance to leave the rest to it and take in a little more of the island.
32:24Here you go.
32:30Not a bad spot for them to have their dinner.
32:32No.
32:33I'll let you do that.
32:35There we go, girls.
32:40What are we looking at here, Maureen?
32:42Runa over there, where the ferry just come from.
32:44Runa is where?
32:45Oh, there.
32:46And there's the ferry?
32:47Okay.
32:48Yeah.
32:49And then you have Crowe Patrick over there.
32:50Yeah.
32:51The mountain.
32:52And all along you've...
32:54And is this still Mayo?
32:55Oh, yeah.
32:56These mountains are all Mayo.
32:57Oh, yeah.
32:58And then down there is where it turns into Connemara.
33:00Yeah.
33:01And what's the story with all these undulations here?
33:03Are they natural?
33:04They are natural.
33:05And we're, I think, the only place in the world that this is there.
33:08But that is before the famine.
33:10Everybody, that's what they lived on.
33:11Potatoes.
33:12They were the potato ridges.
33:13These are all potato mounds?
33:14Yeah.
33:15No way.
33:16And has anyone grown potatoes anymore?
33:18There is, but very few.
33:20What's probably the hardest thing about keeping people out here?
33:23There's a lot of things.
33:24I suppose jobs.
33:25There isn't that much full-time jobs for women on the island.
33:28Summertime tourism is great because everyone has a B&B or they have...
33:31Got it.
33:32They work in the pub or the restaurant or there's a coffee shop.
33:35In the summertime, we'd have up to 20 young people.
33:38Mostly, we mostly like to get the young people from the island.
33:41Right.
33:42And bring some young people in, which also adds to the island.
33:45Yeah, exactly.
33:46Sometimes then people could stay and never go back.
33:48That's where you meet your future partner in life.
33:51Well, I suppose my husband came here and that's how I suppose I met him.
33:55Yeah.
33:56You know, it's important.
33:57Like, what I look at is that, hopefully not in too long a time, I'll be having little grandchildren.
34:02Yeah.
34:03And then...
34:04One of these summers, someone might come to the island that Jack fancies.
34:07Jack will sweep her off her feet.
34:09I'm going through CVs looking for bar staff at the moment.
34:13The not-so-secret other agenda of bringing people out to the island.
34:17Yeah, exactly.
34:18Finding wives and husbands for people.
34:21And for you, is it very important to you that your boys stay here or you just want young people to be here on the island?
34:27Oh, of course I want my boys here.
34:29When you're doing up the community centre and that, it's for the young people.
34:32Yeah.
34:33And if, like I say, if one or two start leaving now at that age, there'll be nobody left.
34:39It seems like such a fragile thing, keeping enough people on the island to keep everything ticking over.
34:46Oh, it is.
34:47And one person makes such a difference in the life of an island.
34:51Yeah.
34:52It really does.
34:53Yeah.
34:54So it needs all the energy we're going to give it.
34:55It does.
34:56It does.
34:57It definitely does.
34:58The campsite now is definitely a vital part of our lives.
35:01Yeah, yeah.
35:02Because once upon a time, there was only kids that came camping.
35:04But now you have got the people coming with the big fancy tents and all that.
35:07Yeah, yeah.
35:08I love coming out here.
35:09Yeah.
35:10You'll have to come out here more often.
35:13Come out here and not work one day.
35:15Yes, this is it.
35:20It's hard to believe that I've only been here for a few days.
35:25But in just a matter of hours, I'll need to get on the ferry and leave the islanders to carry on without me.
35:30My hope is that they have learned enough to finish the job themselves over the winter months.
35:36When you're staring at it all day long yesterday, you're not really seeing what's in front of you.
35:42You're just seeing tiles and mess and you're sweeping it up.
35:45But we came in this morning and everyone just went, God, this is class.
35:48It's looking great.
35:49Like, morale is still high on day three, which is good.
35:52There's a bit of effort.
35:53There's a bit of love has gone into it.
35:54Like, it's the beginning of something, I think.
35:57There have been some long shifts put in by people, which is really admirable.
36:02And we're not finished yet, so hopefully the whole island will be proud of what we've done.
36:07A week ago, no one was able to tile, no one was able to build stone walls, no one was able to, like, do any of these things.
36:13And now all of a sudden, magically, everyone knows how to do it now.
36:16Being able to do it for yourself and do it for each other, I think has really pulled a lot of people together.
36:21I guess the point of this weekend was always to show you that you don't need anyone else to come out here and do things for you.
36:28that you can do it if you all work together to do it, and that you've got amazing skill on the island amongst you all to pull this stuff together.
36:37I won't be here cracking the whip.
36:39Do you feel confident in finishing this amongst you?
36:44Yeah.
36:45This weekend was always about the process, not the product.
36:50It was always about getting this community to come together and solve a problem, rather than waiting for it to somehow get solved on its own.
36:59I think you should be very proud of yourself.
37:07Now I've got to get on a ferry.
37:09Yes.
37:10See you next time.
37:18It's spring, and after a long winter break, today I'm back on Clare Island, excited to see whether the islanders have finished the job.
37:27Maureen.
37:28Hi.
37:29I came to see the finished product.
37:30You're welcome.
37:31How are you?
37:32I'm good.
37:33I'm good.
37:34It looks amazing.
37:35It looks a lot better than the day I walked out of here.
37:38There was a few little bits to do.
37:40Right up until this week we were still doing things, but we've got it together.
37:45It looks good.
37:46It looks incredible.
37:47You've done such an amazing job.
37:48The doors came out beautifully, no?
37:50They did.
37:51They really did.
37:52I'd be afraid now somebody will rob them they're that nice.
37:56They wouldn't get far.
37:57Good luck getting them onto the ferry.
37:59The gabion cage is the best part of the whole bathroom.
38:02You're drawn to it when you come in.
38:04Oh yeah, definitely.
38:05I love it.
38:06I mean, it's just making use of what was a very dead space before, you know.
38:09The broken dryer that was there before.
38:11Yeah, exactly.
38:12Yeah.
38:13You'd nearly come here just to sit on the bin.
38:15Yeah, exactly.
38:16It's a very peaceful part of the island, really.
38:18And I don't know where they found the heart, but that really pulls it all together.
38:21It's gorgeous.
38:23It feels good to go into the bathrooms now.
38:25And for the tourists, when they come in, it's the first thing they see.
38:27And now they're thinking, oh my God, everything can get better after this.
38:31Nobody looking at all the hard work on the tiles.
38:33Exactly.
38:34They're all concentrating on that, how nice that is.
38:37It must feel good to feel proud of the, not just that you did it, but just proud of the space that you're offering.
38:43Oh yes, it is pretty cool.
38:45It was kind of a place in here you'd be kind of embarrassed for people to come to.
38:49It's a whole new Lisa life for campers on Clare Island.
38:52So we have to be very grateful for you though, because you showed us how to do it.
38:57I think you've all done amazing.
38:58I was just reminding you that you could do it.
39:02Now it's so much more colour in it.
39:04And it's like, you look around and it's just, it's just gives us a much different atmosphere.
39:09I think it does in there, like it's a completely different room now.
39:14It's bright, it's inviting, you know, it's not just another bathroom.
39:22In just one month, a new set of tourists will land.
39:29And I think there's still time to improve what the island can offer.
39:33So I've got the band back together for one last job.
39:36I have an idea for the campus and the people who are coming to the island.
39:43You know, we've just put all this work into the bathrooms and making them beautiful
39:48and making their shower and bathing and keeping warm experience better.
39:53But they still don't really have anywhere to cook.
39:55I thought that we could use these bricks and these materials and these stones
40:01and all these bits to build a little barbecue area for them.
40:04And keeping our gabion cage theme going, we could create a very simple little picnic area over there.
40:13We could have kind of a work bench over on this side, somewhere to prepare the food and leave things.
40:18They can basically be more self-sufficient.
40:21The barbecue sounds good because it is both for tourists and can be for us.
40:26We can make some cheeky barbecues when the rest of the people are gone.
40:31And we're bringing back our gabion cage. I like a reoccurring team.
40:34To build the barbecue, I've shipped over some hand-fired bricks from County Cavern.
40:44But first, I need to teach Jack how to build with them.
40:49All right, Jack, quick crash course in bricklaying.
40:53I'm ready.
40:54Good.
40:55So, you know, I really like bricks because they're almost like the closest thing we've got to still building with natural materials.
41:01You know, it's just clay and they add a bit of molasses in there as well, but there's very little other ingredients.
41:08And the basic idea is that, and you've seen a brick wall before, but as we lay the bricks out,
41:13that each subsequent layer of bricks is bridging the gaps below the course underneath it.
41:20And again, the idea here is about load dispersion. We would never stack bricks in a line like this, right?
41:27Because that load and that pressure could crack the bricks, but more likely is going to make it kind of tip and move independently.
41:34So all of this stacking is to essentially stitch the whole thing together. So that's the idea.
41:41The bricks will be interesting. I wouldn't do it without Harrison by my side, but we'll see at the end of the day how I feel about taking on a brick project myself.
41:52And what you've got is enough that when you push it in, it's going to squish.
41:56Right, right, yeah.
41:57He's doing a good job. He's doing a good job. He'll try anything, Jack will.
42:01We're just trying to figure out, because we have to put a seat on the top. There has to be something on top of these,
42:09and we'll just figure out how many of them we have.
42:11We definitely need at least, I'd say you need four. So unless we go and get a big stone from the beach.
42:16That would be as neat as them.
42:18I know it won't be as neat, but it'll look funky though.
42:22This is my third time on the island, and each time I come back, I can see the islanders growing in confidence.
42:28None more so than Maureen, who seems to have found her groove while building with stones.
42:35It's perfect. Look at that.
42:37I am definitely lost in my job.
42:41I like this work. I prefer the stonework to the tiling. It's much easier. I'll be building my own homes.
42:49I like them. They're nice. They look a bit different, like we're not sort of out of place.
42:54As you've seen, there's plenty of stone walls around here, so it's nice to mirror that in the things we do in the bathroom and in this.
43:00There's no shortage of stones, like.
43:03He's putting his up twice as fast as mine, and his looks is ten times better than mine.
43:09But I'm getting there. Each layer brings a level up of skills, I guess.
43:13You can tell Harrison has done this before, because he's way ahead of him of them bricks.
43:17He's way ahead of him.
43:23Lads, would you help us lift this heavy stone?
43:26Yes.
43:27One, two, three.
43:29I'm excited to see the finished project. It's well needed here.
43:32But at least when the campers come now, they have some place to cook, because before they had nowhere.
43:36If they didn't bring the little disposable ones, they didn't have anything, so it'll make a huge difference.
43:41Look at that. Wow.
43:43I mean, something that's always important to me for any furniture I build is that you can dance on it, if the occasion arises.
43:50Good height, looks great, won't blow away in the wind.
43:53With the barbecue and the bench and the toilets as well, it makes the campsite quite an appealing thing then, doesn't it?
43:59A sort of the focus point.
44:01It's really innovative. We probably wouldn't have thought of it.
44:04It's really positive to be able to offer something that visitors really want.
44:08This will be an actual party spot for everybody now, never mind the campers, we'll have this ourselves.
44:14I can see it now. People will be fighting to get to this spot.
44:18We had a lad camping here last week and he had nothing. This will make a big change.
44:23And even the little seats to sit at for the tables as well to eat, it'll be lovely for them.
44:27Before the island opens its doors to a new brigade of tourists, I feel like we should put the facilities we've built to the test.
44:44So today, my family and I have popped across on the boat to camp for the night.
44:49Whoa!
44:52What noise does sheep make?
44:54Exactly.
44:55I want those to baby sheep make.
45:01Look at this. Inari, this is the barbecue I was building last time I was here.
45:05I think what surprised me the most working with this community is how quickly they all found a way to work together.
45:12Oh, it's so beautiful.
45:14It's nice, right?
45:15Yeah.
45:16And the little bench.
45:17Yeah.
45:18I think the idea of working together as a community, I think that got lost.
45:25What do you think?
45:26It's amazing.
45:27Are we going to cook dinner here tonight?
45:30And I think communities all over Ireland are working really hard to bring that back.
45:36Not just the idea of it and the definition of it, but the feeling of it.
45:41You want me to sit down?
45:45Come on in.
45:46Come on in.
45:48They're amazing, love. I really like them.
45:50It might seem like a small thing, like they're probably small objects, but I think they'll make a significant difference.
45:58I think now when everybody sees the end result, it'll be good. It's positive for the Ireland.
46:03We've gained skills, which is fantastic. That was the whole point of the exercise and coming together.
46:09I've learned to skill. I've developed. I wouldn't say I've changed. I'm still in the kitchen.
46:14I'm still doing what I normally do, but I've evolved a tiny bit.
46:18It's been interesting to see what just a group of randomers could do if they came together.
46:23But somehow we did. We all just came together and finished it.
46:25Definitely bonds have been made, which is even more special to me than looking at the tile in it there. It's nice.
46:31It really connected us. We got to know each other really well because we went through the highs and lows of a typical renovation job.
46:39So I think on the whole, it has been fantastic.
46:48Such a simple project. You're kind of scratching your head wondering, why didn't we do it before? You know, like, look at it.
46:53It was so simple. It didn't cost €100,000 or anything.
46:58We really needed help with the campsite because our campsite was just a field.
47:03And now it's got the barbecue. It's got the seats. It's just fabulous.
47:07I'm blown away by that barbecue. I can't wait to light the coals and get cooking.
47:11For us, it's a huge thing. It's really good. It's really positive. It really adds to the campsite.
47:19I love it. I love it. Not only for the tourists now, but for the local people as well.
47:23I think it would be a nice thing for families in the summertime just from the island.
47:28I'd definitely be on that before all the tutors come.
47:32It's nice to gather around. Everybody loves the notion of a barbecue and a beer, and you couldn't get a nicer setting than on the beachfront there.
47:40Before, like, if someone told you they were camping, you'd think, right, Jesus. But, yeah, but now, like, it's great. You'd be proud for anyone to come and camp.
47:51The real thing that came out of it was the deeper connection between us all.
47:55I feel like every one of us that has touched this project feels that anything is possible now.
48:00And we're not going to stop there. This is the start. You know, we've seen what we can achieve, and we want to keep building on it now.
48:07More than anything, it gave us confidence that we should attempt more projects like this.
48:12It's reminded people of what they're capable of as a community.
48:16We all came together and did it, so we can do this again the next time ourselves.
48:20We don't need Harrison here, which is terrible to say. We love Harrison.
48:23We've developed a friendship with him, and we hope that he comes back to the island. He's a friend of the island now.
48:31Do you want this?
48:32It's a little scary how well he fit in, and I think definitely, in a previous life, he was a relative of Granue Wales somewhere.
48:40One, two, three, four, five, once I've caught a fisherman.
48:45I could see him living here.
48:47I'd say he'd fit in anywhere, but he's that kind of person, but I think he's really adapted to the people here.
48:52He's grown on the people.
48:54My hope is that what I've left behind here is a bit of a feeling that they don't have to wait for anyone else to get things done.
49:02They can learn new skills. They can teach themselves how to do new things.
49:06They don't really need to wait for something to come across on that ferry.
49:10There is a lot that they can achieve on their own.
49:13I think they knew that. I think they knew it was possible. They just hadn't done it in a while.
49:22You'll know Ciarán McCarthy from Cheap Irish Homes, but he's out on his own now with Heat My Home, Tuesdays at 8.30 here on One and on RTE Player.
49:39And next week, a Victorian townhouse with a gym is getting a complete energy upgrade.
49:46Next tonight, who do you think you are?
49:48I think you are.
49:49I think you are!
49:54cool
49:59You
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