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00:00I'm Fred Syriex and I'm French.
00:04What courage is your long day.
00:06I used to work front of house in the hospitality industry.
00:10Cheers.
00:11But now I'm front of camera bringing people together.
00:15I really love cycling.
00:18It's a great way to travel and meet people.
00:21I haven't run this much for so long.
00:25Get the taste of new cultures and fresh flavours.
00:29I know it's naughty but they're so good.
00:33Last year I toured Northern Ireland on my bike.
00:37This time I'm heading back across the Irish Sea
00:40to explore the south of this extraordinary island.
00:44It really is epic.
00:46The cycle challenges start in Wexford
00:49and finish further south in County Cork.
00:52Some tough.
00:53Are you going to cheer me on or what?
00:55Come on!
00:57Some more gentle.
00:58Time for tea.
01:00But all spectacular.
01:03It's not just about cycling.
01:05And kiss.
01:06Perfect.
01:07There will be different challenges and adventures along the way.
01:11You've all heard of the Tour de France.
01:14This is truly an incredible place.
01:16This is Tour de Fred.
01:31This time my bike tour of the south coast of Ireland takes me further into County Waterford.
01:36Cheers, Dutch.
01:37Do you think I'm a local?
01:41This is my accent.
01:43And on to my first taste of County Cork.
01:47Cheers.
01:48Sláinte.
01:49Where I'm not just welcomed by the people of the Ribble County, but by the animals too.
01:57Bonjour Maya.
01:58Hi Maya.
01:59Bonjour.
02:00Yeah, she's got a bit rusty maybe.
02:01Yeah, no, no.
02:02The French is really good.
02:03The stakes are high at road bowling.
02:04This is super serious.
02:05And my singing and language skills are put to the ultimate test.
02:18All right, off we go.
02:38My epic cycling trip around the south east of Ireland has hit the coast of County Waterford.
02:46The misty rain won't deter me from heading for the beach to meet Sean, a local artist whose
02:53works are literally here today and gone tomorrow.
02:59I'm running late and it looks like it's already started.
03:05Sean creates huge sand drawings with a garden rake on beaches all around Ireland and Britain.
03:14Hi Sean.
03:15How are you doing?
03:16How are you?
03:17Very good.
03:18Pleased to meet you.
03:19Careful not to step on your heart.
03:20Oh yeah, that's it.
03:21That's it.
03:22You know, your heart is like a metaphor for life.
03:23Because you create it and then the tide come in and then it's gone.
03:26It's like it never existed.
03:28Temporary.
03:29It's as very nature as temporary, yeah.
03:30Like it's fleeting moment, the tide comes in.
03:32But speaking of tides, that's just turned.
03:35So I'm going to be against the clock here.
03:37So if you fancy having a go, you're more than welcome.
03:39We're going to get going.
03:40Right then.
03:41OK, let's go.
03:42So I brought along a few bits and pieces here.
03:45A few of my favourite rakes.
03:46Sure.
03:47I'm going to give you a go yourself.
03:48OK.
03:49I'd like to see if you can do something based and inspired on this.
03:51I am not very arty.
03:53I'd like to tell you that now.
03:54Ah, well this is kind of more of a mindful experience really.
03:57All right.
03:58Like if you have a blank piece of paper and a pencil, sometimes it might feel a bit daunting.
04:02But this is very much walking in nature and breathing and breathing in the air and just being part of the environment.
04:07I can do that.
04:08Perfect.
04:09Right.
04:10Grab that black rake and I'm going to start with a little challenge down here for you.
04:12OK.
04:13Don't mind stepping on this.
04:14It's easy just to fix it in a second.
04:15Oh no, I don't want to destroy it.
04:18Fair play.
04:19So the challenge I have for you today, Fred, is we're going to go round and round in circles.
04:23We're going to fill in this dot, this circle.
04:25It's a bubble in my mind and it's like an air bubble full of oxygen.
04:28Right.
04:29So follow me and you'll find your own technique.
04:31I think going around in circles is a good way.
04:33So jump in.
04:34Shall I go the other way or just this way?
04:35No, no.
04:36We'll go the same direction.
04:37OK.
04:38Kind of overlap your rake about half way.
04:41As long as you don't get dizzy.
04:43A little bit.
04:44It's like I'm going round in circles now.
04:47Story of my life.
04:51It's quite mesmerising to be here doing this with just the wind and the waves as our soundtrack.
05:01I'm really impressed with the regularity of your circle here.
05:07It's really good.
05:08Well, that's all down to the drawing stick, which I might actually give you a go of the drawing stick.
05:12OK.
05:13So, you've tried the rake.
05:18Yeah.
05:19Now I'd like you to draw something.
05:21Oh.
05:22So I'm going to show you how to use this.
05:23All right.
05:24All right.
05:25It's actually a horse's lung stick.
05:26It would have had a string on the top for it.
05:28It feels a shame that Sean's masterpiece will soon be washed away by the tide.
05:33But not before I've added my own finishing touch.
05:36I hope I don't spoil it.
05:38So I'm going to give you a demonstration.
05:40Right.
05:41So your right hand will be down.
05:42And you literally see the way it's stuck down into the ground like that.
05:44So you literally just walk.
05:45Just imagine that it's not there.
05:47Behind you.
05:48It's very mindful.
05:50So literally your image is going to be created behind you.
05:54You don't need to look at the stick.
05:56Just taking the surroundings.
05:59And just spirals, bubbles.
06:01Away you go.
06:02All right.
06:03I have no idea what I'm doing.
06:06No, well, that's very good.
06:07It's random like that, yeah?
06:09Yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:10Oh, look at my circle.
06:11It's so round.
06:12Yeah, and bring it on.
06:13Look at that.
06:14Yeah, that's good.
06:15Very good.
06:16You've good balance.
06:17You're keeping your back straight.
06:18You're breathing.
06:19Keep that shoulder a little bit up.
06:21Very good.
06:22Nice.
06:23Right, let's grab those rakes.
06:24Voila.
06:25Voila.
06:26Let's go and get the rakes.
06:29That's the spirit.
06:31Let's go and get the rakes.
06:36This beach is Sean's canvas and it's easy to see how he is inspired by the shapes of the
06:41Irish landscape.
06:43My own creative efforts definitely feel more abstract, don't they?
06:51You've got an incredible place to do your art.
06:52I mean, you are right on the beach.
06:54The sea is over there.
06:55Look at this beautiful countryside.
06:57It's just incredible.
06:58How did you get the urge to do this?
07:00Well, it was a bit like an epiphany moment, Fred, because I was sitting on a cliff, on a
07:04cliff top, looking down on the sand and I was actually asking myself, how am I going
07:08to make art here?
07:09I'm from a salvage background, making things out of recycled materials and so on as an
07:13artist, but I was looking on the sand and I said, I have no materials here.
07:16Next thing, a horse was led onto the beach and led around and around in circles by its
07:21trainer on a lunge rope and it left this imprint of a circle and I just thought if a horse
07:26can do it, so can I.
07:27Well, the tide is coming in, we better finish off.
07:29And here comes the rain too, so let's go.
07:31Yes.
07:32I think we could make something out of this, Fred, I think this would be okay.
07:36I think you're very hopeful, Sean, but I'll take the compliment, thank you.
07:43It won't be long until the waves wash our sand art away, but that's the magic of it.
07:48It disappears eventually, leaving room for the imagination next time.
07:58I'm back on my bike, overlooking the beach now, cycling on a former railway track, the
08:04Waterford Greenway.
08:05It's the longest of its kind in Ireland, running for 30 miles.
08:10It's car free, the perfect eco-friendly journey.
08:15I've been so impressed by the Waterford Greenway that I've decided to make it part of my challenge.
08:20So I'm going to cycle all the way to the very end, all the way to Dungarvan.
08:26So you watch me and hopefully I'm not going to get a speeding ticket.
08:30All right, let's go.
08:31Cycling challenge, here I come.
08:34The Waterford Greenway opened in 2017 and provides a path for cycling or walking
08:39all the way from the historic Waterford City to the seaside town of Dungarvan in West County Waterford.
08:46It's nice for a change to have a flight challenge.
08:52But this allows me a bit of speed. I like that.
08:57My goal is to cycle the three miles to Dungarvan in 15 minutes.
09:03A time challenge is always a favourite of mine. Come on.
09:06I love saying hello in Irish to the locals.
09:10I don't want to say that now.
09:12Do you think I'm a local?
09:17It's my accent.
09:23Dungarvan is a bustling arbor town where I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to say Gia Ditch.
09:29Dungarvan, here I come!
09:36Dungarvan traces its roots back to the 12th century and was founded by the Normans around King John's Castle,
09:42known locally today as Dungarvan Castle.
09:49I might not be speed racing. This is Tour de Fred, not Tour de France, but I made it in a respectable time.
09:55Three miles in 15 minutes.
09:57Here I am. This is the end of my cycle challenge.
10:00I've made it. It's the end of the Greenway and I'm at the Garvin Castle.
10:05A quick stop off before heading off again. I have so much more of Waterford to explore.
10:14And there is a room full of singers waiting for me at my next stop.
10:18I'm Fred Syriax and I'm touring Ireland on my bike.
10:39My next destination is a stronghold of Irish culture here in County Waterford.
10:45I've just arrived at the village of Unrhyne.
10:49And one thing I've noticed is that all the signs are in Irish.
10:53There's nothing written in English here.
11:02I'm off to the pub for my first ever Irish language singing class.
11:07Here it is!
11:10Here it is!
11:19Oh, then we can't go on all of
11:22Fall down, fall deep, fall a-dai-du-dum
11:25I got through the river of Darlan
11:27Fall down, fall deep, fall a-dai-du-dum
11:30Here the mighty sauce
11:33Fall down, fall deep, fall a-dai-du-dum
11:36Woooo!
11:46Giardic!
11:48How are you?
11:49I'm components.
11:51Yeah.
11:52Can I not speak Irish.
11:53Can I not speak Irish?
11:54Can I not sing..
11:55Hey, what's going on in this county?
11:57see a single sign in in English it's all in Irish I almost got lost coming you're
12:02in the ground up this is an Irish speaking area in County Waterford
12:06probably all of Ireland was originally Irish speaking but little pockets
12:11survived I just can't say Gia ditch so I don't know I'm gonna be able to sing
12:16with you guys but it's all written down is it yes I run it six years I'll take
12:22a seat don't take a seat it's good that you're speaking with your hands keep
12:26going funny me three alas which means we will try it out
12:52I was totally lost I was totally lost in the lyrics and I was just concentrating on
13:08the dildo dumb yeah what does it mean did all done nothing he means nothing
13:17everything in Ireland is it a dumb years ago when that when people couldn't afford
13:21instruments they'd a daily I load I dumb did Lee I doubt only died on Tilly I died
13:28did Lee I died I did Lee I did Lee I died um but this is good yeah it's a party going
13:45Allen Bridge are well known in this area and around the country for their music and their
13:52love for Irish song tradition and language is so infectious and what's good about this music it
14:00that it comes from me I come from this land it comes from Ireland you know it doesn't come
14:04from anywhere else it really native from me and that's why it's so special I think yeah yeah so
14:08what is this song about then it's about a fella who came to us for two things for drink and for
14:16women our women first and didn't drink whichever but he succeeded well we've all been there maybe 50
14:26years ago the people weren't allowed to sing it because the second verse says daily fan or roll on
14:32August two row Hebrew thorn a lady went with me and three women from country to prairie as well so
14:39the church couldn't allow that so this song wasn't allowed to be taught in the schools until quite
14:44recently really yeah it's interesting in that way so you guys don't know when he was written or where
14:50it comes from really but you're keeping it alive and you are just remembering they are the lovely Irish
14:55songs a lot of them we don't know who wrote them or where they came from because people didn't write
15:01things so much everything came down you know through through the mouth or lay people couldn't read or
15:07write probably so they learned a lot of it from people before them and we're just keeping it all alive
15:12well I'm not sure this off-key Frenchman is who they had in mind to preserve their music but let's have
15:19one final go
15:21one final go
15:26well
15:28Fa'l du fa'l di fa'daidu'l-dam
15:30Di fiendest pancher tla-ram
15:33Fa'l du fa'l di fa'daidu'l-dam
15:36Glanen ti gada-dam
15:38Fa'l du fa'daidu'l-dam
15:41Agus lyx'hé gho'n a sain-cha
15:45Fa'l du fa'daidu'l-dam
15:49Whoo!
15:52Come on!
15:56Faldufaldi fadadidoldom, faldufaldi fadadidoldom, faldufaldi fadadidoldom, sloucher doldom.
16:11Boiled up by all the singing, I'm back on my bike crossing over into Waterford's neighbouring
16:15county, Cork.
16:18East Cork stretches from Yale to the outskirts of Cork city and is an important stage of
16:27Ireland's ancient East.
16:30There will be many thrilling cycling challenges ahead.
16:34My first encounter on the roads of County Cork is an extraordinary one, with crowds of
16:40people here to watch a sporting contest with local traditions, road bowling.
16:48This is the semi-final of the women's competition to decide this year's Queen of the Road.
16:53A contest which started 30 years ago and decides the world champion of road bowling here in
16:59County Cork every year.
17:01Hi, how are you?
17:02I'm Seamus.
17:03You okay?
17:04Nice to meet you, Seamus.
17:05Are you the organizer?
17:06One of the many.
17:07One of the many?
17:08How does it work?
17:10What's the rules?
17:12You get from the start line to the end line in the least number of throws.
17:17Two.
17:18How long is it from the start line to the end line?
17:19Two kilometres.
17:20Two kilometres.
17:21And how many throws do you have?
17:23It depends.
17:24Yeah, exactly.
17:25He said if you can do it in one, great, but it might take you 19 or 20, 17 or 18.
17:32I have no idea what he's saying.
17:34Is he speaking Irish?
17:35German.
17:36German?
17:37Why?
17:38Is it international competition?
17:39He's saying concentrate.
17:40I've got my own advice to offer.
17:41Bien sûr.
17:42I would advise her to actually kiss the left side of the road.
17:46Yes.
17:47As far as she can.
17:48Yes.
17:49Absolutely.
17:50I've got the tactic just perfect.
18:05Oh, that wasn't such a good throw, was it?
18:11It was your advice, I think.
18:13No, no, no, it's not the advice, it's the execution.
18:17It's the execution.
18:18You took the wrong advice.
18:20It's the execution.
18:21They're blaming you, Freddy.
18:24I'm maybe not taking this seriously enough.
18:29One contestant I should be taking very seriously
18:32is 12-time All-Ireland Champion Kelly Malone from County Armour.
18:39Could this be the year she wins her eighth world title?
18:49This is super serious.
18:53The origins of road bowling are disputed,
18:56but the rules are quite simple.
18:58Competitors throw a 28-ounce iron ball
19:01along a two-kilometre stretch of road,
19:03with the fewest throws deciding the winner.
19:06If the ball goes off the road at any point,
19:09they make a mark,
19:10and the next throw is taken from behind that spot.
19:14After all, these are Irish winding country roads.
19:17No two courses are ever the same.
19:20Have you seen this game before?
19:21Never.
19:22Have you not?
19:22I'm fascinated.
19:23Yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:24It's brilliant.
19:24Yeah, yeah.
19:25I love it.
19:25Yeah.
19:26What a thing to witness.
19:29This is so competitive.
19:32German champion Anke Klopper
19:34is competing against Kelly Malone.
19:41Oh, this is a throw.
19:42This is a throw.
19:46Come on, Gervais.
19:47This is a German bull.
19:56Anke was runner-up in 2017 and 2023,
19:59but maybe this will be her year
20:01to be queen of the roads.
20:04When did you start playing this game?
20:08I was four years old, yeah,
20:11and I have a little fan club here in Ireland as well,
20:14so we have a lot of people here from Germany
20:17and they supported me
20:18and I'm very happy about it, yeah.
20:21And you're German champion, right?
20:22Yeah, I'm the German champion, yeah.
20:23Brilliant.
20:24Yeah, thanks.
20:25It's brilliant.
20:26Bye.
20:27Cheers.
20:28There are such high stakes here,
20:30but not just for the competitors,
20:32but for the spectators also,
20:34although some people are more invested than others.
20:38Fresh the cash.
20:39Oh, all right, thank you very much.
20:40Fresh the cash.
20:41Fresh the cash.
20:43Fresh the cash.
20:43Yeah, they have to fade.
20:45They threw it away for everybody.
20:4820 years, 20 years, 20 years.
20:51I have actually no clue what was going on there.
20:59Whoa, what a throw!
21:02This is so tense.
21:03Anke and Kelly are so close to the end now.
21:06And there is even more pressure
21:07with silky talk from the Netherlands watching on,
21:10who has made it to the final already.
21:13What's happened here?
21:23What an amateur mistake by the Germans.
21:27They stopped their own ball.
21:29It's one of the dangers,
21:30eating someone in the crowd.
21:32There is drama at the bowling.
21:37With my ancestry, I'm 6% Irish.
21:39I know where my loyalties lie.
21:42This is a big throw now.
21:45Kelly needs to get this right.
21:47Come on, Ireland!
21:50Come on!
21:50After a closely fought contest,
21:53Kelly is in touching distance off the finishing line.
21:56Next throw could win it.
22:01And she's done it!
22:03Kelly is in the final!
22:04Congratulations, Kelly!
22:05Thank you!
22:06Congratulations, Kelly!
22:07That was amazing!
22:08Thank you!
22:09So you're in the final on Sunday?
22:11Yes, it's the final again.
22:12I was lucky to help you.
22:13It seems to be a good ride over there, so...
22:14Yeah?
22:15It will be interesting.
22:16Thank you, Brandon!
22:17Thanks very much!
22:18Thank you!
22:19Well, you're making a lot of people happy!
22:20Yeah!
22:21Well, congratulations!
22:22And let you rest!
22:23Thank you!
22:24Bye!
22:25Bye!
22:26This is a different kind of sport.
22:27A sport I have never seen before.
22:28And it's so serious!
22:29Deadly serious!
22:30Tell you what!
22:31If they are looking for a French competitor next year, count me in!
22:32But before that, I have to get back on the road on my bike to discover more of East County Cork!
22:55I'm Fred Syriacs, and my cycle adventure of Ireland is continuing in the rebel county of Cork.
23:12I'm in the south-east of the county in the town of Middleton, established here by Norman Abbey in the 12th century.
23:19This part of the country became most well-known, however, for its whiskey-making, with the founding of the Old Middleton Distillery in 1825.
23:36The distillery was in operation until the 1970s, when a new facility was built alongside it.
23:42I'm partial to a whiskey, so the opportunity to visit such a historic distillery is so exciting.
23:50I'm here to meet Tommy.
23:55Hey Tommy, how are you?
23:56Fred, how are you?
23:57Welcome to Middleton.
23:58Thank you, Rog. Nice to meet you.
23:59Yeah, you too.
24:00Welcome to the home of Irish whiskey.
24:01What a sport!
24:02There's a lot of history here, so 200 years as a distillery, so hence why we've got this lovely big old site.
24:07Wow.
24:08So what was first, Irish or Scottish whiskey?
24:10If you learned nothing else today, whiskey was invented in Ireland.
24:13Yes!
24:14Yes, that's the main thing you learned today.
24:17No, and the earliest records for distilling aqua vitae, as it was called then, comes from Ireland, so yeah, we definitely claim to have invented it.
24:23And when was this?
24:24Back in the 1300s, so like 700 years ago.
24:27I don't know if you know how whiskey's made, there's a lot of different steps, a lot of different stages.
24:31We've kind of got experts at each stage that are going to give you like a deep dive.
24:35So leave your bike there and we'll go to the micro distillery.
24:37Okay, let's go.
24:38Let's go.
24:39Let's go see how whiskey's made and maybe taste a bit as well.
24:41All right, of course.
24:46Whiskey may be an old Irish craft, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for innovation.
24:54So once you've perfected the recipe here, you go and make it over there?
24:57A lot of the stuff we learn here, yeah, we'll go in here, a lot of the stuff we learn here can be transferred across, so yeah.
25:02So go ahead in.
25:03Bonjour.
25:04Hello.
25:05Tommy.
25:06Tommy is leaving me in the capable hands of Barrett, who is the resident micro distiller here and is willing to let me in on a trade secret or two.
25:18I'm like a child in a sweet shop here.
25:21This is where the magic happens.
25:25So Barrett, tell me, what brought you here, because you're not from Middleton, are you?
25:33No, no, I'm from California originally.
25:36I really just started off, like most people, I had a huge passion for spirits, huge passion for whiskey, and, you know, over time that passion grew into a sizable bottle collection.
25:46Right.
25:47And kind of needed to realize that I should probably look at either recognizing this bottle collection as a problem or turn it into a career.
25:53Right.
25:54And I chose career.
25:55I'm very actively pursuing the craft and constantly trying to find ways to push the boundaries and experiment and look at tradition and look at the future and blending those concepts.
26:05Wow.
26:06So what are you working on now?
26:07Can't go into too much details of exactly what I'm doing.
26:09Why?
26:10Is it secret?
26:11Well, we like to keep things a little close to the chest until we release.
26:14Come on.
26:15You can't tell me, man.
26:16But I think double versus triple.
26:17It's secure.
26:18Nobody is going to know if you tell me.
26:19Yeah.
26:20Surely there's nobody here.
26:21This would be a secret between us.
26:22Apart from Gérard, nobody will know.
26:24Yeah.
26:25Gérard, just cut now.
26:26You've got to cut.
26:27He's going to tell me a trade secret.
26:31My lips are sealed, but the secrets don't end there.
26:35So this is the spirit safe.
26:40It's the heart of the distillery.
26:42And only the revenue and the master distiller would have a key for it.
26:45Do you have the key?
26:46I'm the only one with a key for it now.
26:47My man.
26:48Right?
26:49Let the party start.
26:50Yeah.
26:51Day sees the man.
26:52So this is where we make the cuts.
26:54Okay.
26:55So cuts is a fancy term, but all it really is is deciding that when the liquid flows off
26:59the still, I want to put a little bit of liquid into tank A and a little lid of liquid into
27:04tank B.
27:05Right.
27:06It's all about deciding which flavors you want to keep and allow to progress in distillation,
27:10and which you want to stop and either recycle or go to waste.
27:14Okay.
27:15So this is the heart of it.
27:16This is makes or breaks your ability to be consistent, but also helps us in being innovative
27:22and finding new flavors.
27:24So who's got the recipes and where are the recipes?
27:27The recipes are locked away.
27:29You don't get them.
27:30You have the key?
27:31Only I have the key for that too.
27:33Oh wow.
27:34Yeah.
27:35Whiskey may be a secretive business, but the basic ingredients I happen to know.
27:40A mixture of malted and unmalted barley, which is then fermented with yeast and triple
27:45distilled in copper pot stills.
27:47The end product is good enough to drink.
27:50So right after it comes off the still, we call it new make spirit.
27:54This is what my dad gets out after a dinner, you know, with the coffee, and you put it
27:59on the table and everybody has a shot.
28:01There's no liquid better.
28:02Very pure.
28:03Yeah.
28:04There's a nice fruitiness to it, I think, for triple distilled.
28:07That's why they call it eau de vie, you know, aqua vita.
28:09Yeah.
28:10The eau de vie, you know, the water of life.
28:12Cheers.
28:13Cheers.
28:18Oh wow.
28:19Something to wake up to, right?
28:20Yes.
28:21The heat.
28:22It's lovely though.
28:23I mean, the flavours.
28:24Yeah.
28:25And it keeps coming.
28:26You get this lovely sweetness, kind of bready, lovely caramel on the palate.
28:30Very delicate.
28:31Yeah.
28:32This is lovely.
28:34Cheers.
28:35Sláinte.
28:36New make spirit is placed in oak cask to mature for a minimum of three years to become
28:43aged Irish whiskey.
28:44So I'm back with Tommy to visit the cooperage to see where the barrels are made.
28:49Okay Fred, so look, you're an expert on distillation.
28:52Now we're going to hear all about how the casks are made.
28:54We're going to meet our coopering team.
28:55Okay.
28:56Hi guys.
28:57How are you?
28:58Derek.
28:59Nice to see you.
29:00Nice to meet you.
29:01Derek.
29:02How are you?
29:03Char.
29:04Nice to meet you.
29:05Char Buckley.
29:06Okay, well, let me take this off then.
29:07So what are you making?
29:08So what we're going to show you is the craft of coopering.
29:11Right.
29:12So the craft of coopering is making a barrel.
29:14Okay.
29:15It hasn't changed in almost 4,000 years.
29:17The only big change is metal hoops instead of timber hoops.
29:19Okay.
29:20But everything is the same.
29:21It's the exact same as my dad taught me 50 years ago.
29:23So your dad taught you this job?
29:2550 years ago.
29:26Wow.
29:27In fact, five generations of Jer's family have been coopers here and he is still using his
29:33grandfather's tools today.
29:35The bulk of the coopers work is to repair barrels these days.
29:39So it's time to do my bit by preparing a new piece of wood for a cask repair.
29:44This is tough.
29:47It's not easy.
29:48Oak is hard.
29:49Under Jer's careful supervision.
29:52There you go.
29:55We can't have any leaks of their precious whiskey.
29:59Along with my new stave, it's time to assemble the cask.
30:03And of course, like any good cooper, I must start from scratch.
30:06So just leave the file down, yeah?
30:08There you go.
30:09It's like a puzzle.
30:10I am very bad at puzzles.
30:13So what we're doing is we're putting a set of staves together.
30:19So this is how you make a barrel new fresh for the first time.
30:23Wide, thin, wide, thin.
30:25Because we're trying to make a circle, we can't put all the wide ones together.
30:30Right.
30:31We'd have an egg shape.
30:33So with a little bit of good instruction, we can make it into a cooper.
30:38And then the last one, we'll go in from the outside.
30:43Perfect.
30:44Yeah, I'll take over now.
30:47These casks aren't just vessels.
30:49The colour and taste of whiskey comes from the wood used to make them.
30:53So to ensure the quality and traceability of who repaired the cask, you had to mark your cask with a cooper's mark.
31:01Right.
31:02So this is my mark.
31:03Okay.
31:04It's number one.
31:05Right.
31:06Of course.
31:07We'll put the mark on the lid.
31:08Right.
31:09So we'll get you to do that.
31:10Okay.
31:11There's your mark.
31:12Wow.
31:13If it leaks...
31:14It's my fault.
31:15It's your fault.
31:16So now you have an ancient craft that you've worked on, so...
31:18I still can't do it.
31:20Come back there.
31:21You can come back and learn it again.
31:22Yeah, no, definitely.
31:23It's really interesting.
31:26I wonder if my barrel will stand the taste of time, but my work here is done.
31:33And I've been promised a taste of the end result.
31:36How old is this?
31:41This was filled in 2011.
31:44So it's 14 years old.
31:47So that's the bung.
31:48That's the bung puller.
31:49You've done this before, I can see?
31:51Yeah, once or twice.
31:52Yeah, yeah.
31:53Oh, I can smell it from here.
31:54Yeah, smell the aroma.
31:55Really, really good.
31:56Thank you very much.
31:57Yeah, you're very welcome.
31:59On the nose, I'd say, like, dried fruits.
32:02Fantastic.
32:03Raisins, sultanas, figs, nuttiness.
32:05Caramel.
32:06Absolutely, yeah.
32:07And then, give it a taste, just let it melt into the palate.
32:10It's beautiful.
32:11Really, the pleasure is really from the nose, for me.
32:14The aroma is where you're picking up all the beautiful different kind of vanillas and
32:18nutty notes and fruits.
32:19So, yeah.
32:20So good.
32:21What's the strength?
32:22This one, about 58%.
32:24It does feel it.
32:25So, yeah.
32:26Have a little bit of water if you want to bring it down, but you'll probably find it's...
32:29He will be spoiling it.
32:30Well, look, yeah.
32:31Cheers.
32:32Sláinte.
32:33Sláinte.
32:34A small taste of whiskey teeing me up for the next part of my journey to the coastal
32:40town of Cove in County Cork.
32:43My bike and I are continuing our adventure in County Cork through the harbor town of Cove.
33:04Cove was once the most important port of emigration in Ireland.
33:09This was the last port of call for the RMS Titanic on a maiden voyage.
33:13It's a relief to be cycling downhill because I'm pedaling to catch a ferry over to nearby Spike
33:20Island.
33:21What a coastline.
33:22Look at this.
33:23And if you had any doubts, we're definitely in Ireland.
33:36The flag is flying.
33:38I'm on my way to find out about this intriguing island off the coast of Cork and its 1300 years of history as an island prison, fortress and monastery.
33:55This journey across the sea must have been very different for those being held there.
34:02At one point, this island was the largest prison in the world and there has never been a larger prison in Ireland or Britain since.
34:10It's an uphill cycle to the fort where I'm meeting Lorraine, who is going to give me a potted history of the island and its defensive significance.
34:28Why was it built here in the first place?
34:30What are these guns pointing down there?
34:32It was built here because we were under English rule.
34:35They were afraid of Cork Harbor being targeted because it was such an important trade route.
34:39So what they done was here on the right hand side, they built Fort Camden.
34:43On the left hand side, they built Fort Carlisle and they built a small stone fort here, Spike Island in the 1700s.
34:50Then through the Napoleonic War, they were afraid of being attacked again.
34:54So they built a fort that we have here.
34:56This would have been kind of the best point of entry into Ireland if Ireland was being invaded.
35:00So they really fortified the harbour here.
35:03So anything that was going to invade Cork Harbor.
35:06Seems like you've got it all so stout, Lorraine.
35:08You could be the military commander of this island.
35:11There's nobody getting into this harbour without our approval.
35:14Let me tell you a secret.
35:16Napoleon had spies.
35:19Yeah, but we had multiple fortifications so it doesn't matter.
35:25No battle ever did take place in this harbour and the guns were only ever fired for ceremonial reasons.
35:31The first island prison was opened on Spike Island in the 1600s during Oliver Cromwell's invasion of Ireland.
35:42Tens of thousands of people were punished for rebelling against Cromwell's forces.
35:46And before prisoners were transported to colonies all over the world, some of them were held on Spike Island.
35:54So what I'm going to bring you now is the punishment block.
35:57It's the only purposeful prison on the island.
35:59After one of the wardens was murdered, the governor ordered the convicts to actually build the punishment block.
36:07This is the most severe form of punishment we have on the island.
36:13This is an intimidating place.
36:15I can't imagine how difficult life would have been for a prisoner here.
36:20How many prisoners were there?
36:21There is nine cells down here, one to a cell.
36:24So what was the maximum of time they would spend here?
36:27Oh, they could spend up to three months here.
36:29And if the prison warden didn't like them, they were straight back in.
36:32There is an eeriness to these rooms.
36:35These are such confined spaces.
36:39So, Fred, this is one of our solitary confinement cells.
36:43Mm-hm.
36:44During the 1850s, when you were sent to solitary confinement, you would have been sent in here.
36:49Hood over your face, you would have been handcuffed.
36:51You would have been chained to the wall.
36:53You're on bread and water.
36:54You're in here for 23 and a half hours a day.
36:57They were deprived pretty much of all their senses.
37:00So there was no need for any torture here.
37:02This solitary confinement, deprivation of sound, sight, everything, that was torture enough here.
37:09So this is the light that they would have been, basically, so it's psychological torture, really?
37:13Absolutely, yeah.
37:16The Victorian-era prison here was chosen because of its proximity to Cork Harbour,
37:21where enormous numbers of prisoners could be transported overseas to other countries colonised by England,
37:28like Australia, for example.
37:30So how long was it a prison for then?
37:32So it was a prison from 1849 to 1883.
37:36During the War of Independence in 1921, they turned it into another prison again for the IRA prisoners that were here.
37:42Right.
37:43They opened it up as a prison again in 1983.
37:45And when did he shut?
37:472004.
37:48So this was a proper prison 21 years ago.
37:51Until 2004.
37:53But it was too expensive to run.
37:56The buildings were so old, it was too hard to heat.
37:59And they shut it down.
38:00What an oppressive place.
38:01I mean, I can't believe that this was run as a prison until 2004.
38:0421 years ago, there was prisoners here.
38:09It's important to commemorate the past, no matter how sombre.
38:14Spike Island really feels like the Alcatraz of Ireland.
38:20One small island with so much history.
38:23I won't forget my visit any time soon, that's for sure.
38:34And back on dry land again, I'm cycling to another island in the Cork Harbour, Fota Island.
38:45The home of Fota Wildlife Park.
38:51Several different animal species in danger of extinction are cared for here.
38:56And since opening in 1983, Fota Wildlife has grown into a global force for conservation.
39:04I'm here to meet Willy, who has been working here as a ranger for over 30 years.
39:12Nice to meet you.
39:13Good to meet you.
39:14Tell me, what does Fota mean?
39:16Fota is Irish.
39:17Fota is Irish for hot sod or warm ground.
39:20Right.
39:21We're like a microclimate here.
39:22So the ground temperature is 2 or 3 degrees higher than anywhere else.
39:26So is this why you set up the wild park here?
39:28It's just one of the reasons.
39:29Because there's lots of land here and there's an island.
39:31So the good thing about being an island, there is water which comes in from the harbour.
39:35Which naturally for some of the animals brings in fish and shrimp and all that kind of stuff.
39:40Right.
39:41For the likes of the penguins, the pelican and stuff like that.
39:43Oh look, there's a wallaby.
39:44Yeah.
39:46They go very fast.
39:48Yeah, that's one of a number of our free range animals in the park.
39:51There's kangaroos, wallabies, there's maras.
39:53And you just let them roam free?
39:55Roam free.
39:56This is their home.
39:57So we're involved in lots of breeding programmes, protecting plants.
40:01You know, that's what we're about.
40:05I'm off to see some of this conservation in action with Willy.
40:08So, Willy, what are these animals called?
40:12These are called scimitar horned oryx.
40:13OK.
40:14They're an antel from North Africa.
40:15Chad, Tunisia, all along that area there.
40:16There was none left in the wild.
40:17All that was left was maybe up to about 1,500 animals in zoos and water parks around the world.
40:23And in 2007, a male, a three-year-old male from Florida, went back to the wild.
40:26Right.
40:27And he was introduced to a group of animals and saw several calves, you know.
40:30So now in the wild at the moment, there's probably just under 1,000 left in the wild.
40:33Now they're just endangered.
40:34So we can relax a small bit, not totally.
40:35Right.
40:36So that is a prime example of why these wilder parks are so important.
40:40Are they very friendly animals or are they used to?
40:42Yeah.
40:43Yeah.
40:44Yeah.
40:45Yeah.
40:46Yeah.
40:47Yeah.
40:48Yeah.
40:49Yeah.
40:50Yeah.
40:51Yeah.
40:52So are they worried about the animals or are they used to us or I mean, to humans or...?
40:54They're inquisitive enough.
40:55Like, I don't know is it the pink jacket or the French accent, but no, they're inquisitive
40:59enough, you know.
41:00Sorry.
41:03I had never seen an oryx before coming here, but an animal I'm more familiar with seeing
41:08in wildlife parks is a giraffe.
41:11And I'm so excited to meet Forte's tallest inhabitants.
41:17Oh wow, giraffes are coming over.
41:18Giraffes are coming.
41:19Yeah.
41:20So Fred, this is Cat or Katrina.
41:22How are you? Nice to meet you.
41:24She's part of the animal care team in Foda, just like myself.
41:27And she's going to tell you all about giraffes.
41:30Yeah, so we have seven giraffes here
41:32and a big tradition here is any giraffe that's born in Foda,
41:36we give them an Irish name.
41:38OK.
41:39And we feel that that little bit of Irishness travels with them
41:42kind of wherever they go.
41:44What about this one? What's her name?
41:46That's our little Aoife there and she's a very confident little female.
41:49Then you have, you see that female here?
41:51Yes. That's Aoife's daughter, Clodagh.
41:53Oh, OK. Yeah, yeah.
41:55So sometimes when they have their babies,
41:57they're quite similar colours as well.
41:59Wow, look, Aoife is being fed.
42:01Yeah.
42:02Could I try and feed Aoife?
42:04Yeah, yeah, let's go for it.
42:06We'll have to do that.
42:09I think it might be feeding time at the zoo.
42:12You want me to hold on to it?
42:14See the strength?
42:15Yeah.
42:16See how they can just pull the leaves, look, strip.
42:18You just strip the leaves.
42:19See that?
42:20Yeah.
42:21Look at these eyelashes.
42:22Incredible.
42:23Hello, Mrs.
42:24Oh, she's pretty this one as well.
42:25Oh, thank you.
42:26She's had enough, he thought.
42:27She's had enough.
42:28So Fred, we've lots to see and lots to do.
42:30Kat, thanks for your help.
42:31Don't bother.
42:32All right.
42:33Sloan.
42:34Take care.
42:35See that so much.
42:36Thanks.
42:37Bye.
42:38Bye.
42:39Bye.
42:40Bye.
42:41Bye.
42:43Willy has one more surprise in store, and Head Ranger Aiden is here to introduce me to the
42:48biggest animal so far.
42:50So these rhinos, they come from kind of across Pakistan, Bangladesh at one stage.
42:55At one stage, they would have gone all across the North Indian subcontinent.
42:58Now their habitat is greatly reduced because of the impact that man has had on them.
43:02So how many were there back in the day?
43:04There would have been over 100,000 rhinos probably about 100 years ago.
43:07Really?
43:07200 years ago.
43:08And now?
43:09Down to about 4,000.
43:11Wow.
43:11And at one stage, at their lowest, they went down to less than 300 animals.
43:14So they were one of the very first successful conservation programmes.
43:17That's really important.
43:18Yeah, so this is Maya.
43:19She's one of her three Indian rhinos.
43:21And she's from France.
43:22Yeah.
43:23She's French.
43:23She's French, yeah, yeah, yeah.
43:25I did think that she was from Paris looking at her.
43:27Yeah, she's got an elegance about her.
43:29You know that je ne sais quoi.
43:31You know?
43:32You can see there.
43:32Bonjour, Maya.
43:34Hi, Maya.
43:34Bonjour.
43:36You can see.
43:37Oh, she heard you.
43:38She heard you.
43:39Did a distinctive one horn.
43:41Comment ça va?
43:42You know?
43:42Ça se passe bien?
43:43OK.
43:44Yeah, she's got a bit rusty maybe.
43:45Yeah, no, no, the French is really good.
43:47Yeah, yeah.
43:48She definitely heard you.
43:50Wow.
43:51They are so big.
43:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
43:53I can't believe the size.
43:54You know, it's when you see them up close and personal for the first time and you meet
43:57them in that scenario, it's just, it gives you a much bigger perspective of just how important
44:03these animals are and what a loss it would be if they were to go extinct, you know?
44:06Right.
44:06It's my turn to get up close and personal with a rhino.
44:14Can I touch you?
44:15Oh, you can, of course, yeah.
44:16So you can get a feel there for the skin.
44:19This is quite hard, but then if you feel just underneath here, it's actually quite soft.
44:23Yeah.
44:24Yeah, so you can see the difference.
44:25So, like, they live in the same area as tigers and they've evolved this really thick skin
44:28to kind of protect them and that skin can take a huge amount of damage, you know?
44:32They love being hosed down in the summer and they like the hose to be on full power.
44:35Like, you could take a pressure washer, too, and he would love that, you know?
44:38It would tear her skin off, but he loves it, you know?
44:40So he does love contact and he loves doing the training.
44:43For them, it's a great way of getting their brain active because it's a positive to them.
44:47We're trying to just communicate with them, but for us, it just lets them check the three
44:50hooks on the feet.
44:51He obviously doesn't understand why we want him to do that.
44:53He just wants the food.
44:54You've got to make sure he's healthy.
44:55Exactly.
44:56Yeah.
44:57Yeah.
44:58Yeah.
44:59I've seen firsthand the passion and care here with conserving these amazing creatures.
45:05And it's such a privilege to be so close to a rhino.
45:08What a beast.
45:11It's about us globally working together to help preserve our natural surroundings.
45:17The birds, the plants, the bees, it's all about that.
45:20Well listen, I heard you loud and clear.
45:21Thanks very much.
45:22Good luck in your travels.
45:23Take care, man.
45:24See you later.
45:29My trip from Waterford to Cork has been quite a journey and the passionate people I've met
45:34along the way have made it a cycle to remember.
45:37Sun Heart for me is a metaphor for life.
45:39It's beautiful, but one moment it's here and the next is gone, gone with the time.
45:47The road bowling was totally surreal and I really loved it.
45:50In fact, I'm absolutely obsessed with it and I want to come back next year with my dad.
45:54I want to represent France.
45:56Hopefully I can win.
46:00My cycle challenge on the greenway to Dungarvan was really a highlight for me.
46:04It was so beautiful.
46:08There is so much more of County Cork to discover.
46:11I can't wait.
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